Supermarket Own Labels

Own labels have been taking an increasing share of the overall market for some time, driven by the growth of premium products, the expansion of

sub-brands such as organic and `healthier' brands, the multiples' expansion into non-food areas, and the growing dominance of retailers over suppliers of branded goods. Key Note estimates that own labels accounted for around 42.3% of the market in 2008, up from 39.3% in 2004.

However, the economic downturn has given a fresh impetus to own-branded goods, with consumers increasingly turning to own brands in the belief that they offer better value than their branded counterparts. Initiatives and campaigns by the major retailers to encourage consumers to switch to

own labels are also playing a part. The fact that retailers are devoting more shelf space to own labels at the expense of branded goods is contributing further to the growth of retailer brands. Major chains such as Tesco have even launched their own discounter brands to stave off the threat from grocery discounters such as Aldi and Lidl.

Similar trends, in terms of the increasing penetration of own brands, are being seen worldwide. Again, this is largely being driven by the global economic downturn. In the US, the country's biggest grocery sellers all reported that sales of their own brands were growing as customers cut back on their overall spending. The same has been true in Continental Europe.
In particular, own brands are growing at their fastest pace in central and eastern Europe, where supermarket chains such as Tesco and Carrefour are expanding rapidly.

This report features exclusive consumer research (commissioned by Key Note and carried out by NEMS Market Research) into consumer attitudes and usage patterns with regard to retailers' own labels. Key findings included the fact that 85.6% of respondents thought that own labels were lower in price than well-known brands. Perhaps surprisingly, given the economic downturn,

the proportion of people opting for brands rather than own labels where possible had barely changed between 2006 (at 45.4%) and 2008 (at 46.3%). However, 53.1% of the respondents to the 2008 survey said they were buying more own labels than they had been 2 years previously.

Key Note forecasts that the overall share of own labels within the UK grocery market will rise to 48% by 2013. In particular, own labels' share is expected to increase during 2009 as the economic slump forces consumers to cut back significantly on spending, either by seeking the lowest-cost goods or by forgoing certain items. The retailers will also exploit this development by taking an increasingly aggressive stance in promoting their own brands

at the expense of branded goods. The expansion of own-label penetration into areas in which they currently hold a relatively low share of the market will also continue.