The average U.S. promoted retail price for apples was up an average of 5% in 2021 compared with 2020, while the USDA reports the average number of retail grocery stores promoting apples in 2021 declined by an average of 14% compared with 2020.
The USDA's retail report showed that the average promotion or advertised price for apples at retail was $1.17 per pound in 2020, and that number increased by 5% to $1.23 per pound in 2021.
The U.S. average weekly number of grocery stores promoting apples in 2021 was 33,052 stores, down 14% from 38,243 stores in 2021, according to the USDA.
The USDA said the average shipping point price for U.S. conventional apples was $28.52 per carton in 2021, up from $24.19 per carton in 2020.
Retail peaks and valleys
The week of Oct. 15 saw 63,058 stores promote apples, which was the high-water mark for 2021.
Still, that number was less than the same week in 2020, when 75,430 stores promoted apples, according to the USDA.
The month of October featured three of the top four retail promotion weeks for apples in 2021, according to the USDA.
The week of July 3 saw the lowest level for apple promotions in the U.S. in 2021, with only 3,566 grocery stores promoting apples that week.
In 2021, the average promoted price for apples ranged from a low of 87 cents per pound the week of July 3 to a high of $1.48 per pound on Oct. 29.
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