Regional Supermarket Promotion Aims to Boost U.S. Pork’s Retail Presence in Northern Mexico

In an effort to increase sales of U.S. pork in northern Mexico’s retail sector, USMEF conducted promotions at 60 S-Mart supermarket locations in the states of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon. The promotions, which included educational demonstrations and product tastings, were funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and the Pork Checkoff.

A customer at a Smart supermarket in Mexico samples U.S. pork during a USMEF promotion

“The strategy behind this activity was to demonstrate the profitability of featuring U.S. pork products to the managers and decision makers at S-Mart, as well as to convey the positive attributes of U.S. pork to the chain’s customers,” said USMEF Marketing Director Gerardo Rodriguez. “Our goal is to increase retail sales by building long-term consumer loyalty for U.S. pork.”

In every supermarket, USMEF representatives explained the attributes and characteristics of U.S. pork and offered tasting samples to customers.

The U.S. pork promotion was conducted in 60 S-Mart supermarkets in the states of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon

“In Mexico, it’s important to explain to consumers the many different ways U.S. pork can be cooked and the many dishes in which it can be prepared,” said Rodriguez. “The Mexican people have a tendency to overcook pork, and they tend to think of it as suitable for just a few meal items. So this kind of promotion is a good way to familiarize them with all the pork cuts available at retail and to show them how affordable they are.”

Participating S-Mart locations showed a 23 percent increase in U.S. pork sales during the activity, and USMEF is tracking the impact on post-promotion sales.