To drive blueberry sales into 2026, the USHBC is collaborating with eight major retail partners in Q1, spanning more than 15,000 locations, to increase visibility and purchase frequency.
These confirmed partners include AHOLD (Giant Martin’s/Carlisle), Albertsons, Giant Eagle, Jewel, Kroger, Safeway, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Whole Foods. By leading with these high-impact partnerships, the strategy focuses on driving volume and frequency during high-traffic periods, particularly Heart Health Month in February and the continuation of healthy eating habits in March.
This approach aims to ensure blueberries remain a top-of-mind choice for both new and returning health-conscious shoppers. Through coordinated retail activities and strong in-store presence, the campaign intends to reinforce consumer awareness and stimulate repeated purchases during key seasonal moments.
Q4 2025 performance review
Recent Q4 initiatives focused on positioning blueberries as the ultimate football snacking alternative to stand out during the busy holiday season. The campaign activated several strategic retail partnerships designed to strengthen product visibility, influence shopper behavior and drive category growth across participating stores. These initiatives generated notable performance improvements where marketing investments were most concentrated.
One retail partner highlighted the impact of the collaboration, stating that retail promotional support has significantly improved shopper engagement and helped deliver incremental category performance during a highly competitive sales period.
Performance highlights and growth results
Performance metrics from key partners illustrate the positive momentum generated by the campaign. A national retailer with approximately 2,000 locations recorded a year-over-year increase in dollar sales of 13% and a 21% growth in unit sales. Another national retailer operating around 3,000 stores reported a 15% rise in dollar sales and a 9% increase in units sold.
A third national retailer with about 600 locations achieved a 16% growth in dollar sales and a 22% increase in units sold year over year. These results highlight the effectiveness of coordinated promotional activity and targeted marketing investments in strengthening category performance across diverse retail environments.
Key drivers behind campaign success
Several strategic elements contributed to the success of these initiatives. One of the most important was data-driven precision in partner selection. By prioritizing retail partners with strong first-party data capabilities, the campaign was able to align with their digital media networks and implement more accurate geo-targeting of shoppers.
Another key factor was the creation of integrated digital and in-store shopping journeys. By linking digital media touchpoints with physical store displays, the campaign created a seamless path to purchase for consumers. Among the strongest performers were a major corporate retail chain and several premium, hyper-local channels, which delivered exceptional category growth results during the promotional period.
Source text and image: ushbc.blueberry.org
