Ben Ball

Store Brands Grow Faster at Specialty Grocers

August 3, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Private label sales grew faster in specialty food stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods than at supermarkets between 2005 and 2009, according to the Private Label Food and Beverage in the U.S. report by Packaged Facts. How effective are traditional supermarkets at private label brand building?      [more...]

This really is an apples and oranges comparison. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's started from the beginning as a place to buy proprietary brands (which aren't necessarily "Trader Joe's Salsa," of course). Traditional supermarkets started life as a place to buy other people's brands. The real difference is that the former made the decision to own the brands they sold across the spectrum of value from the beginning. The latter are trying to emerge from the extreme value niche they entered with. That's tough sledding on any hill.