Roundy's George Hurst Named 2014 Mango Retailer of the Year

The National Mango Board (NMB) named George Hurst of Roundy's Supermarkets its 2014 Mango Retailer of the Year, at the organization's Mango Industry Reception on Oct. 18 during the PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, Calif.

"His enthusiasm is just over the moon, and the more success he has with mangos, the more motivated he is to do even better the next time around,” Katie Manetti, NMB retail account manager said of Hurst, who realized a 24 percent increase in mango volume compared to a 4 percent increase for the region and an 8 percent increase for the nation.

"He outperformed his regional competition consistently in every quarter of the past year," Manetti added. "I’ve never seen a retailer get more excited about selling mangos."

NMB also unveiled its slate of 2014 Mango Model Retailers, including Chris Keetch of Ahold USA; John Higgins and Mark DeCosta of Costco Wholesale; and Ricardo DiMarzio of Shopper’s Food & Pharmacy.

The Mango Model Retailer and Mango Retailer of the Year program honors retailers that go beyond typical efforts in terms of supporting the mango industry. Retailers are chosen based upon mango sales and volume increases; effective and creative mango promotions; use of displays, POS materials, ads and newsletters; facilitation of mango training for associates; and follow-through on commitments to NMB.

The National Mango Board is an agriculture promotion group, which is supported by assessments from both domestic and imported mangos. The board was designed to drive awareness and consumption of fresh mangos in the U.S.