We Highlight Some of the Most Recent Store Brand Products to Hit Retail Shelves
ALDI reformulates store brand products to remove unwanted ingredients
In October, ALDI Inc., Batavia, Ill., said that it removed certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and added MSG from all of its exclusive brand food products. The announcement is part of the company’s efforts to expand store offerings and address customers’ preferences and needs about particular ingredients in their food. With 90 percent of ALDI products being sold under private labels, ALDI is able to ensure that customers have a wide selection of options free of these ingredients and available at the low prices they are known for.
“At ALDI, we are dedicated to the well-being of our customers by providing high-quality groceries at the lowest possible prices and offering foods shoppers can feel good about serving their families,” said Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI. “Our decision to remove these ingredients from all of our exclusive brand foods delivers on our ongoing commitment to meet the evolving preferences of our customers. Since more than 90 percent of the products we sell are under our exclusive brands, eliminating these ingredients will have a real impact on the over 30 million people who shop in our stores.”
As a retailer focused on private brands, ALDI said it continues to take a leading role in responding to consumer demand by removing these ingredients from the vast majority of their products. The company began removing these ingredients in 2014, and customers will begin to see these products in stores this fall, with all reformulated product lines in stores by the end of 2015.
Over the past several years, ALDI said it has enhanced its product offerings to provide customers with even more options they can feel good about, including:
- Fresh produce, including an increase of fresh, organic produce offerings, including organic bananas, apples, tomatoes, avocados and salad mixes
- New product lines such as its SimplyNature line of products, which is free from more than 125 ingredients, as well as a gluten-free line of products under the ALDI exclusive brand, liveGfree
- Labeling that highlights nutritional facts on the front of all ALDI exclusive brand food packages for shoppers to easily find key nutritional information
- Dietitians’ Picks, which showcase existing products hand-selected by registered dietitians for their nutritional value to help guide shoppers in their purchasing decisions.
Additionally, ALDI said it partners with registered dietitians through its Advisory Council to provide tips, recipes and meal-planning ideas that make healthy eating easy and affordable for families.
“I’m happy that ALDI is listening to people’s concerns about synthetic dyes and eliminating them in all of their products,” said Sally Kuzemchak, registered dietitian, author and ALDI advisory council member. “Shopping at ALDI makes it easier for busy parents to stock up on quality ingredients at a great value for their families.”
Winn-Dixie, BI-LO debut new ice cream flavors
In October Facebook posts, Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. and BI-LO LLC, part of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers, announced the debut of two new flavors of Prestige ice cream: Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie and Grandma’s Apple Pie. At the time of launch, shoppers could purchase the new store brand products for $3 using the retailers’ rewards cards.
7-Eleven launches own-brand single-serve coffee cups
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. said it launched its own brand of coffee for single-serve brewing systems in September. The single-serve brew cups are sold exclusively at participating 7-Eleven stores and are available in two package sizes: an eight-pack for $3.99 and a two-pack for 99 cents.
The larger packs are available in three of 7-Eleven’s most popular blends, including Exclusive Blend, 100% Colombian and seasonal Pumpkin Spice. The two-pack varieties are available in 7-Eleven’s Exclusive Blend and Pumpkin Spice flavors. The 50-cent per cup cost is below the average single-serve brew cup price of 65 cents, with some national brand brew cups costing as much as $1 each, 7-Eleven said.
All varieties of 7-Eleven’s single-serve coffee are made from the same high-quality 100 percent Arabica beans as the brewed coffee available in its stores, the retailer said.
“Brew cups are the ultimate in convenience for home-brewed coffee, and convenience is the core of 7-Eleven,” said Dennis Phelps, vice president, fresh foods and proprietary beverages. “Convenience wasn’t the only goal when we developed our new brew cups. We wanted to make sure we offered the same delicious coffee available in our stores at a great value.”
According to a 2015 survey by the National Coffee Association, one in five adults who drank a cup of coffee at home the previous day made it in a single-serve brewer. Single-serve is driving coffee growth, and is anticipated to surpass retail roasted coffee in 2017, the retailer stated.
“7-Eleven is the fourth-largest coffee retailer in the U.S.,” Phelps said, “and the only one to offer a trial size two-pack of our single-serve brew cups. We want people to try this new at-home version of the fresh-brewed coffee served at our stores.”
Sprouts, Giant Eagle debut fall flavors
Via their Facebook pages in September, Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. and Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle Inc. said they were welcoming fall by introducing limited-edition store brand items.
