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The Fresh Market merchandises store brand with discerning eye

Specialty grocer unveils new offerings, updated packaging

Russell Redman

September 16, 2019

3 Min Read
Fresh Market store brand products_1 - Copy.jpg
The Fresh Market

The Fresh Market is taking a different tack as it expands its roster of store-brand products.

Instead of merchandising private-label items in value tiers as alternatives to national brands, The Fresh Market said it “curates categories” by serving up the best offerings in terms of quality, variety and exclusivity. The Greensboro, N.C.-based specialty grocer now carries more than 1,500 private-brand SKUs across perishable and non-perishable grocery categories. 

“Consumers typically view store brands as generic versions of well-known brand names, but it is the opposite with The Fresh Market,” according to Michelle Beck, director of private label at The Fresh Market. “For us to put our name on a product, it has to be better than the best-selling brand in that category.”

To that end, The Fresh Market said its merchandisers scour food trade shows, track industry and trend data, and work closely with vendors to curate — and create — the best products within their categories. Items fall under three segments: Everyday Extraordinary, Signature and Seasonal (or limited-time offerings).

Fresh Market store brand products_2 - Copy.jpg

Everyday Extraordinary products exceed the benchmark comparison brand by at least one attribute, such as quality of ingredients, flavor variety and taste, the retailer said. New Everyday Extraordinary items under The Fresh Market label include potato chips in Sea Salt, Sour Cream and “all dressed” (barbecue, ketchup, sour cream and onion, and salt and vinegar) flavors; sulfate-free hand soaps and lotions with all-natural essential oils; organic peanut butter in original roast and dark roast varieties; and peanut butter cookies (vanilla cookies with a peanut butter filling enrobed in a rich milk chocolate). 

Related:The Fresh Market boosts specialty beverage offerings

Signature store-brand items, meanwhile, are highly curated, premium or proprietary to The Fresh Market, the supermarket chain said. Examples include NomNom Salsa made by a local vendor in Georgia, cheddar cheese straws and toffee made in North Carolina New offerings imported from Italy include frozen pizza with a stone-baked crust, aextra-virgin olive oil, artisan bronze-cut pasta, panettone and gelato.

Seasonal products include The Fresh Market flavored coffee, snack mixes and cookies. This fall, for instance, the retailer is offering more than 60 pumpkin-flavored items, ranging from pasta sauce, salsa, coffee and cookies to hot cocoa, snack mixes, yogurt-covered pretzels and bakery items.

“I love developing cool, delicious specialty products for our guests,” Beck commented. “I am really excited about some of our new limited-time items that are based on the latest flavor trends.”

Related:The Fresh Market brings Instacart delivery to all stores

In support of its curated private-label approach, The Fresh Market also has updated its store-brand packaging to reflect the latest improvements and provide a more contemporary look.

“Our team updated private label with a design system that would provide a consistent look and feel across all our product categories without having them adhere to a rigid template,” explained Bryan Bowers, creative director at The Fresh Market. “We wanted these products to stand out within their category while also supporting our updated brand look.”

Overall, The Fresh Market operates 160 fresh-focused supermarkets in 22 states.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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