FRUITFUL FOURTH

RALPH RAIOLA

Supermarkets are busy lighting the fuses for their Fourth of July produce promotions, which are known for generating explosive holiday sales, according to retailers interviewed by SN.

Most retail produce personnel SN talked to in the last few weeks said they would concentrate on the typically hottest Fourth of July sellers: watermelon, sweet corn, cantaloupe, peaches and berries.

"We'll probably do displays of soft fruit and honeydew, and, of course, watermelon," said Dwayne Anderson, produce buyer for Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas.

Melons and soft fruit are expected to be the big sellers at 63-unit Fareway Foods, said William Curran, produce and floral buyer for the chain, based in Boone, Iowa.

Although he declined to give specific figures, Curran said the Fourth provides a guaranteed boost to produce sales, and his sales numbers usually increase from year to year.

Other retailers agreed.

O'Malia Food Markets, Carmel, Ind., usually sees produce sales increase anywhere between 20% and 30% as a result of Fourth of July promotions, said Jim Weghorst, produce director for the seven-store independent operator.

"It's quite a bit better compared with a normal week. It's usually pretty consistent from year to year," Weghorst said. "We had a real good year last year."

Rick Noeth, vice president of produce operations for Gerland's Food Fair, Houston, said produce department sales at that 20-store chain average 10% to 15% higher than a standard week. "It depends on what we do," he added.

According to another retailer, the week before the Fourth of July can set produce department sales soaring more than 50% higher than an average week.

"If it's usually $12,000 a week, it will probably increase to about $19,000," said Joe Phillis, produce manager for Super Duper supermarkets, an independent operator in Carrollton, Ohio.

Last year, this Super Duper unit broke its own record for Fourth of July sales, and Phillis has great expectations for this coming holiday.

"The way we're going this year, we're going to beat it," he said.

Phillis begins promoting the Fourth of July holiday about the third week in June, mostly with ads and displays. He said his produce sales remain high through July.

"We build massive displays, we do more ads," Phillis said. "We even have a 12-foot ice bed with our fresh-cut [produce]."

Storewide, Super Duper plans to stage one of the most unique Fourth of July celebrations of any of the retailers contacted. As it has done before, on July 3 between 6 p.m. and midnight, Super Duper will have a storewide promotion dubbed "Moonlight Madness," in which it will offer about 15 items at unusually low prices.

"Each department will take about two items that they can sell dirt cheap, and we get so many people out here that we need the cops," Phillis said.

The produce department at this store usually pulls in between $2,000 and $4,000 as a result of the six-hour promotion. "We did it last year with Washington state cherries," Phillis added.

While most retailers are able to depend on old standbys like watermelon and cantaloupe to ring in Independence Day sales, at least one produce associate interviewed by SN said he does not know what to expect from year to year.

"It's a new ball game every year," said Anderson of Brookshire. "For instance, grapes are late this year." He added that tomatoes and lettuce, and most other summertime produce, will probably see increases in sales as a result of the holiday.

Although he had not completed plans for his Fourth of July promotions when interviewed, Anderson said varying produce displays and any other promotions from year to year is important.

Noeth said Gerland's officials were in the process of meeting to discuss Fourth of July produce promotions. His department's promotions, he said, were to involve items that are typical of barbecues and outdoor get-togethers.

"We generally do cookout themes, outdoor promotions," Noeth said.

Most retailers said they would begin promotions about the same time, roughly a week before the Fourth of July.

"We'll probably drop it into our Monday ad," said Weghorst of O'Malia.

While the retailers generally lauded the holiday for its ability to create sparks in produce department sales, Anderson of Brookshire said holiday promotions for the most part have seen better days.

"They're good, don't get me wrong," Anderson said. "But they used to be tremendous. We used to do double or triple the sales. But people don't have the money anymore."

Anderson declined to say what percentage he thinks produce sales will increase this year during the Fourth of July.

Weghorst of O'Malia said the success of produce on Independence Day depends on a number of factors, including the weather, and where it falls during the week.

"We'll probably do real well this year, since it falls on a Friday," Weghorst said. "People will be ready to party."

Curran of Fareway said the industry is expecting the quality on many of the summer commodities to be better than average this year.

"I think it has to do with the amount of crop availability, and the quality has a lot to do with it," Curran said.