São Paulo – Dates from the United Arab Emirates were the bestselling product in the Fruit & Vegetable section of the Sam’s Club supermarkets in Brazil in November. So said Christiano Sanguinetti, commercial director for perishable food, based on the results obtained from the campaign in the stores.
The action started on the Monday of the second week of November and included 18 units of Sam’s Club, featuring the exhibition of visual materials, creation of an area that was reminiscent of an Arab tent, and tastings of the fruit. It was a partnership with the Al Foah company, which owns Date Crown, the brand of dates sold by Sam’s Club.
Sanguinetti says that Sam’s Club started selling the dates last December, but in just three weeks of November, it sold a volume that was 83% higher than in the previous 11 months. “It was spectacular,” says the executive on the results obtained from the initiative, which he sees as a consequence of two moves.
“First, the visual communication gave more visibility to the product, and second, our members demand new products. Sam’s Club is a channel that speaks of imported goods, so our members have an appetite for imported goods. But I have no doubt that every investment that Date Crown has made in my clubs really helped selling the product,” he said.
Sam’s Club is a membership-only club retail store chain. The chain, owned by Carrefour Brasil, has 49 stores across 16 states and caters to the upper and upper middle classes. The 50th stores will open later this week.
The chain saw the indications of the success that the dates could achieve when it started selling them in December 2022. But back then no marketing actions were held – the product was just put on the shelves. “Some internal indications showed that our members saw the value of the dates,” says Sanguinetti. The results had been higher than those that new products on the shelf usually present.
The next year’s planning for the dates had already been drawn but will be reassessed due to the recent results. Sanguinetti sees the potential that the fruit has for the clients of Sam’s Club, of whom only 5% consumed the dates, despite the increase in sales. “I have a huge lead,’ says the executive on what could still be tapped out. He has high expectations for the consumption of the dates in the chain in 2024.
The campaign was orchestrated by the official representative of Al Foah in Brazil, entrepreneur Julia de Biase. She started working with the brand some five years ago and has since promoted the product among Brazilians, who weren’t used to consume dates. “We’re creating the date consumption habit in the country,” she says. A promotion actions of Date Crown dates was also held in Carrefour supermarkets.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
