The National Watermelon Board received 220 entries from retail chains, independent retailers and commissaries for its annual display contest, and the board has named Powell's Supermarket in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, as the grand prize winner for 2020.
“The entries we received this year went above and beyond,” Juliemar Rosado, director of retail and international marketing for the watermelon board, said in a news release. “Powell's Supermarket — this year's grand prize winner — really explored every avenue of promotion and merchandising, using in-store optics and collateral materials and extending health messaging online and in their social media. It was great to see all the unique spins on merchandising across the stores.”
Valerie Morgan, public relations and marketing coordinator for Powell's Supermarket, said the store had great fun getting creative with fresh watermelons.
“Our team not only put together an eye-catching watermelon display, but we included fun and educational information to accompany it both in store and online as well,” Morgan said in the release. “We are thrilled to be recognized as first-place winners, but perhaps the biggest prize of all was watching how this display put a smile on our customers' faces as they entered our store.”
Criteria for the contest included:
- Category visibility
- Point-of-sale materials
- Good visual merchandising
- Messaging nutritional benefits, recipes and/or selection education
- Use of print, online and/or digital platforms
Powell's Supermarket employed tactics from time-lapse social media posts to compelling displays to virtual store tours, according to the release.
The other awards for the contest were:
- Second place (two winners): Chuck's Produce & Street Market Stores, Vancouver, Wash. — Salmon Creek and Mill Plain locations
- Third place: Schnucks Hampton Village, St. Louis, Mo.
- Honorable mentions: Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas; Mandela Grocery Cooperative, Oakland, Calif.; Lowes Food Store #245, Hickory, N.C.; United Grocery Outlet #30, Brevard, N.C.
The grand prize winner received $5,000, each of the second-place winners received $1,250, the third-place winner received $1,000, and each honorable mention received $500.