ShopRite Launches New Private Brands
ShopRite is making changes to its store brands, introducing several thousand newly branded products under the premium labels of Bowl & Basket and Paperbird.
The grocer unveiled details for the new private brands that parent company Wakefern Food Corp. announced during its annual shareholder meeting on Oct. 24. The two new store-brand lines, Bowl & Basket (food) and Paperbird (household products), will offer high-quality foods and products at an everyday value, the retailer said.
ShopRite said the new lines are part of a transformation of the supermarket’s own brands with newly designed and carefully crafted products, starting with about 100 items in November and expanding to 300 by the year’s end. More than 3,500 newly branded products will be on shelves by the end of 2021.
To streamline and simplify the shopping experience for customers, the retailer said that its existing ShopRite, ShopRite Kitchen, ShopRite Trading Company and Cape Gourmet food brands will convert over time to Bowl & Basket and Paperbird.
“The launch of Bowl & Basket and Paperbird is the catalyst for an ambitious redesign of ShopRite store brands,” said Chris Lane, EVP of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative and the merchandising, logistics and distribution arm for all ShopRite stores. “We are ready to deliver this next generation of innovative, high-quality and exciting own-brand products at ShopRite.”
ShopRite said that the new flagship brands combine the best of value and innovation, “with a distinct and modern brand style and ethos.”
Under the Bowl & Basket name, customers will find everything from avocado oil, to Maui sweet onion kettle chips, to milk and water. Avocado oil is a new addition that will be available under the Bowl & Basket Specialty brand, along with core items such as safflower, canola and peanut oils. Sixteen salads, including sesame Asian salad kits, chopped romaine, coleslaw and Italian blends, and spring mix arugula, will also be sold.
Paperbird’s product lineup includes high-design, low-cost cleaning and paper products and club-sized items such as bath tissue and paper towels, with an assortment that extends to high-quality two-ply paper towels and ultra-soft double-ply bath tissue, according to the retailer.
Several years in the making, the two lines have a modern, upscale aesthetic with quality that's equal to or better than national brands, ShopRite noted. The new products meet rigorous quality assurance criteria and have a consistent look and feel that make it easier for customers to find them across store aisles.
ShopRite said that it turned to customers for input and inspiration in creating the new brands.
“We surveyed thousands of our ShopRite customers to find out what they love about ShopRite and what they’d like to see more of on our shelves,” said Chris Skyers, VP of private label and own brands at Wakefern. “We learned that they love what ShopRite stands for — community and great value — but that they also expected a little more from us when it comes to our own-brand offerings. We set out to exceed those expectations with these new inspired brands, which are helping to redefine how customers see ShopRite. Bowl & Basket and Paperbird products are tailored to our shoppers and based on what they told us they want and need — incredible quality at affordable prices.”
The launch of both brands will be supported by an omnichannel marketing campaign that celebrates the everyday.
The introduction of Bowl & Basket and Paperbird follows the 2016 launch of ShopRite’s Wholesome Pantry brands, which include the Wholesome Pantry Organic line as well as a range of products free from 110 ingredients and artificial additives and preservatives. Wholesome Pantry will also be introducing new products in the coming months, rounding out ShopRite’s reinvention of its own-brand portfolio.
The largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States, Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises 50 members that independently own and operate 353 supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite Marketplace and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Virginia. Together with its member companies, Wakefern, which is No. 8 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States, employs more than 70,000 people, and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey.
