BEARING FRUIT 1995

AMY I. STICKEL

Thanksgiving and Christmas mark the kickoff of the fresh citrus deal, and this year supermarkets are eyeing gift promotions as a good way to wrap up big sales.

Retail produce executives were still putting the finishing touches on their holiday citrus promotions late last month. In interviews with SN, some of them said giving citrus as gifts is becoming increasingly popular, and they are tailoring their plans to accommodate the trend.

Gift boxes of citrus, citrus-heavy gift baskets and even citrus-by-case promotions are on the list for retailers in different parts of the country.

For example, after a highly successful promotion of clementine gift boxes last year, Food Circus Supermarkets, Middletown, N.J., has added Sunburst and Fairchild tangerine gift boxes to its program this season, said Joe DeLorenzo, produce supervisor.

"We're really expanding our varieties of gift boxes. Last year we had excellent sales on gift boxes of clementines, with stores averaging 200 gift boxes each during holiday season," he said. "We promote those between $5.99 and $6.99. It's a nice ring, and customers like it as a gift item."

At Food Circus' 12 Foodtown units, citrus gift boxes will be merchandised in gift centers, which are set up in each store's produce department.

The gift boxes will be merchandised in waterfall displays, DeLorenzo said.

"The gift centers are all impulse sales. And people do spend money during the holidays. So if we can push them into a healthy gift, instead of something else, then that's the way to go," he said. "And people aren't embarrassed to bring a nice box of citrus as a gift." DeLorenzo said he promotes the citrus as a healthy gift with in-store signs. "This is the time to promote citrus," he said. "And we are, and we're doing an excellent job of it." Albertson's Florida division is also encouraging shoppers to buy citrus as a healthy gift alternative. However, the division has put a different spin on the idea by offering a delivery service.

In the chain's program, customers fill out an order form at the store, bring the form to a cashier and the citrus is delivered straight to the recipient. At one store a kiosk was set up at the front of the produce department, with racks of brochures and order forms available.

One brochure suggested Florida citrus as "A Fresh Gift Idea." It went on to read, "Fresh Florida Citrus is a fresh alternative to the typical gift and is sure to please everyone. Only the very best is selected and packed in these colorful boxes for home or office delivery."

Shoppers can select an all-grapefruit, all-orange or a mixed citrus gift box. A one-bushel gift retails for $35.95, a three-quarters bushel for $32.95, a half bushel for $27.95, a quarter bushel for $22.95 and a 10-pound family pack for $17.95.

Officials at Albertson's corporate headquarters in Boise, Idaho, could not be reached for comment on the program. A spokeswoman for the supplier, Citrus Country Grove in Tampa, Fla., said this is the second year Albertson's Florida division has offered the service.

Scolari's Food & Drug Co., Sparks, Nev., meanwhile, has dropped citrus gift boxes in favor of what it considers the more versatile format of the gift basket.

"We have tried the gift boxes in the past, and have just not had much success," said Scott Streeper, produce buyer. "We tried it a couple years in a row and just didn't have that great sales with them.

"We [now] make up our own gift baskets, and there's more variety there," he said. "So when shoppers pick out a gift basket, instead of getting 10 pounds of oranges, they can get a little bit more variety."

At Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Co., Akron, Ohio, shoppers will be able to stock up on citrus during a case sale. The retailer is making several different varieties available by the case throughout December.

"We get special discounts [from suppliers] for our case sale," said Pat Quotson, produce director. The chain broke with the ad prices Dec. 3, and the prices are good through Dec. 25.

Quotson said grapefruit and several different sizes of oranges are part of the case sale.

Many shoppers buy the citrus and use the cases as gifts, he said. Like Food Circus, Quotson's company is promoting the idea of "giving a healthy gift."

"We get an excellent response," he said.

For Bashas' Markets, Chandler, Ariz., the local citrus deal is a big part of holiday-season promotions.

"We always push citrus, especially the locally grown," said Jack Armstrong, assistant produce buyer. "It's something we promote, and it's something we promote heavily. Our newspaper ads will say the citrus is locally grown." Armstrong said gift boxes and baskets, however, are not a significant factor for Bashas', particularly when oranges are involved. "We probably sell 95% of oranges bulk," he explained.

Bashas' also does not see a need to play up the healthfulness of citrus, Armstrong said. "We don't push the health aspect so much. I think everyone knows oranges are good for you," he said.

For the most part, retailers said they are feeling positive about the amount and quality of citrus supplies this year, particularly products coming from Florida.

Weather problems in the Western states has impacted citrus supply to some degree, one retailer reported.

Albrecht's Quotson and Foodtown's DeLorenzo both particularly spoke well of the Sunburst tangerines available this season.

While Quotson described those as having a "nice high color," DeLorenzo was even more enthusiastic. "It's a nice tangerine, a nice size with excellent, excellent color," he said. "It's a nice bright orange, and the eye appeal is really fantastic. Customers love it."

DeLorenzo said he is also putting a big emphasis on No. 27-size Star Ruby grapefruits from Florida this year.

"We're really promoting the Florida Star Ruby 27-size grapefruit," he said. "It's probably the premier grapefruit. Customers know it by name. We have end displays and waterfalls of Star Ruby 27 grapefruit." Shoppers now look more often for the red grapefruit, rather than white, he said. And on ad the Star Rubies will perform well even against the less expensive pink grapefruit.

"When we promote pink grapefruit at four or five for 99 cents, and Star Rubies for 79 cents each at the same time, you'd be surprised at how well the Star Rubies do," he said.

Streeper, who sources citrus from the West Coast, said quality there is improving, but still lags behind last year's deal.

"The season hasn't come full circle yet, with all the inherent problems we had from Mother Nature last winter," he said.

"It's been extremely warm out in the West, and because of that the navels haven't been coming on as rapidly as they normally would."

Beyond touting the tangible overall health benefits that eating fresh citrus can offer, some retailers are promoting the category as an antidote to the winter blahs.