Store-branded products from cheese to canned tomatoes are eating away at sales for big food companies. Such private-label items have been around for decades. But retailers are now making more of them as they compete to keep grocery prices low, working to develop increasingly sophisticated products under their house lines and adding space for them in stores. Some retail executives say coming up with their own brands is also a way to draw in younger customers who aren’t interested in older brands. ...
Sales of own-brand goods at Kroger, Walmart and Albertsons have reported faster YoY increases than their named counterparts for the past three fiscal years, according to Nielsen. The chains are cutting prices and putting more products under their names to win market share. In the year to 15 June, store brand sales rose 2.8%, half a percentage point more than branded goods. But Kroger is not alone.