New Private Label Grocery Brand Offers More Than The Essentials

Historically speaking, private label grocery store brands don’t get a lot of love or attention from the brand design establishment. And with good reason; all too often these in-store ‘generics’ have paid little attention to the value of brand design and applied brand identity, and often provide little differentiation visually from similar chain-store store brands.

Recently, SuperValu, Inc. unveiled a new private brand for its network of supermarkets across the US, including Chicago’s Jewel-Osco stores. Essential Everyday products have begun appearing on store shelves, replacing the old store brands in select grocery categories.

The branding approach here is notably successful for a number of reasons. Firstly, the naming of the brand couldn’t be more straightforward or appropriate for a value-oriented store brand. Its a no-nonsense brand name in a sea of hyperbole on the shelf. The typography chosen to render the brand name is unpretentious and approachable.

Second, the use of a ‘stamp’ or ‘tear-off’ label visual metaphor is a natural, if literal, approach to labeling a product. When applied consistently on the top edge of packaging, it allows for a tidy, standardized application across many categories.

And lastly, the choice of white text on a black element is ultimately flexible when applied to any product-appropriate color background, as evidenced in the product samples shown here. The black label conveys an almost upscale feel to what is ultimately a value-oriented product offering.

PREDICTION: This new private-label brand will be a profitable brand for all the stores that carry it.