Food King's Record-Breaking Watermelon Display Brings Massive Sales

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Food King’s record-breaking watermelon display brings massive sales

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June 22, 2021

Earlier this month Lubbock, TX, residents were treated to a sweet display of watermelons — over 12,000 watermelons to be exact. The Food King located in Lubbock hosted a watermelon marketing event of epic proportions, breaking a world record for the largest watermelon display.

Texas Watermelon Queen Micayla Grossman

Although unverified by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Food King display containing 12,825 watermelons and totaling roughly 199,000 pounds was substantially larger than the previous world record held by Cub Foods of Edina, MN. The Food King display contained 2,625 more melons and was 42,000 pounds heavier than the previous world record that was set on July 31, 2014 by Cub Foods.

“Once and for all, this proves that produce really can drive store sales," saidd John Potter, Food King

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director of marketing and produce. “This event created excitement at the store not only with customers, but our team as well.” The gigantic watermelon display was built in only one day by a large group of dedicated Food King teammates.

The store display event included games, prizes, in-store specials, opportunities for customers to meet the Lowe’s leadership team and most importantly 99 cent whole watermelons — a retail price rarely seen. “In a marketing area with a draw of roughly 270,000 customers, we had to place a limit of two watermelons per customer. It was one of the greatest traffic drivers I have seen over the course of my entire career," said Roger Lowe Jr., CEO of Pay & Save Inc., parent company of Food King.

The World’s Largest Watermelon Display was promoted through local, traditional marketing channels and an aggressive social media campaign, including on-site Facebook Live coverage. Food King received support from its primary produce supplier Affiliated Foods of Amarillo Texas. The melons were brokered to Food King by Border’s Watermelons Inc.

Pay & Save Inc. operates 140 stores across Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Arizona, and it employs more than 5,000 teammates across its operations.