U.S. households celebrated Cinco de Mayo with friends, family, and food, and for many, the celebration would not have been complete without avocados. This year, U.S. retailers set a Cinco de Mayo record for avocado sales, surpassing $54 million for the holiday week. HAB’s recently released Q2 2017 Holiday and Events study shows shoppers were undeterred by high avocado retail prices during the holiday, setting the sales record despite a +32 percent increase in the average price of avocados. This trend was shown across the nation, with all U.S. regions contributing to sales gains. Avocados have become a staple during the holiday, making Cinco de Mayo one of the highest sales weeks of the year.
“Cinco de Mayo broke sales records this year and shows how important the holidays are to the category” says Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. “HAB is dedicated to providing category insights to support holiday and event planning for marketers and retailers of avocados.”
In addition to national and regional retail results for Cinco de Mayo, the HAB Q2 2017 Holiday and Events report also covers retail sales performance for Easter and Memorial Day.
Easter week delivered strong growth for the avocado category, with retail dollar sales increasing +26 percent nationally. Rising prices helped propel Easter week dollar sales to a four-year high of $46.2 million, despite a slight dip in volume (units). Shoppers across the country celebrated Easter with avocados, with all regions posting retailer dollar gains for the category.
Kicking off the start of summer, Memorial Day celebrations were a catalyst for growth in the avocado category. Americans paid a premium during the holiday, and retail sales for the holiday week reached a four-year peak at $50 million. Nationally, the category saw a +25 percent increase in dollars, while volume dipped nearly -8 percent to 39 million units. All regions contributed dollar gains during the holiday.
Contact:
Jill Netzel
Fusion Marketing
Tel: 818.718.8084