Tops Friendly Markets Revitalizes its Private Label Line

Tops Friendly Markets has launched its revitalized Tops Brand line of products, featuring thousands of Tops brand items, many reformulated with cleaner, simpler ingredients, and in new, more attractive packaging.

“Our shoppers are continually looking to Tops for value, convenience and variety and the revitalized line of Tops Brand products will surely meet those needs and more,” says Frank Curci, Tops Markets chairman and chief executive officer. “Customers will find them to be great a complement to the national, regional and local brands that Tops is well known to offer them.”

Many of these Tops Brand products are developed in coordination with vendors from across Western New York, reaffirming Tops’ commitment to our region. The Tops Brand relaunch also includes hundreds of household items including paper products and cleaning supplies.

Among the Tops Brand items produced locally include Tops bottled water, iced tea and apple juice, made by Mayer Bros. in West Seneca, N.Y. Tops Brand salad dressings and marinades are made at Bay Valley in Erie, Pa. In addition, a variety of Tops Brand fresh dairy products are from Western New York, including eggs from Kreher Farms in Clarence, N.Y., string cheese and Ricotta cheese by Lactalis in Buffalo, N.Y., and cottage cheese, French onion dip, and Greek yogurt by Upstate Farms in Buffalo. Tops brand milk is also purchased from Upstate Farms as well as Byrne Dairy, located in Spencerport, N.Y. 

In store, customers will find about 1,200 newly redesigned Tops Brand products; another 1,000 items are currently in various stages of redesign and will hit store shelves through the spring of 2017.

“Undoubtedly, these efforts represent a significant makeover of Tops Brand products, and we are very proud to make these items available to our customers,” Curci says.

In support of the launch of the new Tops Brand, the company is launching a robust marketing and advertising campaign focused on print, digital, in-store, and broadcast media, along with a thorough social media effort. Tops Brand products will be promoted beginning Sept. 11 and in Tops’ sponsorship of the Rex Ryan Show, with the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.

The company has introduced a new Tops Brand logo and a supporting promotional tagline of “Tops Brand Products: Home Made Happy.” These will be prominently displayed in-store and in advertising.

“The time was right to give Tops Brand products a closer look, and the results already indicate that it was a worthwhile effort,” says John Persons, Tops’ president and chief operating officer. “Store brands are more popular than ever before, and in many cases they are the preference of shoppers. Our own research and customer feedback, combined with national data and trends, support that.”

With the new school year here, selecting Tops Brand products has added benefits for schools in the markets Tops serves. Now in its fifth year, the Tops in Education program provides funding to schools of the customers choosing, when the customer purchases Tops Brand products.

“Since 2012, Tops has donated more than $540,000 to schools across New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont directly through Tops in Education,” Persons says. Customers can learn more about Tops in Education and select their schools by visiting TopsMarkets.com/Education. 

On every Tops Brand product, the packaging will feature the President’s Promise, a commitment to ensure customer satisfaction with Tops Brand products.  

“We take great pride in the quality of our products and we put our name on them,” Persons adds. “It is our commitment to customers to make sure they are completely satisfied.”

The President’s Promise commits to providing customers with a 100% refund or product replacement if a customer is not satisfied.