What do Nestlé Harvest Home cereals, Lyons coffee, Plumrose cooked meats and Princes Geebee drinks have in common? They are just some of the secondary brands now being sold exclusively by Kwik Save as part of the bottom up range reviews conducted by the chain as it looks to refocus on its biggest brands, lowest prices' positioning. Ranges in each category are now structured around a hierarchy of brand leaders, secondaries and cheapest on display products, while plans to develop a Kwik Save own label range have been ditched. The reason? Kwik Save commercial director Nigel Broadhurst says: "We need to have a clear point of difference to give customers a real reason to visit Kwik Save. We can position ourselves apart from the rest of the food retailers with a clear biggest brands, lowest prices' identity." He explains that there are lots of well known secondary brands that have been squeezed out of the market by own label. Some are also no longer seen as core by suppliers but are still recognised by consumers. Such products fit nicely into the Kwik Save range hierarcy and, because they are exclusive, actually perform a similar function to own label. In the biscuits category, for instance, it has worked with UB which supplies McVitie's products as brand leader, Crawfords as an exclusive secondary and Macfarlane Laing as the cheapest on display. Other suppliers are enhancing existing products by adding their names to them ­ such as the Princes Geebee range. Or they are stretching their brands into new areas ­ Plumrose into cooked meats, for instance. It's a neat initiative. But Kwik Save believes that by putting such exclusive products on its shelves, featuring names that shoppers recognise, it can differentiate itself from the multiples, with their focus on own label, and the hard discounters, with their focus on unknown tertiaries. Efforts to improve the range have gone hand-in-hand with work to sharpen prices and promotions so they draw people into stores ­ such as this month's Christmas offer of a widescreen TV and DVD player for £349.98. Once inside, consumers will find layouts and merchandising have been simplified so stores are easier to shop and the bargains easier to spot, with activity focused on everyday low pricing (indicated by red PoS) and special offers (signposted in yellow). {{COVER FEATURE }}

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