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Hass Avocados Q1 Retail Holiday Sales Hit Record Highs
New report shows sales of $144 million, suggests avocados may be aphrodisiacs. Sales of Hass avocados kicked off the new year with four-year record highs through first-quarter key holidays, including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
Jennifer Strailey
July 19, 2021
2 Min Read
Photograph: Shutterstock
Sales of Hass avocados kicked off the new year with four-year record highs through first-quarter key holidays, including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. The Hass Avocado Board’s (HAB) recently published retail recap indicated increased sales volume during the key holidays that drove a combined 150 million units and $144 million in retail sales, reports the Mission Viejo, Calif.-based organization.
While the Super Bowl is consistently the most significant occasion for avocado consumption, interestingly Valentine’s Day posted the biggest volume and dollar sales growth.
HAB’s most recent quarterly report on national holiday retail sales performance toplines each celebratory event. Highlights from the first quarter 2021 include:
The Big Game
The Super Bowl ranks among the biggest avocado weeks of the year. This year Hass avocado volume increased 5% to 57.6 million units, and dollar sales increased 1% to $51.2 million vs. the prior year.
On average, avocado retailers saw Big Game week sales of $1,335 and 1,502 units per store.
The West region sold the highest avocado units per store. Similarly, California, South Central and the Southeast regions sold above the national average in volume per store.
There was a wide range of selling prices across the regions, from 67 cents per unit in the South Central region to $1.09 per unit in the Northeast region.
Valentine’s Day
Nationally, Valentine’s Day dollar sales grew 9%, and volume grew 24% in 2021 vs. 2020.
All regions saw double-digit volume growth, led by the Northeast at 52%.
Additionally, retailers averaged 1,230 units per store. The West, South Central, California and the Southeast regions were above the national average in units per store.
Dollar sales also increased by $3.7 million nationally. Seven out of eight regions posted dollar increases.
St. Patrick’s Day
Nationally, St. Patrick’s Day volume increased 1% vs. prior year to 45.2 million units.
On average, avocado retailers saw sales of $1,244 and 1,183 units per store during the holiday week.
The West, South Central, California and the Southeast regions had per-store unit sales above the national average. West, California and the Southeast regions were also above the national average in dollar sales per store.
The average selling price ranged from 76 cents per unit in the South Central region to $1.31 per unit in the California region.
HAB releases a holiday recap each quarter, covering avocado sales trends for key avocado holidays and events. In each holiday report, users can view year-over-year sales performance for each holiday week. Each report details sales trends for dollar sales, units, and average selling price, which provides insightful information for planning future holiday promotions.
