Target's on the Up & Up

Sure, retailers know consumer-shopping habits have changed in response to the recession. But what are they doing about it?

Target, for one, reacted quickly by rebranding its household products line, formerly sold under the Target brand.

The result: Up & Up, a new brand, complete with an expanded selection and new design.

The re-launch allowed Target to create a new and more powerful brand identity for the assortment, which includes more than 800 products in 40 categories, including household, healthcare, beauty, baby, and personal care.

Target’s impressive Up & Up initiative is one of the reasons I’ll cover a session at next week's IIR’s Private Brand Movement conference when Annie Zipfel, Target’s director of “owned” brands, speaks about the motivation behind Up & Up.

The second annual conference is billed as a forum to discuss brand strategy, packaging and design – all the elements necessary for a successful private-label program.

What makes the event so noteworthy is that the agenda is packed with retailer speakers, including officials from Ahold USA, Family Dollar, Sam’s Club and Meijer. It was also just announced that Michael Ellgass, Wal-Mart’s grocery marketing director, will speak Tuesday about the relaunch of the Great Value brand.

I’ll be there all three days to find out how retailers are leveraging private labels to differentiate their stores from the competition.