Private Labels: Moving Beyond the Low-Price Tag

Given the growing consumer expectations on product innovation, along with rising inflation that continues to stifle shoppers’ grocery budgets, U.S. supermarket chains are having to think up new strategies around their private label programs. Here are a few examples of U.S. grocery retailers getting more creative with private label, as published on Progressivegrocer.com in recent months:

Germany-based discount retailer Lidl, which now operates about 170 stores in nine East Coast?U.S. states, is running a price-cutting campaign over the summer that features more than 100 items ranging from frozen prepared foods to household products. The largest savings will be on items such as Black Angus top sirloin steak, dried cherries, orange juice, ground coffee, bratwurst, hot Italian sausage, apple juice and pound cake.

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Peapod Digital Labs has launched an Incubator Program for certified diverse-owned suppliers to develop “new, exceptional-quality private-brand products.” During the two-and-a-half-month program, the chosen participants will learn from the company’s private-brands team about its private-brand structure and goals, and will grow their knowledge of its existing brands. Participants will be paired with private-brand mentors, who will help them prepare for their final product pitch.

California’s regional supermarket chain Raley’s has implemented CMX1 for Grocery, a private label management solution from CMX that enables sourcing, supply chain transparency and supplier compliance. “CMX1 for Grocery has taken what was once a largely manual process across multiple systems at Raley’s and enabled us to have a single solution with standardization and automation for how we manage our private label program,” said Elodie Thao, Raley’s senior food safety and quality assurance manager.

Innovations in grocery retail in sync with the current market trends and shopper priorities will be a major area of focus at?India Food Forum?this year. Join us on Dec 7-8 at The Westin Mumbai, Powai Lake, to be inspired by some outstanding developments in this space by inventors and investors!