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Store Brand Promos Gone Wild

Written by Tom Ryan

A host of grocers are running campaigns touting their private label offerings, some rather quietly and others loudly.

One of the more aggressive comes from Food Lion, which on June 16 sent out employees with shopping carts through the Pine Knoll Townes neighborhood of Raleigh, NC to knock on doors and hand out free groceries featuring its My Essentials store brand. Operation Grocery Drop delivered more than 2,000 items to approximately 100 families along with coupons, according to mypbrands.com.

Food Lion donated $20,000 to local Raleigh non-profit organizations as part of Operation Grocery Drop. Other communities are expected to see surprise visits throughout the year. In April, Food Lion launched its first TV spot calling out the savings of its My Essentials label as part of a broader PL campaign that includes radio, digital and out of home.

[Image: Operation Grocery Drop]

Publix is bringing back its "Take the Publix Brand Challenge" promotion. Under the formula, shoppers buying certain national brands get Publix's equivalent PL brands for free. National brands under the promotion currently include Hormel Bacon Bits, Mt. Olive Sweet Relish, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard, and Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing.

Publix's marketing copy states, "We're confident when you compare the Publix Brand to the national brand, you'll like our brand just as much — maybe even more! Just look for the in-store display for this week's challenge."

Other examples of PL promotions:

  • Price Chopper's Facebook page recently indicated the northeast grocer was bringing back its promotion calling for $5 off any $15 purchase of its store brands. The coupon was valid from June 16 through June 23;
  • Walmart Canada just rolled out a truck tour to promote the launch of its PL Angus beef line. The tour, started in Quebec on June 20 and will end in Burlington, Ontario on Sept. 1;
  • In March, SC-based BI-LO's "No Dough" baseball promotion gave customers who purchased any four participating BI-LO private brand items in one transaction with their BI-LO rewards card a voucher for two free tickets to a University of South Carolina or Clemson University baseball game.
  • Last November, Hannaford Bros. again launched its annual "Buy & Save" private label promotion. Shoppers get a $1 checkout coupon for every Hannaford and My Essentials store brand product they buy in the same order. The maximum reward is $10 per transaction.
  • A&P is hosting sampling and in-store demonstrations across its Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaum's, Food Emporium and A&P banners to showcase the extension of its Angus Beef line to include marinades and Angus hot dogs. The program is running from June 23 and June 30.

 

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