BEL AIR MARKETS' CIRCULAR GIVES DAIRY PRIVATE LABEL TOP BILLING

LAURA KLEPACKI

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Bel Air Markets here gives private label products top billing in its dairy departments.

The 17-store chain recently devoted the cover page of a store circular to its Sunnyside Farms line of dairy products.

Bill Neilsen, grocery buyer/ merchandiser, estimated private label accounted for a large majority of the chain's dairy sales.

"With the exception of some yogurts, some sour cream and a few ice creams, we carry nothing but private label," said Neilsen. "So it probably constitutes 80-plus percent of our sales."

Generally speaking, store-wide private label sales average 10% to 12%, he added.

According to figures supplied by the Private Label Manufacturers Association, New York, private label dairy products, on average, represented almost 40% of supermarket dairy department sales in 1993, the most recent figures available.

By category, the leader was eggs with a 77.7% share, followed by milk with a 62.7% share. Other top private label dairy categories included: cottage cheese at 44.1%, butter at 43.8%, creams at 37%, sour cream at 36.8%, cheese at 32%, pizza at 31.8%, bread/baked goods at 28% and juices at 22.3%.

The Bel Air flyer, valid from April 5 through April 28, pictured a quart of half & half featured at 89 cents; a quart of non dairy creamer at 75 cents; a pint of regular, light or fat free sour cream at 99 cents; a 15-ounce container of whipped cream at $1.79 and one gallon of orange, grape or punch flavored fruit drink for 79 cents.

The ad invited shoppers to "compare to national brands and save!" and to, "Save With Our Brands."

Neilsen said the prices were reduced from everyday list, but the ad didn't show a comparison because the chain has six different pricing structures for its stores. He said Bel Air periodically promotes its private label dairy products, running three to four ads per year.