Fresh Produce Display Ideas and Merchandising Tips
One of the hottest grocery store display segments in food merchandising is fresh produce display tables and racks. This is because fresh food is considered the fasting growing food category in the grocery industry. Everyone, but especially younger millennial’s and Gen x shoppers, know that eating the correct quantity of fresh produce as part of a low fat and high fiber diet will improve their overall health and lower the risk of disease. Produce also happens to enjoy relatively higher margins than many other grocery store products so it’s a win-win situation for retail store managers and their customers.
Visual Merchandisers, produce buyers and store managers or planners generally specify produce tables, bins and racks to display organic, locally grown and fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce is often the most dramatic and colorful area of a store. It naturally attracts attention! Whether you decide to sell packaged produce or produce by weight is dependent on your store’s customer base and your shoppers’ preferences. Either way DGS Retail has the right grocery store fixtures for your food merchandising ideas and needs.
What Types of Fruits and Vegetables Can be Displayed on Produce Tables?
There are literally thousands of types of produce and many of them also are differentiated by where or how they’re grown. They are also distinguished by whether or not they require refrigeration or have to be displayed in a wet or dry grocery store rack. DGS Retail offers a wide selection of store fixtures for most produce merchandising applications that are common in grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores. Some dry produce items that are frequently displayed and merchandised on produce tables and racks include:
Displaying Tomatoes on Produce Display Racks
Tomatoes can be damaged easily. Reduce shrinkage and damage by only stacking tomatoes one or two deep. Keep your display shallow to protect your inventory. Common tomatoes displayed on euro tables produce displays include: Heirloom Tomatoes, Early Girl, Cascade, Champion, Celebrity, Fantastic, Better Boy, Big Girl, Delicious, Supersteak, Beefmaster, Jubilee, Brandywine, Pink Girl, Roma, Cherry Tomatoes, Hybrid Tomatoes, Determinate and Indeterminate Varieties.
Potato Are Frequently Merchandised on Display Tables for Produce
Potatoes are best merchandised dry. Never mist potatoes. Misting potatoes can cause surface diseases and make your potatoes unsaleable. Potatoes are generally more durable than softer produce like tomatoes and can tolerate deeper stacking. However, the goal is to have a full looking display without using a lot of product. Bagged potatoes or individual potatoes can be displayed on produce merchandising fixtures. For bagged potatoes consider a tilt top euro table with the tabletop angled to a low degree.
Use pull out drawers and a low floor display positioned in front of the euro table to create a simulated overflowing produce display that actually is only one or two bags deep. These are some common types of potatoes that are merchandised on produce display tables: New Potatoes, Idaho, Sweet Potatoes, Russet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Yukon Gold, Fingerlings, Blue Potatoes, Yams, Russian Banana Potatoes, Austrian Crescent, Red Gold, Norland Red, and Kennebec.
Produce Display Designs for Winter Squash
Squash is similar to potatoes in that it is naturally durable and can tolerate stacking better than softer produce. However, squash like melons can be heavy for your customers to lift. Like potatoes limit stacking to one or two layers deep. Reduce the angle of the produce table display tabletop so that the squash do not accidentally cascade down. Consider adding large shallow wooden crates or heavy-duty corrugate cartons to your squash display to help keep it organized. Typical squash found displayed on produce display tables for sale include: Butternut Squash, Acorn, Turban, Banana Squash, Delicata, Hubbard, Kabocha, Pumpkin (larger pumpkins are better suited to displays in Orchard Bins), Spaghetti Squash, Sweet Dumpling.
How to Display Herbs, Garlic and Other Smaller Bagged or Individual Produce Items
Small packaged items are ideal for displaying on produce tables and racks. Recent trends in packaged produce shows continued growth in this area. Non-refrigerated produce displays are best suited for items that can be displayed at room temperature. For smaller items in 1, 2 or 4 dry quart packages display them on available stepped food risers that can be positioned on top of the angled tabletops of produce display racks. For bagged garlic and shallots consider adding available wicker baskets, wooden produce crate displays and wood peck size baskets or bushel baskets. Use chalkboard clip-on signs to show the type of produce in each. Common garlic types that are displayed on tilt top produce displays include: Silverskin Garlic, Artichoke Garlic, Rocambole, Porcelain Garlic, and Purple Stripe.