Giant Eagle introduced Pumpkin Spice-flavored ground coffee and single-serve cups, Pumpkin Spice syrup, Pumpkin waffles and Apple Butter syrup. In its Facebook post, the retailer said its fall-inspired products will be available only for a limited time.
For its part, Sprouts introduced its Pumpkin Dippers.
“Try dipping our new Sprouts Pumpkin Dippers into your coffee for a fall-filled morning!” the retailer wrote.
Wegmans debuts store brand organic skincare line
In a September post on the Fresh Stories blog of Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, Nicole Wegman, the retailer’s senior vice president of perishable merchandising, announced that the retailer now offers a line of USDA-certified store brand organic skincare products. The Wegmans Organic Hand & Body collection includes washes, lotions, and creams.
The retailer spent the last three years developing its organic skincare line, Wegman said. As part of its development, Wegmans partnered with suppliers near its stores to develop the collection, and ensured its products were sustainably sourced and produced, free from pesticides and made with organic ingredients such as coconut oil, aloe vera and vitamin E. The skincare line is gluten-free, vegan, free from artificial ingredients and lightly scented with essential oils. The body wash, body lotion and hand cream are available in Lavender, Sparkling Citrus and Coconut Lemongrass scents, while the hand wash and hand lotion are available in Fresh Herbs and Lemon Verbena.
Supervalu redesigns Culinary Circle Packaging
On its Facebook page, Cub Foods, a Stillwater, Minn.-based banner of Supervalu Inc., Minneapolis, stated that Supervalu’s Culinary Circle brand was redesigned.
“New packaging. New products. New inspiration. Come see Culinary Circle in our stores!” the October post said.
An image posted in October on the Cub Foods Facebook page showed that the Culinary Circle brand now features black packaging with the brand’s logo updated to be in a silver circle.
Southeastern Grocers partners with Curtis Stone for fresh seasonal meals
Southeastern Grocers, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores, announced a fresh partnership with Food Network Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone to launch the “Cooking with Curtis for under $10” program. The program is aimed at helping people eat well for less by offering customers affordable fresh seasonal meal solutions that can be made from scratch at home easily.
A combination of Southeastern Grocers’ research and industry research revealed that many shoppers want to eat well, but run into barriers such as affordability, meal preparation time, knowledge of ingredients and more. Research also shows that nearly all of Southeastern Grocers’ customers, regardless of budget, want to feed their families healthful, nutritious meals for less money, the company said, and approximately 25 percent of customers rely on food assistance and are looking for affordable options for fresh, healthful foods.
To solve those challenges for its customers, Southeastern Grocers said it is offering unique recipes created by Chef Curtis. Recipe cards are available in all stores, in the weekly ad circular and online. A different fresh seasonal ingredient will be featured each month with four easy-to-follow recipes. The ingredients for each delicious recipe will cost less than $10.
Meal recipes and other helpful cooking tips from Chef Curtis Stone can also be found at www.bi-lo.com/cookingwithcurtis, www.harveyssupermarkets.com/cookingwithcurtis and www.winn-dixie.com/cookingwithcurtis. A scan of the sites on Store Brands’ part shows that the recipes feature a number of store brand ingredients.
Chef Curtis is a nationally known TV personality who has been featured in shows such as Food Network’s Beach Eats USA and Kitchen Inferno, TLC’s Take Home Chef and Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, the company said, and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He recently opened Maude restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif., to rave reviews.
“Southeastern Grocers and Chef Curtis share a common passion to help families eat well for less, with fresh, easy meals they can make from scratch at an affordable price,” said Sharry Cramond, executive vice president of marketing and communications for Southeastern Grocers. “Chef Curtis’ philosophy and $10 meal ideas resonate with our customers who want to prepare easy, healthy meals that add variety to their family tables. We’ve partnered with Chef Curtis because fresh and affordable foods are important to our customers — and providing the best for our customers is our priority.”
Sobeys introduces Seafood Steamer option
Sobeys Inc., Stellarton, Nova Scotia, announced the launch of the Seafood Steamer, available at Sobeys’ seafood service counters. The new product line is said to address some of the common concerns Canadians have when preparing seafood, including mess, smell and uncertainty.
The Seafood Steamer is a convenient take on the classic French en papillote cooking method, Sobeys said, where fish is steamed in a parchment paper pouch. Customers simply choose their favorite fish or seafood and seasoned butter at the Sobeys seafood counter; the seafood is then sealed in an oven-safe ready-to-cook bag. Once at home, customers follow the cooking instructions on the back of the Seafood Steamer bag, locking in aromas and flavors to produce moist and tender seafood every time.
