PORTLAND, Ore. - Unified Western Grocers’ Pacific Northwest Division has recorded six months of consecutive sales growth with its marketing program targeting organic and Hispanic produce. The new lines of organic and Hispanic produce were introduced in January 2001 with combined sales of $60,000 during that month. Six months later, combined sales of the Hispanic and organic produce had almost doubled with the June sales figure at $100,000.
“Customers find that we provide a variety of products with the ongoing quality they want. As a result, our sales have increased because they shop our stores more often for these items,” said Charles Keller, the Division’s produce sales and marketing manager. In the Pacific Northwest area, 30 Thriftway and 15 Sentry stores carry the organic and Hispanic produce lines.
The Organic Produce Program
Unified selected Earthbound Farm, a nationally recognized organic brand, as the selected supplier for the organic program because of its quality and the consistency of its produce. This shift in strategy streamlined the entire process, said Keller. Instead of coordinating numerous orders and shipments from several independent organic produce suppliers, Unified works solely with Earthbound. Monthly sales of organic produce more than doubled from January to June with total sales in June at $55,000. The program began with 40 items on the shelves; the stores now carry more than 100 organic produce selections. Products include bananas, oranges, grapefruit, yellow onions, tomatoes and green beans plus four varieties of apples, a full line of potatoes and a selection of leaf items and other products.
The Hispanic Produce Program
The introduction of 45 new Hispanic produce items in January also led to an increase in produce sales. The June sales figure for Hispanic produce reached $45,000, a growth of 33 percent since January. Items in the line include creamy rich and red bananas, plantains, baby pineapples, white cactus pears and a variety of fresh and dried chili peppers.
“Our weekly ads include recipes and product information,” said Keller. “We reach a large Hispanic population. But we’ve found the interest in ethnic cooking has driven sales as well.”
Unified Western Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery cooperative that supplies independent retailers throughout the Western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $3 billion in sales during the 2000 fiscal year, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in today’s supermarket industry.
This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to benefits expected to be derived from the proposed acquisition. There are a variety of factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements above. These factors are outlined in Unified's Form 10-Q and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.