WENATCHEE, WASH. – Both apple volumes and sales were down in the week ending Nov. 21.

Volumes were down 1.7% compared to the same week the previous year, according to Stemilt Growers’ latest Fruit Tracker Fast Facts report.

This is the second time this fall volumes and sales are down, indicative that it could be a trend, said Brianna Shales, Stemilt’s senior marketing director.

“Now that all the apples have been harvested, we know that this is a shorter national crop compared to last year’s record,” Shales said. “If your volumes are reflective of the crop, you will want adjust retails and promote frequently to keep dollars high.”

Retailers will want to build the category by focusing on multi-variety promotions using core, top selling varieties, she added. Also, growers will need to make up for lower production per acre so retailers should react through strong retails and multi-variety promotions to move volume at key times to build the category.

“It is crucial that retailers stay strategic with their promotions in the coming weeks and months to continue trending in the right direction,” Shales said. “The good news is that the top 5 selling apples did see some positive movement, including Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Fuji all showing positive dollars and volume over last year.”