How regional grocers capture the private brand opportunity

The edges of the assortment matter more than grocers think.

The survey for our 2026 Grocery Shopper Perspectives Report revealed that 83% of consumers describe their primary store’s everyday prices as fair or high compared to other stores. Asked why they shop there when lower prices can be found elsewhere, 50% said they stick with their store because it has items other stores don’t have. This is why private brand matters.

It’s especially essential for grocers to act strategically when it comes to private brand because of the relevance of this offering to young consumers forming families — and potentially forming lifelong shopping habits at the same time. In the survey for the 2025 report, we found that 70% of shoppers 25-34 years old regularly visit a specific store to buy its private brand. Grocers risk missing out on developing loyalty with these consumers if they don’t invest in a private brand program that drives traffic with unique items. That’s a concern in the short term, but it’s an existential issue in the long term.

Grocers can develop a compelling program when they 1) commit to an identity; 2) develop a compelling flagship category or item; and 3) build the engine to scale.