ShopRite expands Bowl & Basket brand with fresh chicken line

Wakefern Food Corp. has added fresh chicken to its Bowl & Basket own brand at ShopRite.

Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken includes more than two dozen varieties of all-natural chicken — such as breasts, thighs, fillets, wings and drumsticks — at “extremely budget-friendly prices,” Wakefern said late yesterday. The new chicken line is available at ShopRite stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennslyvania, Maryland and Delaware as well as via ShopRite.com.

Wakefern noted that the debut of Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken represents a big expansion of ShopRite’s private-label poultry in its fresh meats division. The supermarket chain also offers own-brand chicken under its Wholesome Pantry better-for-you brand.

In addition, Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken meets rising consumer demand for more transparency and sustainability in food, according to Wakefern. The antibiotic-, steroid- and hormone-free chicken, sourced in the United States, is part of Wakefern/ShopRite’s Animal Welfare and Animal Care Program.

“We’re excited to launch this new product in our stores and build on our long tradition of offering our customers fresh, high-quality poultry at amazing prices,” Roger Savoia, vice president of the meat division at ShopRite, said in a statement. “We’re confident that this new line of chicken will become the new anchor brand of our fresh poultry portfolio.”

Related:Wakefern brings new look to expanded Wholesome Pantry brand

Wakefern's Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken includes more than two dozen varieties of all-natural chicken — such as breasts, thighs, fillets, wings and drumsticks — at “extremely budget-friendly prices,” the retailer said.

To support the Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken launch, ShopRite plans an omnichannel marketing campaign that will offer shoppers guidance on meal planning, recipes and cooking tips. The content will be hosted by ShopRite dietitians across social media platforms, and the retailer said celebrity chefs Palak of @TheChutneyLife and Josh Capon of @ChefCapon have partnered with ShopRite to create content and generate buzz about the new chicken products.

ShopRite currently provides an online archive of recipes on The Recipe Shop page of its website, including hundreds of chicken-based recipe ideas. Users can download recipes and ingredients directly into their ShopRite from Home virtual shopping carts.

“Years in the making, the Bowl & Basket Fresh Chicken line will provide our customers with an easy, affordable way to create fast, tasty and healthy meals that they can feel good about serving their families,” according to Pam Ofri, director of product development and operations for own brands at ShopRite. “We have listened carefully to our customers, and we know they want high-quality items at the best possible value. And we’re committed to delivering on that promise.”

Related:Price Rite expands Bowl & Basket and Paperbird private-label brands

Wakefern has continued to expand Bowl & Basket in food categories across the store since its launch in November 2019, along with the Paperbird household brand. The new brands marked Wakefern’s plan to reimagine and grow ShopRite’s private-brand portfolio, which now encompasses thousands of products across departments.

Bowl & Basket and Wholesome Pantry are sold at all ShopRite stores and at other Wakefern retail banners in the Northeast, including Price Rite Marketplace and The Fresh Grocer. This past fall, Wakefern introduced a redesigned and expanded lineup of the Wholesome Pantry and Wholesome Pantry Organic brands at ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer. That followed an expansion of Bowl & Basket and Paperbird items at the Price Rite discount grocery banner in June 2020.

Overall, Wakefern’s retail network includes 363 independently owned and operated supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. ShopRite totals nearly 280 locations.