Best Yet Relaunch Marks Next Step in C&S’s Private Label Evolution
The recent relaunch of the Best Yet private label by C&S Wholesale Grocers marks another step in the brand’s journey as an assortment of household staples that showcase a new packaging design are now rolling into stores.
In announcing the relaunch, company officials said the brand’s new design is the first step for C&S as the company works to develop a cohesive assortment touching product categories merchandised across the store.
Store Brands spoke with Eric Winn, CEO of C&S Wholesale Grocers, about the new line, the company’s efforts to upgrade the assortment, and how the own brand is an important part of the product selection for the independent retailers C&S services.
STORE BRANDS: What was the motivation behind relaunching the Best Yet private label brand?
ERIC WINN: For more than 125 years, Best Yet has been a trusted name in American households. As our retail customers are looking to provide shoppers with national quality products at affordable prices, C&S saw an opportunity to further transform the Best Yet brand and assortment. The stylish new label is iconic, and the enhanced brand portfolio offers an expansive array of new product offerings, ensuring our retail customers provide a superior assortment relative to their competitors and also relative to branded alternatives.
SB: How does the refreshed look and new assortment better reflect C&S’s strategic vision for the brand?
EW: We had a distinct vision for our Best Yet brand to become a market differentiator. Best Yet is a brand designed specifically for independent retailers and their customers. It is a key reason C&S’s retail customers are the grocery store of choice for shoppers. With its iconic new look, Best Yet’s strategic use of color-blocked categories helps create clear brand recognition on store shelves, making it easy for shoppers to identify products. The competitive prices and extensive assortment enable shoppers to get the quality and value they want to feed their families. Based on our market testing, we believe our refreshed assortment will not be simply a ‘store brand’ alternative but rather appreciated by consumers as a brand itself.
SB: How long has the rebranding process been in the works, and what were the key milestones?
EW: While C&S continuously innovates all our retail customer programs, there has been a deep focus on the journey for Our Brands over the past two years. We initiated a consumer perception survey, which highlighted the incredible loyal following of the Best Yet brand. As we did more research, we saw an opportunity to enhance our brand design and undertook an extensive program to develop our brand architecture and design with our agency, Pearlfisher. With our redesigned brand, we continued to solicit shopper feedback in focus groups across the country with existing and potential new consumers, and the results were phenomenal. Shoppers love our latest design. Our first item launched in stores at the end of 2024. We expect to complete our initial rollout by the end of Q1 2026.
SB: How does Best Yet differentiate itself from national brands and other private label offerings in the marketplace?
EW: Our Best Yet go-to-market strategy focuses on supporting the needs of independent retailers across the country. Our assortment is designed to truly resonate with customers across the entire United States. The Best Yet brand architecture and assortment are designed to support all of the various store formats found in our diverse national independent customer base.
SB: How will the assortment evolve? Are there plans to expand into new or premium categories?
EW: We have exciting plans to continue to evolve our assortment rapidly. This includes all aspects of growth, including increasing our assortment, expanding into new categories, as well as innovating new products that really inspire shoppers.
SB: Did retailers have any input on products in the line or the design of product packaging?
EW: Our retailers’ input is a key part of our new item development process. They are very close to their shoppers and understand what is important to them. Our goal was that the Best Yet brand has an emotional connection with shoppers.
SB: How is C&S supporting retail partners in promoting and merchandising the relaunched Best Yet brand?
EW: We strongly support our retailers with in-store POS material, signage, digital assets, display units, and fixtures. We have an exciting promotional campaign, with an emphasis on our expanded assortment, which will also drive brand engagement.
SB: Was there any consumer research that helped shape the updated brand positioning?
EW: We conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative testing with existing and potential new shoppers across the nation. The results of our consumer research shaped our final design. The Best Yet brand received high marks against some of the largest retailers across the country. We knew right away that the newly designed Best Yet was a powerful brand that resonated with both new and existing customers.
SB: Will sustainability, clean-label ingredients, or other consumer trends play a role in future Best Yet product development?
EW: The Best Yet brand sourcing strategy includes the selection of clean-label ingredients. We are also exploring additional categories and brands fully dedicated to these types of items. In addition, the Best Yet packaging strategy includes clean claims and callouts, ‘How 2 Recycle,’ and ‘Facts Up Front.’
SB: What are the next steps for Best Yet as part of C&S’s broader private label strategy?
EW: C&S delivers a competitive range of high-quality, innovative products to create a superior shopping experience to support the health and growth of our independent customers. Our commitment is to continue to innovate across our Own Brands portfolio to support the evolving needs of our independent stores’ shoppers. This is only the beginning of an exciting new journey for C&S Our Brands, with many more developments to come soon.
