National Retail Report - Feb. 20

From the USDA's National Retail Report:


On the heels of the widespread Valentine’s Day themes last week, the ads this week lacked a universal theme. However, many retailers were highlighting sales on staple items and promotional savings such as, “Dollar Days”, “buy-one-get-onefree”, “10 for $10”, and “5 for $5”. In addition, some retailers were promoting February as National Potato Month. A few were promoting celebratory items such as King Cake for Mardi Gras next week and seafood in qnticipation of the Lenten season beginning next Wednesday. Overall this week, total produce ad activity was up roughly 6%, corresponding to an increase of 8% on fruits and an increase of 2% on vegetables. The top 5 items were the same as last week (grapes, peaches, nectarines, asparagus, and strawberries). However, there was some jostling of positions on all except grapes which continued to be the most widely featured produce item.