Last updated on August 13th, 2024
Best Choice, the flagship of AWG’s private brands portfolio, is enhancing its presence in fresh perimeter departments – including bakery, produce, meat and seafood – with a new look and product innovations.
“We want to develop products that people are proud to put in their carts and that help AWG member retailers differentiate themselves from the competition,” said Dan Koch, AWG group VP of fresh sales and merchandising. “Consumers’ appetites for private brands products in the fresh departments continue to grow, so we’re making sure to meet this desire by offering great fresh products at a value in attractive packaging.”
Bakery
Beginning with bakery, Best Choice items will feature redesigned packaging with the tagline: “from the Bakery.” The first items to launch with the updated branding are mini-angel food cakes, along with soft-baked cookies in clamshell packaging.
Available in six varieties, both mini and regular size, the cookies build upon the bakery portfolio, which includes frosted sugar cookies, cupcakes, mini-brownies and cinnamon rolls. Nearly 20 items will make up the initial portfolio, with all shifting to the “Best Choice from the Bakery” look later in 2024.
“Our decision to update and expand the Best Choice brand is on point with trends and consumer requests, especially in the mini-size subcategory,” said Tye Anthony, AWG’s chief merchandising and marketing officer.
“Mini-size bakery items continue to grow in popularity as our research shows that ‘snacks’ are the second most popular eating occasion for consumers to choose sweet baked goods. We want AWG member retailers to be on the cutting edge of these trends.”
[RELATED: Growing In-Store Bakery Sales]
Produce, meat, seafood
Best Choice’s produce, meat and seafood items will receive similar branding updates. Produce and meat products will be developed under “Best Choice from the Farm,” while seafood items will be renamed “Best Choice from the Sea.”
“We’re leveraging the consumer trust associated with Best Choice to ensure customers can find the brand’s quality and value throughout AWG member retailers’ stores with a range of unique and proprietary items,” Anthony added. “All of these new products carry the AWG Brands’ 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee and undergo rigorous quality control testing before coming to market.”
Brand alignment was a priority when developing the expansion of the fresh departments. The new look reminds consumers they can connect the same quality and value of Best Choice center store products – including the 100 percent guarantee – to fresh products.
[RELATED: Report: May Seafood Sales Highlight Less Inflation]
