A new look for fresh merchandising at Walmart

The produce department at Walmart is about to take on the appealing look of a country market thanks to a new supply chain and merchandising solution.



Walmart plans to begin using a new style of wood grain reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for wet and dry produce such as apples, potatoes, onions and citrus items.



The new wood grain RPCs are more visually appealing than the current black RPCs the retailer uses. Both products offer similar supply chain efficiency characteristics such as making it easy for story employees to replenish the sales floor with minimal hand-stacking of individual apples, oranges or products sold individually. Both products lay flat when empty for ease of reverse logistics and offer food safety benefits and ease of cleaning.



“IFCO is one of Walmart’s most important partners and is a natural fit to help us meet our ambitious fresh produce goals in 2015 and beyond,” said Dorn Wenniger, VP of produce for Walmart U.S. “No other RPC company can match IFCO’s scale and experience, and we look forward to working together to enhance the in-store experience for Walmart shoppers.”



IFCO, along with CHEP, is a division of the Australian supply chain and logistics company Brambles.



“This agreement expands IFCO’s long and successful partnership with Walmart that began in 2000,” said Daniel Walsh, president of IFCO North America. “IFCO is committed to deploying our logistics expertise, production capacity, and global infrastructure in service to our retail partners. We are pleased Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has once again turned to IFCO, the leading global provider of reusable packaging solutions to ensure the successful implementation of its RPC program.”



Walsh, Wenniger and Hillary Femal, IFCO’s VP of global marketing were scheduled to discuss details of the new arrangement at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit & Expo on Oct. 24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.