Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Can Jewel steal some thunder from Trader Joe's?



SUPERVALU, the Minneapolis-based retailer that owns Jewel Food Stores, announced last week that it is launching one of the largest and most competitively priced lines of natural and organic products, Wild Harvest.

For Chicagoans, this will mean a new house brand for the Jewel and Jewel-Osco Stores. But the question remains: will this move drive shoppers back to Jewel?

The new brand is pledging to adhere to the strictest definitions of organic and natural, containing no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors. According to SUPERVALU, the Wild Harvest brand will initially feature approximately 150 items ranging from mealtime staples like milk, eggs, meat and fresh produce to pastas and sauces, cookies, crackers, cereal and juice. In the long term, the brand will include approximately 250 – 300 products across various categories.

And the kicker? Wild Harvest is priced approximately 15% lower than branded organic and natural products, and is positioned to meet or beat competitors’ private-label organic prices!

SUPERVALU said this brand was created in repsose to consumer demand for organic and natural foods, which has grown 10-15% annually over the past 15 years across all retail channels.

Start looking for new products and a new ad campaign next week (although there’s no word yet on the packaging materials)!

For more on this story, check out the Progressive Grocer.

1 comment:

Don Guss said...

I'd like to see more of the line offering.
But it seems they would have been better served using a more dynamic photograph in the layout.

It seems a little flat and falls short in conveying the fresh and organic message.

I do like the rest of what they have done here.
It fits well into, but doesn't elevate them in the organic category.