Private Brand retailers are pressing harder on the accelerator when it comes to branding and package design.
The industry’s progress was emphasized during Day One of the My Private Brand Design Summit —both in the remarks of speakers and in the revelation of key winners of the 2021 Vertex Awards private brand design competition.
“It’s important to not be afraid of pushing the boundaries,” said April Snider, Design Specialist of The Giant Co., part of Ahold Delhaize/Peapod Digital Labs in the U.S., whose innovative craft beer program won the Best of Show Award.
The importance of grounding design in solid development processes was emphasized in a presentation by Cole’s of Australia. This retailer won a Publisher’s Choice and 2021 Gold Award for its KOI Escape Naturally health and beauty Private Brand.
“Supermarkets aren’t typically considered destinations for luxury personal care products,” said Lisa-Marie Pejovnik, Marketing Manager. “We knew there was a demand for premium in this space, so we worked with our research partners to understand what drives customers in the body care category.”
Summit Draws Global Audience
More than 500 registrants from over 20 countries are attending the Summit, conducted via an interactive online platform, said Christopher Durham, President, My Private Brand.
The 8th annual Vertex Awards competition drew more than 640 entries from 32 countries — and was judged by 21 industry professionals from around the world.
The top winners were revealed by Vertex Award co-founders Durham and Phil Russo, Publisher, Global Retail Brands Magazine. A full list of the winners will be published next week on the Vertex Awards website and My Private Brand.
Many of the companies that won awards this year are design leaders across retail, Durham asserted.
“Private Brands aren’t playing catch-up anymore,” he elaborated. “They have the best designs anywhere, bar none.”
Colette Cloosterman-van Eerd, Chief Customer Officer of JUMBO
Vertex Awards Spotlight Excellence
Winning a Vertex award is a major honor because it represents an affirmation of excellence by industry peers. That point was underscored in remarks by Colette Cloosterman-van Eerd, Chief Customer Officer of The Netherlands-based JUMBO, which was voted Retailer of the Year for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Oceana and Africa.
“This award proves we’re on the right track,” she said.
The Design Summit is the second in a series of 2021My Private Brand online events. Still ahead this year are online Summits on Innovation (9.22-23) and Sustainability (12.8-9).
Meanwhile, there’s a lot more ahead in Day Two of the Design Summit on Thursday. Presenters will include executives from Metro Canada, Whole Foods Market, Thrive Market, CVS, Staples and Sobeys.
About the Author: Bull Horn
