What was it all about?

This project monitored cherry displays across major retailers Coles and Woolworths during the cherry season of December 2021 to February 2022. By observing and collecting data about how cherries are presented in retail, the project team could advise participating retailers on their results and provide recommendations on how they can increase the attractiveness and quality perception in-store to help increase sales of cherries over the cherry season.

Audit personnel visited 720 Woolworths and 600 Coles stores weekly to assess and audit the cherry displays in-store. This assessment included looking at availability, display location, display tidiness, brands of cherries, packaging type, pricing, ticketing, product quality, defects and stock rotation information.

Where possible, the retail staff were educated regarding cherry handling and best practices (if available) on the appropriate display requirements, with any store-specific issues and a specific review of quality measures discussed with them. The intention was to embed a “quality first” mindset within the retail environment.