Wal-Mart Announces Private Label Eggs to be Cage-Free

In a move to better serve their customers by offering humane products, Wal-Mart has announced that their private label "Great Value" will only offer cage-free eggs.

"By ensuring that all of its private label eggs are cage-free, Wal-Mart is helping the egg industry move away from battery cage confinement of laying hens," said Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS' factory farming campaign. "Wal-Mart's move is a positive one, and we hope its competitors follow suit."

Many supermarket chains have taken steps to increase their sales of cage-free eggs, including Harris Teeter, Winn-Dixie, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Safeway. National restaurant chains—including Burger King, Wendy's, Denny's, Red Robin, Quiznos, Sonic, Hardee's and Carl's Jr.—have also started using cage-free eggs.

Learn more: Wal-Mart: Private Label Eggs All Cage-Free

Private Label Stocks Soar

Seeking Alpha reports that private label food stocks are soaring in this market. Rick Shea writes, Treehouse Foods (THS), Ralcorp and AIPC are the best pure plays in the food manufacturing sector that focus on private label manufacturing. Treehouse continues to add companies and categories (recent Sturm Foods purchase) and is positioned as the top private label focused company. Ralcorp acquired Kraft Foods (KFT) Post cereal division and so far has struggled to deliver positive results.

What sort of new measures will CPGs implement to combat this out-performance by private label manufacturers? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Sam's Club to Sell Private Label Vodka

The popular bulk retailer, Sam's Club will soon debut its own brand of premium vodka. The New York Times reports that the wholesaler will sell their vodka to approximately one third of its stores. The vodka, named Rue 33 is coming to the shelves, to join private-label wines and beers that the chain already sells.

Learn more: Sam’s Club Adds a Private-Label Vodka

What do you think about the move by Sam's Club to add more spirits to its private label offerings? Will other wholesalers do the same?

Hispanic Market Sees Value in Private Labels

Supermarket News reports that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Hispanics agree that “store brands are a great value for the money,” and 64% said “store brands are just as good as national and international brands.” The study also found that 73% of Hispanics are buying more private label foods this year and one in four plan to purchase private labels in 2010.

What do you think?

Learn more: Hispanic Market Sees Value in Private Labels

Complimenary Webinar: Do Consumers Prefer Private Label? A Look Into Consumer Attitudes About Private Label

Wed, Dec 9, 2009

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785

Mention priority code MWS0020BLOG

Do consumers know the difference between national brands and store brands? Do they care? How do they describe private label compared to national brands? Does this differ across categories? How about across markets?

Private label and store brands are having an impact on many consumer purchases today, both in the US and Europe. And within these markets the definition of private label compared to national brands varies according to category and retailer.

When is a brand important? What makes a national brand different? Do consumers feel the same way about brands today as they did a year ago? Why or why not?

Showcasing BuzzBack’s unique portfolio of award-winning online research techniques, this webinar will highlight new consumer research conducted in the US and UK about purchasing behavior and attitudes associated with private label versus national consumer brands. The study will present ways to identify consumer behavior and attitudes about shopping via an online survey.

As you listen in, you will learn:

• What drives consumer purchases of private label brands and why
• Consumer perceptions and attitudes about private label compared to national brands
• Types of people who purchase private label compared to national brands

Featured Speaker
Brendan Light, SVP, Research and Development, BuzzBack Market Research

Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785
Mention priority code MWS0020BLOG

More Choices in Store: India's Retailers Are Stocking Up on Private Label Brands

The University of Pennsylvania's Marketing portal reports that India's retailers are filling their shelves with private label goods.

The report states,

In India, the growth of store brands is a function of increasing retail sophistication. Large-format, modern retail stores (known as the "organized" retail sector) -- as opposed to smaller, traditional "mom and pop" stand-alone stores -- are presently only a small portion of total retail in the country. A report by investment bank Northbridge Capital, titled "Indian Retail Research 2009," estimates the total Indian retail market at US$450 billion, growing more than 30% a year and expected to cross US$720 billion in 2011. Of this, organized retail accounts for just 14%, or US$63 billion -- although this sector is expected to grow 40% faster than the overall market to reach US$90 billion in 2010.

