Inside H-E-B: Primo Picks and more
San Antonio’s H-E-B made quite a few industry headlines earlier in the year when it grabbed the top spot in dunnhumby’s Retailer Preference Index, dethroning another consumer fan favorite Trader Joe’s (who finished second). Both retailers pride themselves on delivering shoppers quality store brand product, so it’s no surprise to readers of this magazine at least, why the two retailers are so coveted by consumers.
Data science company dunnhumby even mentioned H-E-B’s store brands as one of the reasons why it jumped from fourth to first in their third annual consumer survey. H-E-B also just dedicated an entire regional Super Bowl commercial to the exclusive items and store brand products you can get at the retailer.
This week, Store Brands leaned on its friends at the Path to Purchase Institute to field new private brand merchandising found in H-E-B stores. Members of the association have access to more than nearly 2,000 images covering H-E-B.
Primo Picks
H-E-B drummed up a lot of consumer engagement around this past Super Bowl, not only with the regional TV commercial starring Eva Longoria but also tying it into a mobile sweeps for groceries for life. In-store, this endcap was found days before kickoff in a San Antonio H-E-B touting the H-E-B brand of tortilla chips and cheese sauce, perfect for the big game.
It’s also interesting to note the products were named one of the retailer’s “Primo Picks,” which is what H-E-B uses for its choice products for shoppers that week as well as to highlight its local ties. For example, two aisle blades also were found touting recent winners of the Primo Picks Quest for Texas contest where winning local companies find their products on shelves.
The signage found here in a Missouri, Texas store highlights an exclusive item to H-E-B of a pancake and waffle mix using spent grain from a microbrewery; another one highlights a cilantro sauce from a local company.
H-E-B has videos and a page dedicated to its 2020 winners here.
Chef Style
More than just food, H-E-B’s family of own brands include cookware and accessories under a line called ChefStyle. This endcap highlights a frying pan set under the ChefStyle label, neatly displaying the pink-colored cookware against a pink printed pegboard. Perhaps it’s a nod to a Valentine’s Day gift. The endcap was found in a store in San Antonio.
