ALEXANDRIA, Va. —In partnership with the United Fresh Product Association, NACS has developed a 10-point checklist for convenience stores considering a fresh produce program, according to NACS.
“Are You Fit For Fresh?” helps c-stores assess whether they can successfully launch a fresh produce offering, the article stated.
A recent NACS member survey found that c-stores are increasingly adding more fresh and healthy items, reported the article.
More than three in four (77 percent) retailers said they sell fresh fruits and vegetables, the article continued, and nearly six in 10 (57 percent) reported selling packaged salads.
Additionally, nearly half of the retailers surveyed sell cut fruit and vegetables, added the article.
Over the past six months, c-store retailers reported expanding their fresh fruit sales, noted the article, and fresh fruit and vegetable sales grew 10.3 percent in c-stores, which is nearly four times the overall 2.7 percent growth rate of U.S. produce sales in 2014, according to Nielsen data.
“We want to provide solutions from the entire fresh produce supply chain to help convenience store retailers capitalize on this ‘fresh’ opportunity,” said Ron Carkoski, NACS-United Fresh Convenience Task Force co-chairman, in the article. “Retailers who share an interest to develop a fresh program can be confident that our effort will address best practices and educational programs to achieve success.”
You can find the article here.
