As part of our dedicated Private Label Issue, ESM spoke to industry leaders at a number of retailers across the continent, about why they believe private label continues to set the pace in European retail. This article first appeared in ESM's May/June 2023 edition.
Michael la Cour
CEO, Coop Trading (Denmark)
The current inflationary situation has led many customers to embrace private labels. What trends have you noticed at your company?
We can see a continuous positive sales trend through all our brand platforms, ranging from our value-for-money brand, Xtra, to our mother brand, Coop, and our sustainability brand, Änglamark. What we have experienced is that sales price is a strong motivator overall, so where we offer the best value for money, we are doing very well.
In what product categories have you seen the highest private-label growth, and why?
We are, overall, performing quite strongly across all categories, but where we see the strongest growth is in areas where we can outperform branded products, in terms of a similar or even better quality, and at a lower price. One such example is with Änglamark, within personal care.
How are you seeking to adapt your private-label offering to cater to both value-hungry and premium shoppers?
The width and depth of our range will cater for our customers’ needs, whether it is value for money that is driving the purchasing decision, or the desire for a premium option. The way we cover this is through a diversified brand landscape, which is designed to meet these needs.
What new private-label product launches or campaigns have proven particularly successful over the past year?
The latest good example is our Änglamark cleaning spray with refill options, for bathrooms, windows, etc. It is an example of where we solve our customers’ needs with a sustainably sourced, environmentally responsible product at a price point that appeals to many people.
Read More: Coop Trading Launches New Design For Own-Brand Products
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest private-label news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones and Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
