THE introduction by a major supermarket chain of new packaging for its fruit products has been claimed as the main driver of a doubling in sales.
Action Supermarkets fresh produce controller Igidio De Jesus said sales of packaged fruit had increased 100 per cent compared with the same period last year.
“What we’ve done is improved the sizing of the fruit in pre-packs,” he said.
“Last year we did pre-packed apples, for example, but the size and quality was inconsistent.
“We’ve got a consistent size now and we’ve rebranded it.”
The new brand, KIDDIPIK, is targeted at children and its aim is to get more kids to eat more fresh fruit while also bolstering sales.
“We’ve got a web site that has games and things there to try and get the kids involved,” Mr De Jesus said.
“The fruit is a good size for kids. It’s not too small; it’s medium sized fruit, that is, the perfect size for the school lunch box.
“The whole idea is to get kids to turn around and say they want to eat a KIDDIPIK granny smith or a KIDDIPIK banana.
“Our problem in this industry is that kids are not eating enough fruit and veg. As retailers we have to try and encourage them to eat more fruit.”
The new range has been advertised in Action Supermarkets catalogues as well as press advertising in The West Australian.
“We plan to do a lot more advertising and plan to do some things that will encourage the kids to eat our fruit,” Mr De Jesus said.
The KIDDIPIK brand was designed by New Zealand company Progressive, which was acquired by Foodland Associated Limited (owner of Action Supermarkets) several years ago.
“We looked at what they had and we said, what are we doing? It had been in New Zealand for years and worked really well. I thought we should be doing that,” Mr De Jesus said. “All the logos are pretty much the same. Some minor things have been changed to suit WA.”
