NC Convenience Store Makes Produce a Must-Have

Customers routinely buy out his selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.

March 05, 2014

GREENVILLE, N.C. – What’s more popular than candy at Mark’s Food Market? Apples, bananas, grapes, oranges and strawberries. The addition of fresh fruit and vegetables at the convenience retailer has brought in an influx of repeat customers, Newswise reports.

Three years ago, owner David Rozek signed up for pilot program with the Pitt County Health Corner Stores Initiative to bring in a small selection of fresh produce. The response from customers had Rozek adding more.

His store resides in a poor county where more than 75% of residents routinely not consume the recommended daily amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. A three-decade veteran of the convenience store industry, Rozek jumped on the opportunity to sell fruit and veggies. The county purchased the refrigerator for the fresh produce, and Rozek started stocking apples, bananas, grapes and oranges.

He first set a scale by the produce for by-the-pound purchases, but quickly nixed the idea as customers preferred to grab a single serving. Now he offers clear containers holding a single serving, which has pushed sales up.

“Customers started asking for more items – ‘Can you get this?’ ‘Can you get that?’ When I did, they would buy it,” he said. “I started seeing big [rig] trucks pull up just to buy a container of grapes or oranges.”

By placing the fridge right near the entrance, customers can’t miss the fresh fruit display. “As soon as you walk in, it is 4 or 5 feet away, in the main aisle,” he said. “Over 99% of the people who walk into my store will see it.”

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