CHICAGO — The supermarket’s center aisles are staging a comeback, with sales of products merchandised in the area growing 3.1% in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12 across food, drug and mass channels, including Wal-Mart, according to Information Resources Inc. Its latest Times & Trends report focuses on the key strategies that have led to these items’ revival. They include the creation of new health and wellness products, focused private label development, improved localized assortments, product and packaging innovations, merchandising innovation and pricing. “Retailers have rediscovered the Center Store, realizing that a robust Center Store strategy complements the fresh food focus recently implemented by many grocers to differentiate their stores,” said Thom Blischok, president of IRI’s retail solutions, in a statement. “Product packaging and merchandising innovation, coupled with price increases to recoup rising ingredient costs, have been at the center of this revival.”

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