TAIWAN

Feedback from the Trade on Their Plans and Interest in the USA Pear Season:

Importers reported no further plan to import USA Pears, considering the landed price and the off-season after the Lunar New Year at the fruit market. Although retailers expressed their willingness to continue imports and received inquiries from consumers regarding the availability of USA Pears, importers still decided to temporarily suspend imports for the season.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

The surge in logistics has returned to normal after the Lunar New Year. However, there was still room for improvement in the fresh produce distribution. As a result, some retailers that owned online shopping businesses collaborated with delivery services/platforms such as Uber Eats and Food Panda to cut down delivery time.

Opportunities in Your Market for Specific Varieties, Sizes, and Grades:

According to feedback from importers and retailers, consumers' acceptance of Red and Green Anjou pears remained significantly higher compared to other USA Pear varieties. The most popular sizes were #110-#125.

Update on the Competition in the Market:

New Zealand pears started arriving at the market at the end of February. However, the distribution has not yet been expanded, and PBNW-Taiwan has not yet confirmed the quality of the New Zealand pears. New Zealand pears adopted the sales strategy of small-size packaging. Local consumers have favored such smaller bags or boxes packaged in recent years. Therefore, traders intended to offer New Zealand pears in smaller packages, and the fruit size typically fell around #135 or smaller.

Political or Economic Issues Impacting Imports, Retail, or Consumer Behavior:

In order to expand the reach of USA Pears to more consumers, PBNW-Taiwan conducted a recent collaboration with Uni-President Corp (7-Eleven). Although sales volumes were low this season, the relationship can be built upon in the future, and opens up opportunity in the convenience store segment for USA Pears' exposure to additional consumers. It will be important to continue collaborating with retailers to reach younger consumers and enhance the brand awareness of USA Pears across all age groups.

Other Brief Comments:

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