October 30, 2008
Carrefour Hypermarket In Dominican Republic Joins Florida Marketing Campaign
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that his department has expanded its marketing efforts in the Caribbean and Central American region by recruiting a world-renowned hypermarket to its retail program.
The 80,000-square-foot hypermarket in the Dominican Republic, operated by French-based retailer Carrefour, is one of 1,163 hypermarkets operated by the global giant in 30 countries. Carrefour has approximately 15,000 stores of various sizes worldwide, and has recently become the leading retailer in Brazil. Hypermarkets account for approximately 60 percent of Carrefour’s total annual retail sales.
“We are very pleased that Carrefour has joined our Central and South American marketing campaign,” Bronson said. “The addition of the Carrefour hypermarket helps us to regularly reach tens of thousands of shoppers in the Dominican Republic.”
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is in the fourth year of helping Florida growers market their products in the Caribbean and Central America through its retail program known as “Global Grid.” Florida’s Natural, a major producer of juices headquartered in Lake Wales, is again participating in the retail program.
“We continue to enjoy a strong working relationship with the Florida Department of Agriculture and appreciate their marketing insights, assistance, and support of sales opportunities around the globe,” said Joel Sellers, international sales manager for Florida’s Natural. “At the end of the day, more sales produce a stronger company and a stronger economy, and help us retain and create jobs right here in Florida.”
Fourth year retail partner, PriceSmart -- with hypermarket clubs in 11 Central American and Caribbean nations and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- continues to feature a variety of Florida products such as fresh tomatoes, lettuces, cucumbers, strawberries and juices. Department marketing representatives are seeking to recruit additional retailers in the Dominican Republic.
The Global Grid campaign traditionally focuses on retailers in the eastern and midwestern regions of the United States and several Canadian provinces. Building upon that base, the campaign has expanded in recent years to include additional the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and Central America, and other markets around the globe. The campaign routinely includes more than three dozen retail partners worldwide, and during the last six years it exceeded 10,000 store outlets.
During the 2007-2008 Global Grid campaign, 41 retail partners participated with 11,204 retail outlets. The retailers ran 1,587 Florida ads, which generated 12.4 billion consumer impressions. This marketing activity produced an estimated $128 million in additional cash receipts for Florida producers, created 4,333 new jobs, and generated an estimated $16 million in local and state tax revenues.
This Global Grid marketing initiative is part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ ongoing “Fresh from Florida” campaign, an identification and promotional program designed to boost the image of Florida agriculture and increase sales by helping consumers to easily identify Florida products at retail stores. The “Fresh from Florida” program also helps increase public awareness of the importance of Florida’s agriculture industry, which generates $7 billion in farm receipts yearly and has an annual overall economic impact estimated at more than $100 billion.
For more information about Florida agriculture, visit www.Florida-Agriculture.com.
For more information:
Terence McElroy
(850) 488-3022
mcelrot@doacs.state.fl.us
