own-label brand

own-label brand

a product which is sold by a RETAILER bearing the retailer's own BRAND NAME. In some cases own-label brands are manufactured by the retailer as part of a vertically integrated manufacturing-retailing operation (Boots the Chemist, for instance, both produces and retails a large number of its own pharmaceutical and cosmetic products). More usually, however, retailers' ‘own labels’ are produced by independent manufacturers on a contract basis. In many cases, these are the very same manufacturers who produce their own (manufacturers’) branded products which sell in competition alongside the retailers' own-label version! The attraction to the manufacturer in producing ‘own labels’ is that they bring in a substantial volume of extra business on a regular basis. On the other hand, however, there is a danger that the own-label versions of the product will reduce the sales of the manufacturers' main branded products, especially as retailers tend to sell their own-label brands at lower prices than they sell the manufacturer's brand. For the retailer, own-label brands may increase unit profit margins and provide extra sales potential by building up store loyalty (for example, Heinz' baked beans can be bought in Tesco, Sainsbury's etc. but Tesco's baked beans can be bought only in Tesco).

‘own-label’ brand

a product that is sold by a RETAILER and that bears the retailer's own BRAND name. In some cases, own-label brands are manufactured by the retailer as part of a vertically integrated manufacturing-retailing operation (Boots the Chemist, for instance, both produces and retails a large number of its own pharmaceutical and cosmetic products). More usually, however, retailers’ own-labels are produced by independent manufacturers on a contract basis. Retailers use own-label brands in order to provide greater control and flexibility over their product/price mix and to build up customer loyalty to their stores, so that customers will tend to frequent the one store rather than ‘shop around’.