own label

Focus On: Own Label by Emma Weinbren

Download the feature synopsis here

Publishing: 21 April

Advertising deadline 11 April

Submission deadline 6th April

The Story

From snow globe sandwiches to prosecco crisps, you could hardly accuse the retailers of failing to be innovative this year. Aldi and Lidl may make their money from being ‘like brands, only better’ but the major players are looking to pave their own way in gaining share. And it’s paying off; value is up in almost all categories. So where are they beating the brands? And where could they do better?

Themes

Innovation: In a bid to break away from the discounter ‘copycat’ strategy, the big four have ramped up innovation of late. Sainsbury’s, for example, added 430 new products to its own-label range in just one quarter. So what have the most innovative lines been? And how are they driving categories forward?

Plant-based: This seems to be a major area of innovation for the retailers – what have they done and what response are they seeing?

Faux brands: While steaming ahead with innovation on one hand, the big four are mimicking the discounters on another. Yes, we’re talking faux brands. So how are sales going?

The discounters: It’s impossible to talk about the rise of own label without mentioning the discounters. So what new categories have Aldi and Lidl entered and how are they shaking things up?

Reformulation: It’s a key area of focus for brands as PHE continues its war on sugar (and soon calories) – so what have retailers been doing?

PLMA show preview: What, where and when

Top retailer innovations: A run-down of the top retail launches over the past year.

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

  • What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?
  • How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?
  • How have individual retailers’ strategies impacted the market?
  • How has merchandising changed in the market?
  • What impact has own-label had on branded players?
  • What’s next for the category?

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