Own label – the big picture

Fraser McKevitt spoke at The Grocer’s ‘How to get a listing in own label’ conference in London on 14th March 2017.

Asked to set the scene on own label performance in the British groceries, Fraser explained how the UK is one of the world’s most developed own label markets. Own label lines are currently growing quicker than brands, and not just because of the increasing importance of the discount supermarkets.

Own label has become a key battle ground for the grocers to guide everyday store choice, helping provide a point of difference with competitor shops and offering cheaper options to keep shoppers within the store.

Some 80% of sales in the chilled and frozen aisle are own label products, but this is still the part of the store seeing fastest retailer brand growth. Sales are also growing across alcohol, ambient, frozen, personal care and home care.

While price is an important part of own label’s appeal to shoppers, the fastest growth is being currently being seen among premium lines. Fraser advised that this should caution us against making overly simple assumptions that shoppers are simply looking for a bargain, even at a time when inflation is rising and expected to become even more of a pressing issue as we journey through 2017.