“Many Canadians like to eat seafood, but they may lack the confidence to properly prepare it, or they avoid fish because of the mess,” said Bryon Feener, senior director, meat and seafood merchandising and commercial programs for Sobeys. “While cooking a fish dinner may be intimidating for many people, the Seafood Steamer takes the fuss out of fish and makes it easy to enjoy almost any kind of seafood.”
Wegmans creates unique packaging for own-brand batteries
On the Fresh Stories blog of Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, Debbie Hauck, the retailer’s general merchandise category merchant, said Wegmans worked with its battery supplier’s packaging engineer to create reclosable packaging for its new Family Pack Wegmans Alkaline Batteries. The new packaging makes usage and storage simpler, and the batteries are color coded to make it easier for customers to buy replacement sizes.
Kroger’s officially announces launch of Hemisfares brand
In September, during The Kroger Co.’s fiscal 2015 second-quarter earnings call, Rodney McMullen, CEO of the Cincinnati-based company, said Kroger would be launching an “entirely new” private brand called Hemisfares at the end of September. The new brand is meant to offer Kroger customers “the best food finds from around the globe … for an amazing authentic eating experience,” he said. Every Hemisfares product is imported directly to Kroger stores from whichever country and region that product is originally found.
“The most exciting part is that no one else has a brand like this,” McMullen added. “Hemisfares is a great example of what makes our corporate brands unique, and we think [it] will appeal to millennials, foodies and, ultimately, all cuts of our customers.”
Some Hemisfares brand products actually made their debut very early in 2015, according to the Global New Products Database from global market research firm Mintel. Those products primarily consist of pasta varieties sourced from Italy.
Later on in the call, Michael Schlotman, Kroger’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, said that Kroger feels the upscale product line will appeal to a broad range of shoppers because even “budget shoppers” will “splurge” on certain items. He went on to say that the addition of the new private brand will help drive the retailer’s private brand mix of items to be “a little bit different than it has been historically.”
McMullen said Kroger’s multi-tiered corporate brands portfolio has always been a powerful differentiator for the company.
“Simple Truth continues to see explosive growth,” he said, “[while] Private Selection remains a vibrant billion-dollar brand that is growing in the double digits and developing unique offerings in many categories.”
Food Lion redesigns, promotes Food Lion brand
In September, Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion said it redesigned its private label packaging under the Food Lion brand, making these items easy to find, easy to trust and easy on the budget. Updated package designs include nutritional information added to the front panel to make it easier for shoppers to use. In addition, the company expanded its private brand offerings to fresh produce, including carrots, apples, potatoes, mushrooms, onions and more.
To celebrate the redesign, Food Lion said it gave its shoppers 25 cents back for every private brand item they purchased, up to $10, through the grocers “Quarter Back” promotion. The promotion ran through Oct. 6.
“Private brand products are extremely important to Food Lion customers, especially as we make grocery shopping easy, fresh and affordable,” said Paula Summers, director of marketing, Food Lion. “We are especially pleased with our new fresh produce offerings under our Food Lion private label and are excited to extend this option to customers.
“In total, more than 7,000 private brand items are now offered in stores, backed by our Food Lion promise of quality and freshness,” Summers added. “All of these items also have a double your money back guarantee.’”
Food Lion said its complete family of private brands were eligible for the promotion. Private brands include Food Lion, Nature’s Place, Taste of Inspirations, Home 360 and Healthy Accents.
Meijer introduces True Goodness by Meijer brand
On its website in September, Meijer Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich., announced the introduction of a better-for-you private brand. The new brand, True Goodness by Meijer, covers products that are free from artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. The brand replaces the Meijer Naturals and Meijer Organics brands and covers a wide range of food products.
“Everyone deserves to eat real food that’s real good,” Meijer stated on its website. “True Goodness by Meijer brings you the taste and quality you want, without anything you don’t, so you don’t have to sacrifice flavor, value or nutrition to make smart choices for your family.”
Kings Food Markets debuts namesake own brand
In September, Parsippany, N.J.-based Kings Food Markets announced the introduction of the Kings brand line of food products via its website. The store brand covers a number of product categories, ranging from frozen pizzas and fresh pasta and sauces to gourmet frozen side dishes and premium coffee.
According to a Sept. 2 article on the New Jersey On-Line LLC website (www.nj.com), the new line includes more than 350 items that meet “the quality standards the upscale store chain’s customers have come to expect.” In a quote within the article, Judy Spires, Kings’ president and CEO, noted that the retailer has been working on the line for more than a year and plans to expand the number of items to 700 over the next few years.