Amazon adds more than 100 foods and drinks to its private-label line

Amazon this week added more than 100 new products to its private-label line, timed to the holiday season.

New items from Amazon’s Aplenty brand, which range from granola clusters to cheese crisps and more, are available for sale online and in Amazon Fresh stores over the coming weeks.

Billed as “favorites with a festive twist,” new Aplenty items include Honey Crisp Apple Cider, Cinnamon Bun Pancake Mix, Pumpkin Spice Granola and Caramel Pumpkin Spice Popcorn.

Later this month, Amazon will add Sparkling Citrus Punch, Chocolate Peppermint Granola, Double Chocolate Truffle Hot Chocolate and White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn to its Aplenty roster, the retailer said.

Amazon launched Aplenty last year and has grown the line to hundreds of different products, “from everyday staples to special indulgences,” the company said. Best sellers include Sea Salt Pita Chips, Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken and Frozen Butter Chicken with Basmati Saffron Rice, Amazon said.

Amid soaring food prices, private-label items have become and increasingly important offering for food retailers. And they’re expected to continue to take a bigger share of shoppers’ grocery spend in the coming years, according to data released last month by FMI-The Food Industry Association.

Retailers in FMI’s survey said they’d like to increase the penetration of private brands in their stores from 18.2% to 22.6% over the next to years, and 83% of those surveyed said they plan to moderately or significantly increase their investments in private brands.

Kroger has pitched its ability to increase its private-label offerings as a benefit of its proposed $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons. In September, Kroger reported a 10.2% increase in private label sales for the quarter. If the deal is approved, the combined Kroger-Albertsons will sell more than 34,000 private-label products across a wide range of categories.