‘Are you fit for fresh?’
As the popularity of the fresh food concept grows among retailers, the National Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing (NACS) and the United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) have developed a 10-point checklist to ensure success.
The checklist will asses critical areas which will determine if a convenience store is ready to offer fresh products. Those key points include location, equipment, cleanliness, distribution and customer base.
“A strong produce program can attract new customers, increase sales, plus deliver strong margins,” said NACS Chairman of the Board and NACS-United Fresh Convenience Task Force co-chairman Steve Loehr, vice president of operations with La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip. “This resource helps retailers ask the right questions about customer demand and resources required to effectively execute a quality program.”
As consumer trends vary and profitability of fuel sales decreases, retailers are looking to develop their offer mainly through fresh products (food, coffee, shakes, etc). According to data from NACS, more than 3 in 4 (77%) retailers sell fresh fruits and vegetables, almost 6 in 10 (57%) sell packaged salads and nearly half (47%) also sell cut fruit and vegetables.
“We want to provide solutions from the entire fresh produce supply chain to help convenience store retailers capitalize on this ‘fresh’ opportunity,” said NACS-United Fresh Convenience Task Force co-chairman Ron Carkoski.
