Even if you don’t intend to add private label products to your product mix today, pay attention to what competitors are doing and how they position private label against your manufacturer brands.

As our lead article in this issue points out, private label really took off in consumer packaged goods when the industry consolidated. As retailers created national footprints, they gained the scale to effectively build out private label programs.
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And it certainly requires a certain amount of scale to support the investment into private label – to source, develop and market effectively while not damaging your current lines.
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In distribution channels, it’s important to note that it’s not just the national chains that are building private label brands. …