How Kroger is winning with private brands

The Kroger Co. is using data to quickly spot category trends and turn them into successful private brands, according to a new Reuters report.

CEO Rodney McMullen told Reuters that unicorn ice cream is one example of how nimble the company has become at churning out trendy store brand products that helps it tap into sales growth.

According to Reuters, Kroger debuted its cake batter-flavored Unicorn Swirl in March, and saw more than 2.5 million likes and shares on social media for the product on National Unicorn Day on April 9.

Cincinnati-based Kroger believes products such as Unicorn Swirl ice cream will help it win market share from competitors.

 “They (Kroger) are very serious about private label and in my opinion better than any consumer goods company in the U.S.,” said retail consultant Roger Davidson, who used to oversee food procurement at Walmart. “Big CPG companies are really struggling.”

Read the Reuters article here.