Learn more: More Choices in Store: India's Retailers Are Stocking Up on Private Label Brands

What do you think of the surge in private label goods by Indian retailers? What other factors may be causing this boom?

Walmart Turns Trash Into Pizza Boxes

In an effort to reduce waste and to recycle their private brand pizza boxes, Walmart is utilizing a new way to reduce its footprint by recycling the cardboard waste collected in its stores into boxes for it’s private-label, take-and-bake pizza boxes, according to Earth911.com.

“We’ve totally and literally closed the loop using a retailer’s own boxes to go through a paper mill and then to make corrugated boxes out of those same things again,” said Myles Cohen, president of the recycling division for Pratt Industries, the company carrying out the new program. “Quite frankly, the program with Walmart that we’re partnering on is groundbreaking [...] It’s the future.”

Walmart estimates this measure alone will save 8,600 tons of waste from landfills. Additionally, it will reduce the need to consume the equivalent of 40 million gallons of water and 125,000 trees.

Walmart Turns Trash Into Pizza Boxes

7-Eleven Adds Wine to its Private Label Offerings

Convenience store powerhouse, 7-Eleven has now introduced its own wine to stores in the US and Japan. At just under $4, the wines will be sold under the Yosemite Road label and will be available in the U.S. and Japan. The wines are being made by The Wine Group in California, which is the world's third-largest wine producer. The Huffingtom Post says the wines are, "zesty with notes of apricot, peach and honey, and the cab as full-bodied with juicy plum overtones." To hear more about 7-Eleven's entrance into private label wines, check out NPR's coverage.

My Private Brand: Private Brand is Front Page News at Duane Reade

New Yorkers will notice that there are a few changes to the Big Apple-centric drugstore, Duane Reade. The venerable retailer has unveiled its line of private label goods, "deLish." Here is Private Brand expert, Christoper Durham's take on the retailer:

PRIVATE BRAND IS FRONT PAGE NEWS AT DUANE READE

The ubiquitous New York drug retailer Duane Reade has been featured here on a number of occasions over the last few months and I admit to a certain fondness for this David fighting off the Goliaths of drug retail that are quickly invading New York. However it is more on principle than reality, I have visited many of their stores over the last few years and the redesigned stores are a great improvement from many of the classic shoebox city stores that they are known for. So I am excited to see the progress they have made with both their retail experience and their brand. They are uniquely New York and seem to have taken that to heart in their new branding efforts. This reinforces Duane Reade’s brand mantra of New York Living Made Easy.
Duane Reade has long been the place where New Yorkers could find everything from prescriptions to potato chips. So it’s only fitting that the city’s largest drugstore chain, now undergoing a substantial transformation, is introducing hundreds of new Private Brand products and featuring them in the new magalog, The Duane Reader. This is a tried and true Private Brand promotional tactic that retailers including Trader Joe’s and Loblaws have implemented with great success.

Hundreds of new products will appear in the inaugural 20-page Holiday Edition, which will be inserted this week in The New York Times and The Daily News, as well as handed out on commuter trains and in office buildings throughout the city. As well as in the more than 250 Duane Reade stores in the metropolitan area.
According to a Duane Reade press release: Joe Jackman, acting chief marketing officer, commented, “The Duane Reader represents our most recent effort to strengthen our brand image in order to match the positive changes that we are making to our customer experience. It’s our hope that busy New Yorkers will find it to be a relevant, useful, and entertaining companion for city-living during the holidays.”

The Duane Reader spotlights hundreds of products at hot introductory prices. It also profiles exciting new – and New York-centric. Many of the products highlighted make their debut under one of the exclusive Duane Reade Private Brands:the expanding DR Delish Private Brand of delectable food and beverage items Apt 5, Duane Reade’s quintessential New York Private Brand, which now includes a new environmentally friendly line-up called Apt 5 Goes Green
the beautiful new beauty Private Brand Look NY, and the long-standing and recently relaunched Christmas In New York Private Brand.

“Virtually all the products in The Duane Reader have a connection to city living, with many created especially for the joyous holiday season,” said Joe Magnacca, chief merchandising officer at Duane Reade. “We are thrilled to use this unique publication to highlight the great values and wonderful array of new and exciting products that our team has been busy creating. Whether stocking-stuffer gifts, easy entertaining, or quality food choices on-the-run, we had fun tying in these items to the everyday events and happenings that we experience as we get ready for the holidays in New York.”

