People talk outside a Walmart pickup store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rick Wilkin | Reuters
Walmart is launching a new grocery brand as the discounter tries to retain the shoppers it attracted during a period of high inflation.
On Tuesday, the big box retailer said it would launch a private label brand called Bettergoods, a line of food products that are more trend- and chef-driven. Most items will be priced under $5.
Scott Morris, senior vice president of private brands, food and consumer products at Walmart U.S., said the move comes after shoppers expressed a desire for “fine cuisine, inspirational merchandise” and healthier options like plant-based products. The company decided to develop a new series interviewed by CNBC. He said the retailer designed Bettergoods for all customers but expected it would particularly appeal to younger and affluent shoppers that its stores have been attracted to over the past few years.
Walmart is already the largest grocer in the United States by revenue. In its most recent fiscal year, nearly 60% of the company’s U.S. sales came from the grocery business. The company declined to say how much of its grocery revenue comes from private label brands. But at its warehouse club Sam’s Club, private labels account for about 30% of sales.
Walmart’s Big Food Business Help it increase store and online trafficEspecially as customers focus on their discretionary spending during times of high inflation. Its reputation for low prices has helped the company attract higher-income grocery shoppers as inflation squeezes budgets.
In its most recent fiscal year, which ended in January, Walmart’s U.S. net grocery sales rose nearly 7% annually to $264.2 billion.
An employee restocks frozen food at a Walmart Inc. store in Burbank, California.
Patrick T. Fallon Bloomberg | Getty Images
But like other grocers, Walmart sees room for growth in its private-label business as shoppers seek new flavors and lower prices. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some domestic brands have sold out in stores, causing customers to start buying products from retailers’ own brands.
Later, inflation pushed up food and housing prices and inspired more shoppers to try store brands, which were often cheaper.Additionally, the growth of low-price grocery chains such as Aldi, Lidl, and Trader Joe’s—which are distinguished by The popularity of Costco-owned Kirkland, which has its own private label rather than a national brand, has changed how customers view store brands.
Grocers are also overhauling their approach to private label. Retailers are starting to introduce more unique food products rather than relying on basic items like canned peas or copycat items like low-price cereal boxes that resemble cereal to make up their store brands.
For example, Target roll out A new grocery brand In 2019, Good & Gather has a wide variety of items, including bagged salad kits, peanut butter dressing and frozen vegetables. Another grocery brand it launched, “Favorite Day,” consists of ice cream bars and assorted dried fruit creations.
Other retailers have launched new private-label brands in grocery stores, focusing on affordability and fending off discounters like Aldi or Dollar General. hook upFor example, Launched Smart Way two years ago. The brand offers low-priced basics like mayonnaise and sliced bread.
Walmart’s new grocery brand, Bettergoods, will consist of items in multiple categories, including frozen foods, dairy and snacks, with prices ranging from $2 to under $15. The company says the products will fit into one of three main areas: more culinary-style products, such as cans of creamed corn-jalapeno chowder; plant-based options, such as pints of oat milk non-dairy ice cream; or products that don’t contain certain Ingredients such as gluten- and antibiotic-free chicken nuggets.
Bettergoods will join Walmart’s existing line of private brands in its grocery department, which includes Great Value — the country’s most popular private label brand based on the percentage of households that have purchased the item in recent months, according to market research firm Numerator. There are grocery brands.