People talk outside a Walmart pickup store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rick Wilkin | Reuters
Walmart is launching a new grocery brand as the discounter tries to retain the shoppers it attracted during a period of high inflation.
On Tuesday, the big-box retailer said it would launch a private label brand called Bettergoods, a line of food products that are more trend- and chef-driven. Most items will be priced under $5.
Walmart is already the largest grocer in the United States by revenue. In its most recent fiscal year, nearly 60% of the company’s U.S. sales came from the grocery business.
Walmart’s massive food business has helped it boost store and online traffic, especially during a period of high inflation when consumers have begun to focus on their discretionary spending. Its reputation for low prices has helped the company attract higher-income grocery shoppers as inflation squeezes budgets.
In its most recent fiscal year, which ended in January, Walmart’s U.S. net grocery sales rose nearly 7% annually to $264.2 billion.
An employee restocks frozen food at a Walmart Inc. store in Burbank, California.
Patrick T. Fallon Bloomberg | Getty Images
But like other grocers, Walmart sees room for growth in its private-label business as shoppers seek new flavors and lower prices. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some domestic brands have sold out in stores, causing customers to start buying products from retailers’ own brands.
Later, inflation pushed up food and housing prices and inspired more shoppers to try store brands, which were often cheaper.Additionally, the growth of low-price grocery chains such as Aldi, Lidl, and Trader Joe’s—which stand out as The popularity of Costco-owned Kirkland, which has its own private label instead of a national brand, has changed how customers think about store brands.
Grocers are also overhauling their approach to private label. Retailers are starting to introduce more unique food products rather than relying on basic items like canned peas or copycat items like low-price cereal boxes that resemble cereal to make up their store brands.
For example, Target A new grocery brand called Good & Gather was launched in 2019 with a wide range of products including bagged salad kits, peanut butter spreads and frozen vegetables. Another grocery brand it launched, “Favorite Day,” consists of ice cream bars and assorted dried fruit creations.
Other retailers have launched new private-label brands in grocery stores, focusing on affordability and fending off discounters like Aldi or Dollar General. hook upFor example, Launched Smart Way two years ago. The brand offers low-priced basics like mayonnaise and sliced bread.
Walmart’s new grocery brand, Bettergoods, will consist of items across multiple categories, including frozen foods, dairy products and snacks, with prices ranging from $2 to under $15. The company says the products will fit into one of three main areas: more culinary-style products, such as jars of creamy corn-jalapeno chowder; plant-based options, such as pints of oat milk non-dairy frozen desserts; or products that don’t contain a certain Items with certain ingredients, such as gluten- and antibiotic-free chicken nuggets.
Bettergoods will join Walmart’s grocery division’s existing private label lineup, which includes Great Value, the largest private-label grocery brand in the U.S. by revenue, according to market research firm Numerator.