The premier issue of the Duane Reader, which debuts this week, focuses on the holiday season, with a number of new and relevant items for entertaining (DR Delish French sparkling sodas), decorating (Christmas in New York cards, wreaths and apartment-sized trees), stocking-stuffing (Apt. 5 corkscrews and LookNY make-up brushes), and just plain New York “survival” items (sheer hosiery, vitamins, stain removal sticks and ‘green’ cleaning supplies).
Accompanying the perfect-for-holiday items is a pull-out Holiday Planner providing a New Yorker’s view of things to see and do this month and next, and other sections with fun tidbits such as which restaurants are serving Christmas dinner, and the hours of the Central Park Ice Rink.

In addition to the exciting product news, The Duane Reader publication is packed with bargains, useful tips and hints, historical notes about New York City, and holiday ideas. It is a must-read for city dwellers and visitors.

Brandweek: Battling Brand Malpractice

Terri Goldstein of Brandweek discusses today how though the rise in private labels has been good for retail, it may be detrimental to the "big brand" CPGs because of design theft. Goldstein writes, A national or retail brand imbued with its own positioning, a unique selling proposition and a one-of-a-kind look and feel is a gold mine. However, the fact that retailers have access to the newest products and latest positioning by leading national brands enables them to steal valuable colors, shapes, symbols and keywords for the design of their own private label brands—a phenomenon that can and should be described as “brand malpractice.”

Further, Goldstein writes that Rather than continuing to play favorites and practice private label thievery, retailers would do well to develop store brands that create their own experience with the consumer via unique visual triggers and brand positioning.

While it’s easy for private label brands to capitalize on the cachet of their competitors by changing a few letters around, fully developed store brands fight fairly for the hearts and minds of consumers on the retail battlefield.

What do you think? Are too many private labels stealing from "big brands"? Can products be successfully sold if they look nothing like their "big brand" inspiration?

Battling Brand Malpractice

Whole Foods Launches Private Label Coffee To Benefit Jane Goodall Institute

Whole Foods has recently unveiled their Kanyovu light roast coffee, which will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute. Every purchase of single-origin Tanzanian coffee will support efforts to reforest the area around Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park — a preserve in the region where the coffee is grown — ultimately sustaining the area for local farmers and restoring habitat for endangered chimpanzees. This will help coffee growers in the Kanyovu region to use traditional and sustainable growing, harvesting and processing practices that help keep the land healthy and fruitful.

The coffee’s packaging will feature the Jane Goodall “Good for All” branding, the retailer said, which features a small green and white graphic bearing Goodall’s photo.

Whole Foods Launches Exclusive Coffee To Benefit Jane Goodall Institute

Private Label Impact Session Update—OfficeMax Joins Our Exclusive Speaker List

Later this month we’re headed to Chicago for the Private Label Impact Conference 2009, October 27-28.

This year we’re pleased to welcome innovators in the private label space representing an array of companies including: A&P, AJES Bread, Blueocean Market Intelligence, Bumble Bee Foods, CBX, Cliffstar Corp, Coca Cola Company, ConAgra Foods, Cott Beverages, Design Resource Center, Dragon Rouge, DuPont, Food Industry News, General Mills, Interbrand, JM Smucker Company, Kraft, My Private Brand, New Hope Natural Media, OfficeMax, PepsiCo Inc, PetSmart, Philadelphia Macaroni Co, Smoker Friendly, Sonoco, Sorrento, Lactalis Inc, St Joseph's University, Supervalu Inc, T. Marzetti Company, T&T Supermarket,The Hartman Group, United, Valero Retail Holdings Inc, Vestcom International Inc, Wallace Church Inc

Will your company be represented?

As a member of our CMSI LinkedIn group, we’re offering to you an exclusive 20% discount off your registration -- join us today!

