Why private label wins: the secret is to fulfill consumer needs
By Jean Koeppel, managing director, Blue Marlin, NY
Whichever way you look at it, national brands are under threat. In supermarkets around the country, millioons of consumers have shifted from the more expensive national brands to low-priced alternatives. National brands have seen, on average, one third of their loyal consumers flee to cheaper alternatives. As a result, in 2008, private label sales in food, drug, and mass merchandisers grew at nearly five times the rate of branded goods.