Retailers across the country were fully stocked and prepared for gatherings held in honor of the nation's fallen service members. Unsurprisingly, summer holiday staples like corn and watermelons were the most advertised items this week. Many store flyers focused heavily on grilling essentials, including asparagus, pineapple, sweet onions, colored bell peppers, squash, and even peaches. Several retailers featured packaged burger kits containing sliced onions, tomatoes, and pre-washed lettuce leaves.
Other popular salad ingredients, such as potatoes, packaged lettuce blends, carrots, cucumbers, and celery, were also prominently available. For fruit salads and desserts, cherries, berries, mangoes, apples, and tangerines were widely featured. To complete the Memorial Day offerings, patriotic-themed floral arrangements, potted ornamentals, and festive bakery items were also advertised.
This week saw a total of 286,124 retail advertisements, representing a 14 per cent increase from last week's 250,411 and a 5 per cent rise compared to the same week last year, which had 272,514 ads. Among these, fruit accounted for 52 per cent of the ads, vegetables made up 38 per cent, and onions and potatoes comprised 8 per cent. Additional categories included herbs, ornamentals, and hemp. Organic produce was featured in 27,682 ads, making up 10 per cent of the total.
In terms of pricing trends, several fruits experienced notable price increases compared to the same period last year. Red cherries saw a 24 per cent increase, yellow mangoes rose by 19 per cent, pineapples by 15 per cent, and round mangoes by 10 per cent. Prices for potatoes and onions remained largely unchanged. There were no significant increases in vegetable prices, though long seedless cucumbers showed a sharp decline, dropping by 23 per cent.
Overall, the week's retail activity highlighted strong promotional efforts for fresh produce and summer staples ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, with retailers capitalizing on seasonal demand and consumer preferences.
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