1 minute read
Retail Randoms
by 55 North
BEFORE YOU GO...
Grate cross-merchandising idea?
Looking for a fresh cross-merchandising idea to liven up your store this summer? Well, with Wimbledon fresh in the memory, it must have seemed like a good time for the strawberry industry to have a punt at raising its profile, what with the traditional Wimbledon strawberries and cream palaver.
While cream may be the go-to partner for strawberries, the more culinary adventurous among you might be aware of the posher balsamic vinegar and strawberries pairing. But a ‘berry breeder - yes, that’s what the press release referred to her as - is urging consumers and retailers to go posher still with a fresh suggestion: Parmesan cheese on strawberries.
Lucy Marie Slatter, head breeder at AVA Berries, says the pongy Italian cheese “is known to bring out the berry’s unique flavour characteristics”. (Known by whom, we wonder?)
While we’re at it, Lucy says research by AVA Berries revealed that nine out of 10 Brits are storing and preparing their strawberries ‘wrongly’. More than a third (37%) remove strawberries from the fridge and wash with cold water, which Lucy says drastically reduces the sensory experience.
So, yes. Time to get the Parmesen next to the strawberries in your store and watch sales rocket.
Sorry...what?
Every so often we get a press release so baffling and impenetrable that it just blows our tiny minds - and one from sustainable packaging solutions company Huhtamaki did just that. We often see them around April Fools Day, but this is July.
According to the release, Huhtamaki has launched the first 100% plastic-free egg carton for cooked coloured eggs in Europe. Sorry. What? Cooked coloured eggs? Is that a thing?
It appears we have the Germans to blame because they apparently love a hard-boiled egg as a snack or with lunch or dinner. 80 million packs are sold a year over there - and are invariably sold in plastic packaging.
Unfortunately, the release doesn’t go into too much detail about why the eggs are coloured.
And, if you look at the photo, Huhtamaki appears to be claiming credit for inventing....a bog standard egg box.
If you read this far, well done you.
