Launching a Store Brand

Virtually every home in North America regularly purchases private label products, and, in some cases, these purchases account for more than 40 percent of total purchases. From the largest retailer to the smallest outlet, the key to success lies within the store’s own brand. In the ever-growing vitamin and dietary supplement industry, partnering with a reputable manufacturer is crucial for success.

There are many benefits to launching a store brand. In addition to grabbing the attention of your customers, displaying your store brand distinguishes your store from the competition, thus allowing you to further establish your own identity. In the case of supplements, a private label supplement line becomes unique to you and you alone. Customers will not be able to purchase this line anywhere else. Compare this competitive advantage to carrying a national brand and you’ll quickly realize a private label will bring your customers back to your store time and time again.

Anyone carrying a store brand (especially when dealing with a person’s health and wellness) is putting a bit of their reputation on the line by offering a private label line. It is often difficult to introduce a new product to customers while determining if the benefits outweigh the risks. Common concerns that often hinder one from choosing to carry a private label line include quality assurances, label and design fees, turnaround times, and minimum purchase requirements along with costly start up fees.

Private label providers, such as Nuvite Laboratories, have tailored their program to tackle these very obstacles. By offering an in-house design and print shop with a graphic artist on-hand to create custom labels at no extra charge, a private labeler can eliminate costly design fees. Also, a reputable private label supplier can offer customers a seven-day turnaround time. Lastly, retailers should take advantage of private label programs that offer one-bottle minimums with no start up fees. Whether a retailer orders one bottle or 1,000 bottles, it shouldn’t affect the quality of the label and packaging or the efficacy of the formula inside.

Quality manufacturing begins with quality raw materials, whether it’s a private label product or national brand. In today’s nutritional supplement market, raw materials can come from various places throughout the world. Therefore, it is imperative to select a manufacturer that tightly controls what comes into its facility from all countries, including the United States. Safeguards such as identity by infrared spectrum, chromatography, microbiological analysis, vendor certification, and auditing to ensure all materials meet quality standards for safety and efficiency must be established. Furthermore, a manufacturer should submit to the use of independent outside testing to verify results. A premier supplement manufacturer ensures that the end consumer will receive what is stated on the label, nothing more, and nothing less.

Along with quality materials, another key to private label supplement success lies in the safety standards and protocols followed by the manufacturer. With the recent release of the federal GMPs (good manufacturing practices), a quality manufacturer will remain relatively unaffected by the regulatory standards because these protocols have an established history of already being in place. There are many third-party certifications available, such as those awarded by NSF, the Natural Products Association, the Utah Natural Products Alliance, QAI or various kosher organizations. These various certifications show a company’s continued commitment to providing superior products that exceed development goals and set the industry standard for product quality and consistency.

The key to private label success lies in a manufacturer’s ability to offer the necessary goods and services to allow a retailer to maintain a competitive advantage on the shelf with continuous visibility in the marketplace.

Marcus Bess is a key account manager with Nuvite Laboratories (NuviteLabs.com) and has been working with Arizona Nutritional Supplements (ANS) for two years. ANS is a premier contract manufacturer offering a private label vitamin and dietary supplement line through Nuvite, delivering high quality products without extended lead times, high minimums or start-up fees.

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