brand apples have become one of the hottest new items for retailers in their supermarket apple section. According to retail data from Nielsen Perishables Group over the past 52 weeks (11-23-13 compared to the same period a year ago) dollar sales for KIKU® apples jumped by over 229%. During the same period, volume increased by nearly 192%.Growth of the KIKU® brand has been strong nationally and in all regions of the U.S. KIKU® apple sales increased in every U.S. region by over 175%. Sales gains were strongest in the West and South regions where KIKU® performance jumped by 285% and 249% respectively.
Retailers continue to respond to strong consumer demand by increasing distribution of KIKU® apples and maintaining store displays for longer periods of time, an average of 13 weeks compared to 8 weeks during the prior year. Over the past 52 weeks, the number of supermarkets selling KIKU® apples jumped by 111% up to 8,774 stores compared to 4,149 stores the previous year.
This year’s KIKU® program started strong with CMI’s alliance partners, Rice Fruit Company, located in the heart of Pennsylvania, and Applewood Orchards Inc. in Michigan. CMI will kick off their distribution of Washington State Super Sweet KIKU® apples by the third week of January and are expected to ship through March.
Tim Welsh, who oversees the North American plantings that produce KIKU® brand apples, has been impressed by the outstanding eating quality of the fruit this season. “It's a new year and our trees have produced a truly premium crop. The sweetness and crisp juicy flesh of the apples is unmatched. As a result, we are confident that our retailer partners will see repeat consumer purchases of KIKU® brand apples for the duration of the season.”
