Store brands expected to grow as supermarket shoppers want more fresh options in deli, dairy & bakery

A new nationwide study of buying behavior and consumer preferences in deli, dairy and fresh bakery departments shows that shoppers want more fresh food options and less work in the kitchen. Commissioned by the Private Label Manufacturers Association, the study was conducted by Surveylab, a specialist in online market research, and covered attitudes of 800 primary grocery shoppers in the U.S. One big beneficiary of the trend, according to the results, would be store brands. More than half of respondents say that they buy more private label now than they did five years ago, and 44% of the survey say that they currently buy store brands either always or frequently. Frequency of buying is even higher in deli, dairy and bakery where it reached 47%. “Consumers are making it clear they want convenience and speed in meal preparation,” explained PLMA President Brian Sharoff. “And this is creating highly profitable opportunities for retailers’ store brands to respond with their own brands.” I n the PLMA study, shoppers for deli, dairy and bakery were asked “Which products would you like to see more of?”  In deli, convenience was the number-one demand, with four in ten respondents opting for “more items that can save me time at home.” Following closely, were “more restaurant quality items” and “heart healthy items, such as low sodium.”