Merchandising Bagged Onions or Individual Large Onions on Display Tables for Produce
Bagged onions and single onions are very common produce types that are frequently visually merchandised on top of produce racks. Strategically onions behave very similar to potatoes. They are inherently durable and can stand to be stacked on top of each other. However, while not as sensitive as tomatoes, the same inventory shrinkage prevention concepts apply to both. Limit produce damage while psychologically giving consumers what they want with a dummied up display. For individual onions consider using false bottoms inside bushel baskets that are placed on top of the display tables. For bagged onions create a mound look using a slightly angled produce merchandising display with a pull out drawer and an optional floor table. The onions will appear to cascade down the table onto the store fixture on the floor in a mountain or mound effect. Some types of onions displayed this way include: Scallions, Spring Onions, Vidalias, Ramps, Yellow Onions, White Onions, Red Onions, Shallots, Pearl Onions, Cippolini Onions, and Leeks.
How to Display Melons in Grocery Stores
Whether its cantaloupes, honey dews or watermelons your customers will flock to a large produce display that features them. To visually merchandise melons use a euro table produce display with a slightly angled tabletop. Medium size melons can be displayed on banana food risers that are available. For larger melons like watermelons we recommend wooden orchard bins or wood produce display bins. These are more like large retail dump bins and can corral the melons better to prevent them from accidentally rolling off. Melons can bruise easily. Dummy up your display with false bottoms so that your melon display is not more than a couple of melons deep. This will help to prevent inventory damage and shrinkage.
Fresh Apples Look Awesome on Produce Display Merchandising
Bagged apples or individual apples look great in produce visual merchandising. Position the tabletop on the produce displays at a medium angle. Layer the bagged apples or individual apples one or two items deep. For individual apples consider adding wicker basket displays, bushel baskets or pecks. Use clip on chalkboard signs to advertise the types of apples. These are commonly displayed on dry produce merchandisers: Cortland, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Empire Apples, Fuji Apples, Gala, Ida Red Apples, Macoun, McIntosh, Northern Spy, Winesap
Avocados Can be Merchandised on Produce Tables and Racks.
Use the same tips that are outlined for apples. Avocados are similar in their ability to withstand stacking and their shelf-life. Typical avocados found merchandised on produce department displays include: Bacon Avocados, Fuerte, Zutano, Pinkerton, Gwen, Lamb Hass, Reed Avocados.
Ideas On Displaying Bananas
For bananas, DGS retail suggests a medium angle to the euro table tabletop. Use a banana food riser that's available. This has gentle curved scallops that cradle the bananas and help to increase their shelf life. Dispaly these types of bananas: Baby Bananas, Manzano or Apple Bananas, Burro or Chunky Banana, Plantain - these are similar to bananas but more of a starch and are a substitute for potatoes and rice in many Latin American cuisines. Red Bananas or Lacatan.
Merchandise Tree Fruit on Produce Department Displays
Tree fruit is a great category for your locally sourced produce department as there are many different varieties and they are quite popular with shoppers. These look good when displayed on tables or racks in wicker baskets, wooden crates or in cardboard vintage produce boxes. Here are some common tree fruits that can be displayed on the produce displays. Peaches, Pears, Apricots, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Figs and Persimmons all display well and can be displayed like apples or avocados.
