Category consolidation won't have a significant effect on the position of private label, retailers and wholesalers reported.
ate-label items. But as the leading branded manufacturers' plans unfold, retailers have noted the number of stockkeeping units will remain basically the same.
According to a recent SN consumer survey, most consumers prefer national brands.
Charles Jones, senior buyer at Scolari's Food and Drug Co., Sparks, Nev., said he has actually cut back on the number of private-label units offered. "We've had a reduction of SKUs in the last couple of months," he said. "Instead of having nine or 10, it's down to about four. We're having a difficult time with private label because of the pricing the major manufacturers have been doing."
However, some of his shoppers have switched to private-label diapers when they couldn't find their preferred branded item. As the branded vendors settle into their newly consolidated product offerings, private label will maintain its position, he said.
Agreeing with Jones, Russ Aley, grocery buyer at URM Stores, Spokane, Wash., anticipates no shift in private-label diapers. "They have their own niche.
Numbers from A.C. Nielsen, Schaumburg, Ill., showed private-label diapers controlling 17.5% of the market share for the year ended March 9, 1996, directly behind Kimberly-Clark's Huggies and Procter & Gamble's Pampers, which have a 29.3% and 23.5% share, respectively.
