Safeway has become the latest retailer to raise the stakes in premium own label, claiming to have improved its The Best range and committing £2m support over the next year.

Britain’s fourth largest supermarket chain also aims to double the size of its The Best offering and grab 11% of the multiples’ premium own label market by 2004. It currently claims a 5.5% share.

However, Safeway’s push is once again unlikely to include TV advertising. Instead, it will concentrate on press and in-store ads and product sampling.

Roger Hart, manager for The Best range, said Safeway’s team of buyers, technologists and product developers had sourced new suppliers and ingredients in the latest review, extending the line from 180 products to 300. New products include smoked salmon and bakery offerings, while packaging has been updated across the range.

Tesco leads the premium own label table with 1,200 items in its Finest range, significantly outnumbering arch rival Sainsbury’s 700 Taste the Difference products and Asda’s 250-strong Extra Special range.

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