Refrigerated Produce Display Cases
Some produce items are displayed on produce tables and bins while some are better suited for longer-term display and storage in refrigerated cases. Check with you’re your produce wholesaler to be sure. Organic produce and locally grown produce should be kept separate from conventional produce. This is so that there is no possibility of mislabeling it. DGS Retail’s offers many models and designs of produce tables and racks to choose from. We offer produce merchandising and signs so that you can clearly communicate the benefits of your fresh food selection to your shoppers. Delicate produce should be stacked so that it is never more than two layers deep to help extend shelf life. All produce should be rotated at least daily so that it sells first in first out (FIFO).
General Produce Merchandising Tips:
- Simple displays are often the best. Use natural materials like wooden displays and fixtures to display food and produce.
- Create the illusion of huge quantities of produce by displaying produce in thin layer waterfall or cascading food displays. This implies to customers that you sell huge quantities and it also protects the produce from bruising by not stacking it too deep.
- Use food risers and display stands to help create the “mountain” of produce look. Displays will look full when they are actually half empty. This process is often called “dummy up” a display.
- Ideally you’ll create produce-merchandising displays that appear full but are really not. These types of dummied up food displays are easier to work with, and look fresh. They also help to maximize sales and to decrease shrink.
- Add professional signage that informs the shopper as to the nutritional value of the produce and maybe tips on how to prepare it in meals. Chalkboard signs add to the fresh farmer’s market impression.
- Use tabletop, countertop and clip on signs for nesting table, wicker basket or wooden crate displays.
Produce Displays and Euro Tables
Produce tables are sometimes referred to as euro tables because of the origin of the design style of these racks. Originally thought to be developed in France during the 1920’s for fresh food displays in street markets they’ve proven to be a very effective grocery store display fixture. They are both attractive to consumers and efficient for store managers. Produce tables or euro tables take up a minimum amount of floor space and are generally 36”D x 48”W and with variable height depending on what’s being displayed. DGS Retail has made custom produce tables that are narrower or wider than this for some small store or special applications as well. Our produce tables have an adjustable tabletop that can be angled or tilted from flat to 40 degrees. This is a desired feature to be able to create the best-looking food display for your fresh and organically grown produce.
Our produce tables are constructed out of 100% steel structure with wood accents and trim for a wholesome farmer’s market look that will bring your customers back again and again. The tables feature height adjustable table legs so you can lower the tables for larger items or increase their height for smaller produce or packaged goods. Each table has 4 large heavy-duty casters that have a locking feature. These make the table easy to move around the store and then lock so that the table doe not move when it's being shopped. The casters allow the retailer to essentially redesign their produce departments whenever it suits them. Have a large shipment of seasonal apples and pears coming in? rearrange the tables into a spectacular produce display that will be sure to leave an impression in your customer's minds.
Display Table Diversity Can Make A Difference
There are many table accessories to choose from. From a little wood trim to tables that appear to be all wooden we can supply a euro table that’s appropriate to your particular grocery store interior design environment. Pull out drawers are offered as a table option. These are useful when cross merchandising food that goes with the fruits or vegetables or just to add extra tabletop capacity to your display. Floor tables are smaller versions of the tables that slide under the larger table. These can be pulled out and used to simulate a mountain or large pile of produce that goes from the tabletop to almost the floor. Studies have shown that point of purchase displays that give the impression of high volume out perform smaller displays. To add to the large scale effect we offer tabletop extenders that attach to the backs of the tabletops and give you another 12"D of surface to display on.
Retail Nesting Tables and 3 Tiered Displays
Offered in many styles and different finishes nesting tables are designed to fit underneath each other and expand as needed to be able to create a stair stepped waterfall of produce and cross merchandised food products. The Produce department is one of the most seasonally dependent areas of retail. Having display fixtures that can grow and shrink is an important tool in being able to adjust your selling space for that seasonality. Most of our nesting tables are made from solid wood and are sturdy and retail ready versions of classic or vintage furniture styles. Some have solid galvanized countertops on them so that you can merchandise wet produce or flowers with damaging the table. The nesting tables can be custom stained your choice of colors at no extra charge. Add small sign holders and tabletop signs for a complete visually merchandised display.