SUPERVALU to Transition Independent Grocers to Essential Everyday Private Label Products

SUPERVALU has announced that its new Essential Everyday private brand line is now available in select independent retail locations. Once the full rollout is complete in early 2013, Essential Everyday products will be available to the company's more than 2,000 independent grocery retailers nationwide. The private brand offering will include more than 2,400 products in the most important grocery and home goods categories, delivering the same great quality that customers have grown to expect at a significant value to national brands. As part of the rollout, SUPERVALU will replace its current brands, FLAVORITE, RICHFOODS and HOMELIFE with products in the Essential Everyday line. "We are thrilled to be able to now bring our Essential Everyday line of products to our independent retailers," says Leon Bergmann, president of SUPERVALU's independent business. "Early results have shown that Essential Everyday is performing very well at our 1,100 SUPERVALU owned stores and we believe that our independent retailers will see a positive customer response as well." Since June of 2011, SUPERVALU's traditional retail stores have been transitioning from their banner labels to Essential Everyday in the cereal, wholesome snacks, pasta and pasta sauce categories. SUPERVALU has run extensive consumer testing on the Essential Everyday name and packaging which returned very positive results. In package design research, Essential Everyday outperformed other store brands on measures of purchase interest, perceived value, premium perception and overall appeal. In addition, the change provides SUPERVALU with a single, recognizable brand name that will help create efficiencies in advertising and marketing the products on a national and local scale. "The addition of our independent grocers truly helps establish Essential Everyday as its own national brand, with a reach to more than 3,000 grocery stores and millions of customers every week," says Bergmann. "Timing and execution of this transition will occur as new product rollouts are completed and in conjunction with our independent retailer's specific store needs." SUPERVALU is committed to offering a portfolio of private brands that deliver a strong connection with customers. SUPERVALU will continue to offer three tiers of Private Brand products that meet the needs of all our shoppers' diverse needs, backgrounds and interests. Some of SUPERVALU's other private label brands include: CULINARY CIRCLE, STOCKMAN & DAKOTA, WILD HARVEST, EQUALINE and SHOPPERS VALUE.