b'Potatoes at Retail: A Total Store StudyKayla Dome, Global Marketing Manager, Retail,Potatoes USATounderstandshoppinghabitsforall ed trips into the center aisles for essen-potato categories at retail, Potatoes USA tials. In 2020, retailers saw a return to thepartneredwithKantarInsights center store categories and potatoes wereConsulting to conduct a total store pota- included in this trend.tostudy.Thisstudyidentifieddetailedopportunities for all potatoes throughout The fresh potato has typically been a keythe store. driverintotalstoresalesforretailers.Theyear2020wasfullofchangeand BasketsaretypicallylargerwhenfreshUSA Potatoestransitionforeveryone,includingthe potatoesareinthemandthisdidnotpotatoindustry.Salesingrocerystores change in 2020. What did change is howfor potatoes reached nearly $14 billion thosefreshpotatoconsumersventuredand increased by 16% compared to the to other areas of the store. The types ofpreviousyear.Eighty-sixpercentof items in the basket with fresh potatoesMessagehouseholds purchased potatoes from one shiftedfrommilk,bread,andeggstoor all of the potato categories available other pantry stocking items. For exam-across the whole store, and the average ple, fresh potato consumers use to pur-basketsizereached$79whenpotatoes chasemainlyfreshpotatoes,butnowwere in it.they are consistently buying frozen pota-toes as well. In fact, consumers continued to stock upon potatoes because they are a household Frozenpotatoesendedupseeingthestaple,theyhadarecipe,orhadto highestincreaseinrepeatpurchasingreplaceanotheritem.Theresearch compared to any other potato category.showed not only is the perimeter of the The best news for this category is thatgrocerystoreimportantforincreasing consumersdidnotonlycometothesales, but so is the center of the store.freezer section to stock up in March, theycame back for repeat purchases throughPerimeter and Center Store the end of the year. Consumers cited theIn 2019, the majority of consumers were following factors for continuing to pur-shopping the perimeter with only limit- chase: the benefits for children, the great6 POTATO GROWER MARCH 2021'