EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- After a test which began last fall in three markets, C.H. Robinson here is offering its line of check-out merchandisers, designed to create impulse sales of precut produce, to retailers across the country, the company said.
The Fresh 1 merchandisers, named for C.H. Robinson's line of precut produce, can be placed in any department, according to the company. The merchandisers are lightweight and easy to carry, the company said. They are made from Styrofoam, have a plastic lining, and a self-contained drainage system is included.
The company started test-marketing the merchandisers last October in Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. According to the company, sales averaged one to three cases of 3-ounce baby carrots per day. "The coolers help retailers extend their shelf space as well as their produce sections," said Joe Horwath, representative for the company. "The feedback on using the coolers for carrots has been extremely positive," he said. "Now we need to help retailers take advantage of the sales opportunities that salad mixes can offer."
Frank Gillespie, corporate produce director for Pewaukee, Wis.-based Roundy's, the fifth largest wholesaler in the United States, said he has maintained merchandisers in about 20 units since October.
"They're doing very, very well," he said. "Sales from the coolers are impulse sales, which means they are extra sales."
Gillespie said he is considering placing merchandisers in some of the other 153 units Roundy's services. He said he has positioned the coolers in different locations throughout the units, including the dairy department and the front end. Children are particularly attracted to merchandisers placed near the cash registers, he said.