Walgreens Executive Shares Private-Label Tips

DALLAS — Getting input from multiple business departments — from marketing to merchandising to category managers — is key to the private-label development process, said Laura Sturdevant, director of product development for private brands at Walgreens.

“Get employees involved,” she said Tuesday at the Private Brands Summit at FMI2012.

She suggested that during the development process, retailers share ingredients with employees and let them experiment with flavors and textures.

“It’s important to let them own the brand, because then they will get excited about it,” she said. Sturdevant was part of a panel discussion called “Building Strong Retail Brands Through Multi-Faceted Collaboration.” Other panel members included George Miketa, executive vice president, sales, 
Snacks Holding Co.; and Todd Maute, a partner at CBX, a branding firm.