Private Label Impact 2009: http://bit.ly/2Qqo24

Event Brochure: http://bit.ly/48d8mn

Event Registration: http://bit.ly/3u4mfn

New Session Added: Mike Kitz, Vice-President - OfficeMax Brands, Product Development and Imports, OfficeMax

Retailer Driven Innovation and Branding

Mike will discuss how retailers are getting more sophisticated in creating and driving their own brands. And, in some cases, when manufacturers will not innovate for retailers’ brands, the retailers drive this innovation themselves. Attendees to this session will:

• See examples of OfficeMax using best-in-class processes to innovate, create new premium brands, and bring innovation to the marketplace.

• Discuss ways for manufacturers and retailers to collaborate in innovation and brand building.

See you in Chicago!

Cheers,
Private Label Impact

Reed's Soda Sees Increase in Private Label Orders

Los Angeles-based natural soda manufacturer, Reed's is gearing up for a huge surge in productivity as business from private-label customers has increased, Joel Russell of the Los Angeles Business Journal reports.

"We are seeing strong interest for the private label products that we are offering to major retailers,” Chief Executive Chris Reed said in a statement. "Our production facility's unique product and packaging capabilities allow us to make a comparable margin to our existing brands with private label. For the most part, we're not competing with our own brands with the new private label business. Our current plan is to finance the growth of our branded business with the private label profits."

The company also said that two major supermarket chains expect to begin shipments of private-label drinks soon from the plant.

Reed’s Sodas Upgrades Bottling Plant, Issues Shares

Join us for the 2009 Private Label Impact Conference, this month in Chicago!

Private Label Impact 2009 Savings End Tomorrow!

Calling all CPGs, Retailers and Private Label Manufacturers... if there is one event you cant afford to miss, it is this one. Private Label has revolutionized the retail industry and will continue to do so. Join us to discover how this new retail landscape can be a win-win for all parties involved - co-exist profitably. Register by tomorrow with code PL09PBLI to save $100 off your registration.

Event: http://bit.ly/Yfsdp
Brochure: http://bit.ly/ClaeY
Registration: http://bit.ly/17CxfN

Check out some of the great presentations:

“Private Label: Redefining the Meaning of Brand” with Michelle Barry, Ph.D., Co-Author, A Brand Called Hope, SVP, The Hartman Group

Can private label thrive without name brands? The emergence of private lab ease a quality product that can compete with name brand products on an equal basis has changed the dynamics of how consumer products are marketed and sold. This presentation will provide an accurate portrayal of the changing landscape of the private label market and the associated strategic business implications for both retailers and manufacturers of name brand and private label branded products.

Learn more about Michelle Barry, Ph.D.: http://bit.ly/7CKv3

“How Brands and Private Label Can Work Together to Achieve Category Goals” with Thomas Ewing, Director, National Accounts, Private Label & International, T.Marzetti Company

Learn how a category merchant can use the unique strengths of both branded and private label products to build a coherent category merchandising plan. How do you use these strengths to build a merchandising plan to meet the differing objectives? What are the different tiers of private label products?

Download more information on speakers and presentations at this year’s event: http://bit.ly/ClaeY

Private label in the news:

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel
CSPnet.com reports that despite remarkable strides made during the past several years, private-label sales are concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of consumers. The top 50 private-label categories, representing 17% of CPG categories, account for 69% of store brand sales.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1Agney

Amazon's Private Label Goods Continue
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is quickly and quietly moving into the private label arena. Reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler says that the latest sign: The Seattle-based e-commerce giant, last month received a U.S. design patent for a wooden chopping block.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1ov9zs


See you in Chicago!

Cheers,
Private Label Impact

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel

CSPnet.com reports that despite remarkable strides made during the past several years, private-label sales are concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of consumers. The top 50 private-label categories, representing 17% of CPG categories, account for 69% of store brand sales. As a point of comparison, the top 50 national brands represent less than half of total dollar sales. Even heavy private brand buyers allocate just 22% of their CPG budget to store brands.

CSPnet.com recommends that retailers begin to look at a multi-tiered perspective in order to fully take advantage of the private label products on their shelves. With customers continuously looking for value and affordability, retailers who embrace private labels may make increase revenue and profitability during the economic downturn.

