Sprouts Picked as Best Pear Retailer

Sprouts Farmers Markets received USA Pears' 2016 Pear Retailer of the Year award for the grocer's pear category improvements in merchandising performance and sales increase.

The Phoenix-based natural grocer follows many of the best practices for increased pear category sales recommended by USA Pears, such as displaying two green pear varieties at once. Additionally, the grocer gives shoppers choices by promoting multiple pear varieties, carrying two sizes of top-selling varieties, increasing impulse purchases through in-store sampling, allocating plenty of the valuable front-of-store space to pear displays, and training personnel to improve category knowledge.

“Sprouts devotes a sizable space to the pear category, which includes the ability to flex for promotions as well as driving customer engagement through sampling at point of purchase,” says Chad Miller, Sprouts’ VP of procurement.

Training is a major concern among produce managers, and Sprouts is open to opportunities for its staff to learn from experts. Miller notes that the Northwest Pear Bureau has provided his team with updated regular crop estimates, promotional timing and direction/suggestions with opportunities that increase basket size, all of which have been extremely beneficial in its continued success.

This year, USA Pears also recognizes Costco Wholesale, Publix Super Markets, Defense Commissary Agency, Giant Eagle, Inc., Tops Friendly Markets and WalMart Stores as 2016 Pear Category Leaders.

The Pear Retailer of the Year Award was established by Pear Bureau Northwest in 2011. Past honorees were Demoula’s Market Basket (2011), Meijer (2012), Ingles (2013), Publix Markets (2014) and Wegmans (2015). The Pear Bureau’s team of regional marketing managers selects the annual recipient based on sales performance, creativity, and best practices in pear merchandising, and overall excellence in supporting the pear category.