Private label products being sold at other chains

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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by BillyGr »

buckguy wrote: May 22nd, 2020, 7:17 am There also are some distribution arrangements that are suprising--Heinen's in Cleveland used to get some items from Shop-Rite and occasionally a Shop-Rite branded item would turn up on their shelves.
I remember seeing some of those when we were out there a few years ago (particularly interesting since we are here in NY where there are ShopRite stores, if on the northern fringe of their area).
As I remember, the items were all the more "non perishable" items (like paper products, cleaning and such), so I thought it made sense, as they could send a small chain a truck full of that stuff now & then and it wouldn't go bad, even if it took time for them to sell the stock (in the normal times, of course).
Wakefern had also started opening some of their Price Rite discount stores in Western NY (which I found out later on), so that would also potentially make it easier, if they were already heading that far to deliver, and with that Cleveland area market being so much more small independent chains than many markets may have offered the options for more sources than a market with major chains would have.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

Stater Bros now has Food Club brand maple syrup. Yes, they source their brands from Topco, but they generally have their own Stater Bros brand products on food products instead of Food Club. The Stater Bros brand was used on non-food up until 2017, when they started using TopCare and Simply Done on non-food.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

Super S wrote: May 22nd, 2020, 9:29 am Fred Meyer carried a lot of President's Choice products during the 1990s. These started fading away around the time Kroger took over, but I think they do still have a few random products under the brand.
Once Fred Meyer acquired Ralphs/F4L from Yucaipa in 1998, they started using Ralphs' Private Selection brand. Kroger would take Fred Meyer a year later.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by storewanderer »

There was also a very short lived "First Choice" premium private label at Smiths and Fred Meyer (soda, ice cream come to mind). Smiths had no premium private label prior to "First Choice." When Ralphs came into the fold, First Choice was phased out as a premium private label in favor of Private Selection which was a Ralphs brand and the PS was very similar in logo to PC. First Choice was quickly re-introduced as a private label for "club size" items to support club pack aisles at Food 4 Less, Ralphs, and Smiths (not sure if Fred Meyer had those aisles or the rest of Kroger had them in the late 90's).
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by veteran+ »

First time I saw Topco products was at King Soopers in the late 70s.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by buckguy »

Topco goes back to the 40s with roots in several different co-ops. The Top part was Top Frost frozen foods which was added in the 50s.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by Alpha8472 »

Turkey Hill ice cream is being sold at Northern California Safeway stores on endcaps. Previously, it was only seen as far as Arizona.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: June 7th, 2020, 7:03 pm Turkey Hill ice cream is being sold at Northern California Safeway stores on endcaps. Previously, it was only seen as far as Arizona.
If that Turkey Hill Ice Cream has plant code 49-70 it is made by Smiths dairy in Utah.

The one at Safeway in NV at least some flavors have that plant code.

Prefer the Umpqua Ice Cream (also sold at Safeway NorCal now). Also sold at WinCo.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: May 25th, 2020, 9:13 pm There was also a very short lived "First Choice" premium private label at Smiths and Fred Meyer (soda, ice cream come to mind). Smiths had no premium private label prior to "First Choice." When Ralphs came into the fold, First Choice was phased out as a premium private label in favor of Private Selection which was a Ralphs brand and the PS was very similar in logo to PC. First Choice was quickly re-introduced as a private label for "club size" items to support club pack aisles at Food 4 Less, Ralphs, and Smiths (not sure if Fred Meyer had those aisles or the rest of Kroger had them in the late 90's).
At Fred Meyer there was also a VERY short-lived Fred's Choice brand used on soda. But, as I recall, it was only on the soda sold from vending machines at the front of the store and not sold in 6 or 12 packs. It seems like the vending machine pop was the ONLY item that had the Fred's Choice brand.
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Re: Private label products being sold at other chains

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: June 8th, 2020, 12:57 pm

At Fred Meyer there was also a VERY short-lived Fred's Choice brand used on soda. But, as I recall, it was only on the soda sold from vending machines at the front of the store and not sold in 6 or 12 packs. It seems like the vending machine pop was the ONLY item that had the Fred's Choice brand.
Oh, I remember Fred's Choice. They sold it in cases, like 24 packs shrink wrapped. That lasted until the Big K Soda was brought in which was pretty early at Smiths and Fred Meyer. Ralphs sold PS Soda much longer, then switched to Shasta for private label soda at least through Ralphs time in NorCal. It was not until Ralphs exited NorCal that Ralphs finally started to offer Big K Soda.

I suspect Fred's Choice was the premium brand that then became "First Choice."
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