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GRAPE GROUP SEES QUICK END TO SHORTFALL

The current shortfall in supplies of grapes from California should ease in June, according to the California Table Grape Commission."The early season has been on the shy side, mainly because of weather," said Bruce Obbink, president of the Fresno-based commission. "Once we're past June, we should see more than adequate supplies."Overall, the commission estimates a 1996 table grape crop of 69.8 million

The current shortfall in supplies of grapes from California should ease in June, according to the California Table Grape Commission.

"The early season has been on the shy side, mainly because of weather," said Bruce Obbink, president of the Fresno-based commission. "Once we're past June, we should see more than adequate supplies."

Overall, the commission estimates a 1996 table grape crop of 69.8 million 21-pound box equivalents, down 2.5% from last year. "A 2.5% difference is hardly worth saying anything about," said Obbink.

The situation in grape supplies is of particular concern given the commission's concerted push to encourage promotions, observers said. The grower group is offering a variety of promotions that Obbink said retailers can customize to their own needs.

"We're trying a potpourri of programs for retailers to choose from," he said. "One scheme for the entire country doesn't work well, so we're offering a menu of programs. We're trying to make all things available to the trade."

Last year, the commission asked retailers to track the performance of their grape promotions, as a way to measure effectiveness. Participants included Safeway Store's Seattle division, Lowe's Food Stores, Winston-Salem, N.C., and a Publix unit in Gainesville, Fla.

The Safeway division compared promotions from two seasons. In 1994, the Seattle division units put grapes on ad at 88 cents a pound, and featured them in four in-store ads. Last year, the division featured grapes at 95 cents a pound in three ads, but used in-store radio ads. With the radio spots, the division boosted volume sales by 27% -- an additional 13,479 lugs -- over 1994.

At Lowe's, frozen grapes were advertised five different times during August and September, 1995. That resulted in a 20% increase in sales over the previous year.

Last July, when the Publix unit featured grapes at $1.89 a pound, it moved seven boxes a day. When the price was lowered to 89 cents a pound without promotion, sales increased to 30 boxes a day. Then, when grapes were featured on ad at 89 cents a pound, with in-store sampling, average daily sales increased to 45 boxes. The commission last week launched its first flight of radio ads, which allow retailers to insert a "tag" with their supermarket's name at the end. The ads will air during commuter travel time, Obbink said, and will run in two-week flights until December.

The commission is also offering in-store announcements for broadcasting over a store's public address system.

Available point-of-purchase materials include the commission's shelf samplers.

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