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel

Amazon's Private Label Goods Continue

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is quickly and quietly moving into the private label arena. Reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler says that the latest sign: The Seattle-based e-commerce giant, last month received a U.S. design patent for a wooden chopping block. Also, in June Amazon launched a new collection of private-label kitchen utensils, designed by Seattle Chef Tom Douglas and sold under his name.

Amazon won't disclose any other patent applications, but says it is always evaluating opportunities to patent the designs it develops for private-label products.

As Amazon expands from a book seller to a certifiable retailer, what other private label avenues do you think they have in the works?

Private Label Impact Conference 2009 Speaker: Michelle Barry, Ph.D., SVP, The Hartman Group

Michelle Barry, Ph.D.

Co-Author, A Brand Called Hope

SVP, The Hartman Group

Michelle is the Senior Vice President of The Hartman Group. Since joining The Hartman Group in 1999, she has managed the ethnographic, retail, trends and innovation consulting divisions of the company and pioneered new ways to leverage professional anthropological analysis and creative fieldwork techniques to help clients' efforts in truly understanding consumer behavior and long-term implications of cultural change.

She currently oversees the Business Development, Marketing & Communications divisions incorporating innovation and analytics into business strategy. Michelle has consulted with food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical and technology companies across retail channels in developing both strategic and tactical direction in today's marketplace.

Prior to joining The Hartman Group, Michelle owned a design and branding business and has 18 years in the health and wellness arena as both a practitioner and analyst. With a doctorate in sociocultural anthropology and extensive work in communications and consumption, Michelle has co-authored two books with The Hartman Group: Reflections on a Cultural Brand and Marketing in the Soul Age, and has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, Oxygen, as well as in national and industry publications as a thought leader in human behavior and cultural trends.

Michelle's biography courtesy of The Hartman Group

October 27-28, 2009

Chicago Marriott

Chicago, IL

Private-Label Sales Up 7.4%

CSPnet.com reports that private-label sales are up 7.4% with a strong emphasis on food products. The Nielsen Co. Its study, "U.S. Store Brand Development," found that both private-label dollar and unit sales significantly increased for the 52-week period ending July 11, 2009 versus the prior year.

"When categories are sorted by store brand share, from high to low, some patterns emerge," said Todd Hale, senior vice president of Consumer & Shopper Insights at Nielsen, New York. "Store brand performance and share is strongest in commodity categories. Milk, fresh eggs, sugar and substitutes and canned vegetables top the list. Where store brand share is the lowest is among categories where we see strong marketing support for top brands including candy, gum, beer and those where a high-level of innovation occurs like detergents, deodorant and cosmetics."

Join us this October in Chicago for The Private Label Impact Conference.

Private-Label Sales Up 7.4%

Heinz CEO Sees Private-Label Growth Slowing

The Wall Street Journal reports that Chairman and Chief Executive William Johnson of Heinz said that the growth in private-labels will soon diminish as customer's turn back to brand name products. Consumer goods companies like Heinz, Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT) and Proctor & Gamble Co. (PG) have lost market share in some categories to retailer's lower-priced private-label brands products, which are posting record-high sales at some chains.

But private-label growth appears to be waning, and branded food companies hope to begin to regain some of the share they lost as the economy improves.

"Consumers still prefer leading brands like ours in most businesses," Johnson told shareholders Wednesday at the company's annual meeting.

Do you side with Johnson? Are we going to see a drop in private label sales as the economy picks up? We'd like to hear your thoughts via Twitter.

Private Label Impact 2009 Chairman: Christopher Durham

Christopher Durham has more than 15 years of creative brand building experience with an emphasis on marketing strategies, innovation, award winning design, product development, package design, POP, retail campaigns and cross media promotions. As the founder of the first ever-private brand group on Linked In – MY private brand, his blog is the musings of a retail-branding veteran.

Christopher's experience includes: Brand Development, Product Launch & Marketing, Creative Direction, Revenue & Profit Growth, Creative and Strategic Planning, Corporate Branding & Identity, P&L/Budget Management, Direct Mail, Ideation/Concept Development, Web Strategies, Art Direction, Team Building, Customer Relationship Marketing, Agency Management.

Christopher's Biography Courtesy of mypbrand.com

The Private Label Impact Conference

October 27-29, Chicago Marriott