Variety is the spice of life. Don't believe it? Talk to any produce veteran that reflects on the “old days,” those thrilling moments of yesteryear when so-called oddities such as fingerling potatoes, jicama, rapini, cilantro, and even the fuzzy-it'll-never-sell kiwifruit first made the scene in the early 1960's — thanks to Frieda Caplan, founder of Frieda's Specialty Produce, Los Alamitos, Calif.
She set the standard for all that would follow.
Sure, all these once-specialty items were considered strange at first, and over time have transformed into staples, even among the most limited produce inventory. Yet, many produce managers continue to resist fully embracing this exciting and innovative part of the industry. Here are a few thoughts and pointers on building your specialty produce program.
But first, let's dispel a few myths, shall we?
“Specialty produce creates too much shrink.”
In speaking with Karen Caplan, president of Frieda's, Inc. a few years ago, she said, among the produce directors she had spoken to over the years, specialty produce is not an appreciable source of produce shrink. In fact, one director of a major chain tracked each produce category for a year and concluded that less than 1% of shrink was attributed to specialty produce. In our business that averages up to 10% shrink. So what is the main shrink culprit? Mostly, it's over-ordering mainstream items, and poor handling and rotation of the same. Shrink is a challenging aspect, to be sure, but concentrate on the basics. Specialty produce is not the culprit.
“Specialty produce is just for the ‘big' stores.”
What? Just because you're not stocking straight semis of produce each day doesn't mean you're not big enough to stock a variety of produce. Every store started small and built their business from the ground up. Try adding one or two specialty items per week, and watch it grow. People constantly seek out items for gourmet or ethnic recipes. When your store builds a respectable specialty inventory, over time you'll attract shoppers who will recommend your store to others. “You should try the market on 104th & Washington, they have everything!” (Even if you don't.)
“Specialty produce just doesn't sell here. It's not the right neighborhood.”
Oh ye of little faith. One thing's for sure: If you don't carry something it definitely isn't going to sell. Brush aside the naysayers in your store who disdain trying anything new or different. While every neighborhood's demographics are unique in their own way, specialty produce draws customers in, who tend to buy a solid core of produce — even if they don't buy much of the specialty produce itself. In short, adding specialty items (aka “good shrink”) helps build sales across the board.
With our fresh, new and open attitude, here are a few steps to improve specialty produce displays:
1 Destination marketing
You already have standard (or destination) displays such as chilies, mushrooms, tropical, squash, herbs and others. Consider for a moment: Many of the items within each category started out their produce chronology as specialty items. My, how our specialty-kids have grown, and we now recognize these within stand-alone categories; each with impressive sales volume and good gross profit to match. Use this as continued inspiration to help evolve your produce department into something, um, special.
2 Merchandise alongside and within established produce sets
Think in terms of common sense (which everyone might agree, isn't always so common). For example, instead of relegating heirloom tomatoes to a corner of the wet rack (which is too cold to begin with), try working these front and center, on your tomato table, where they'll stand out. Got some lonely shelf space over the romaine hearts or the leafy greens set? Consider adding packaged sprouts here, adding one new SKU each week until you have a great selection. Customers are always looking for that little extra “something” to add some color, some interesting textures, some zest to a meal. Specialty produce fits that bill. Put those ideas right in front of their noses.
3 Treat specialty produce like “regular” produce
Treat specialty produce like regular produce, because it is regular produce! It's not like it's from another galaxy or anything, right? Each display should be as full (or look full) and abundant as any other display. Use color breaks. Cull closely, rotate and display the best selection on top to catch the customer's eye. Keep the signing accurate and placed to identify each item clearly. Teach your clerks a little about each product, its origin, flavor and applications so when the clerks handle specialty and stock it, they can interact with customers and help sell it too.
4 Shrink still stuck in your head?
Specialty produce probably differs from mainstream produce in just one area: Watch the backstock. Meaning, order closely; just enough to fill your needs (which is usually just what will fit on the display). Spread out, not deep in each display (use dummying material if need be). But don't be overly frugal: Order often enough to keep the displays fresh and appealing, especially during peak shopping periods.
5 The three S' — sample, sample, sample!
Nothing sells produce like a good ‘ol taste of something great, whether it's kiwi or kumquats. Schedule your demo team to work in some ripe and peak-flavor specialty items into the rotation. Especially items that are unfamiliar to your customers. Remember, it wasn't all that long ago when much of the country turned a curious (if not suspicious) eye toward, of all things, mangoes.
I mean, it isn't like mangoes are the most-eaten fruit in the world or anything. Oh wait, yes they are.
Go specialty!