Smart & Final Stores stresses private brand focus

Commerce, Calif.-based Smart & Final Stores, a value-oriented food and everyday staple products retailer, reported net sales of $868.5 million in the second quarter, 3.9 percent greater than they were in the second quarter of 2017.

Comparable store sales rose 0.8 percent, according to a press release and net sales jumped 4.4 percent to $1.1 million with a comparable store sales boost of 1.3 percent.

Smart & Final caters to businesses and household consumers with a “deep private label program.” Its namesake and Smart Foodservice banners were developed to offer a wide assortment of warehouse club-packaged SKUs as well as a wide selection of private brands it says help differentiate its store experiences. 

Smart & Final President and CEO David Hirz emphasized how critical private brands are to the chain’s success, adding that private brands will be enhanced as a "key focus to driving repeat traffic."

Private brand sales during the second quarter expanded to more than 28 percent of total banner sales, the press release stated.