THE RISE OF THE STORE BRANDS
As if competition from big food wasn’t enough, competition from big retailers is now here.
Long before coronavirus upended our lives and shopping habits, private label brands were trending way upwards, ditching their ho-hum presence on the shelves and making serious strides into e-commerce.
GOING PRIVATE
Previously, private labels (also called store brands) were ways for retailers to sell products similar to ones put out by national brands but at a lower price point. Not much thought was given to these private labels aside from a name and very simple packaging. But times, and products, and packaging styles have changed and private labels look just as good as national and challenger brands. To the consumer, that is.
Nearly every retailer and grocer has at least one private label these days. For Target, its main grocery line is Good & Gather. At Walmart, they’ve got Sam’s Choice and Great Value. In Whole Foods (and on Amazon.com), it’s 365. Simple Truth is Kroger’s private label and one of the biggest organic brands in the country. Kirkland is Costco’s OG label; Safeway on the West Coast has O Organics and Lucerne, while Publix in the Southeast has Greenwise. And let’s not forget the ultimate private label brand, Trader Joe’s.
Even the e-tailer Thrive Market has its own brand (simply Thrive Market.) And while Amazon does have 365 on its virtual shelves, the retail giant has a handful of other food brands on offer too. They aren’t as big as Amazon Basics, but they easily could be. Oh and if you hadn’t already heard, Brandless is making a comeback!
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