Private Label International - Fall 2003

Depositing Sales

BY ASTRID UEBELGÜNN

Private label has realy flexed its muscles to bring in tea tastes from around the world to its stores.

A new German law puts deposits on disposable packaging. Private labels would be wise to offer as many categories as possible with environmentally friendly packaging, especially once consumers get in the habit of seeking out products with this packaging.

In January 2003, the can deposit for disposable packaging materials was introduced in Germany. Deposits must be paid on cans and PET bottles which contain carbonated beverages or water. The deposit is reimbursed when the empty container is returned to the retailer. Environmentally beneficial packaging (Tetra Pak, glass and PET bottles) is supported this way.

Wal-Mart's Smartprice apple-fruit-beverage (at least 50% fruit) and orange nectar are offered in 2-l Tetra Paks. Smartprice lemon and peach ice tea is sold in 1.5-l Tetra Paks. 1-l Tetra Paks are used for Smartprice mult-vitamin-nectar (at least 50% fruit), for orange and apple juice. An orange-fruit-beverage is offered in 0.2 l 10-counts.

Great Value juices (apple, orange, multi-vitamin juice, and Guten-Morgen-Drink from 6 fruit plus vitamins ACE and fibers) are offered in 1.5-l Tetra Paks. Great Value carbonated drinks are sold in PET bottles (0.5 and 1.5 l): cola, cola mix, lemonade and orangeade. Cola, cola light and orangeade are also available in cans of 0.33 l.

Kaiser's A&P ice tea "lemon" or "peach" and Tea&Fruit (low in calories) "classic" or "exotic" are sold in 1.5-l Tetra Paks. Kaiser's sells its Naturkind juices - carrot, tomato, beetroot, sauerkraut and breakfast juice with fibers - in returnable 0.75-l glass bottles.

Rewe's ecolgogical PL Füllhorn (Cornupica) is represented by organic apple or orange juice in 0.75-l Tetra Paks.

dm Drogeriemarkt markets its own lines of drinks, a rarity for German drug chains. Its organic Alnatura juices are offered in non-returnable glass bottles of 0.33 l (apple, orange, apple-carrot, sauerkraut, tomato and beetroot juice) and in returnable 0.75-l glass bottles: multi-vitamin, apple or orange, apple-mango, grapefruit, breakfast juice, red grape, apple-strawberry (directly pressed), carrot, tomato, vegetables, beetroot, sauerkraut and juice for children.

Ice tea (peach or lemon) by Gut & Günstig Euroshopper (Edeka) is offered in 1.5-l Tetra Paks. Rio Grande includes juices only: apple, orange or multi-fruit juice in 1.5-l Tetra Paks and orange juice, clear or filtered apple juice or multi-fruit juice in glass bottles of 1 l. The organic vegetable juices (beetroot, tomato, carrot, sauerkraut) by Bio Wertkost are sold in non-returnable glass bottles of 0.5 l.

Plus's Belsina drinks offered in 1-l Tetra Paks are either juices, nectars (multi-vitamin "light", orange "diet", banana nectar) or blood orange beverages. PLUS offers 10-count-packs (0.2 l) of Belsina orange fruit beverage and 5-count-packs (0.2 l) of juices: orange, apple or multi-vitamin 12-fruit juice. Belsina is completed by 1.5-l Tetra Paks of orange nectar (at least 50% fruit) and an ACE vitamin drink. The 1-l Tetra Paks of Pure & Fresh directly pressed orange juice with pulp are displayed in the freezer cabinet. Biobio, Plus's organic PL, offers unfiltered apple, vegetable and tomato juice in non-returnable glass bottles.

Beside Mambo carbonated ACE blood orange drink (0.5-l PET bottles) Plus supplies a variety of drinks of PL Trendy: an ACE drink (with at least 25% fruit), Tea&Fruit, and ice tea, all in Tetra Paks. Trendy carbonated drinks are available in PET bottles of 0.5 l (lemonade or orangeade, apple spritzer, cola light) or 1.5 l: cola, apple spritzer, and the soft drinks in bitter lemon, lime, blood orange, orange, citron and wild berries.

TIP, Metro's expansive line of economy products, has juices, nectars and sour cherry-fruit-beverages sold in 1-l Tetra Paks, as well as peach ice tea. TIP lemon ice tea is available in 1.5-l Tetra Paks as is TIP apple-fruit-beverage. TIP ice tea "peach" and an orange-fruit-beverage are offered in 10-count-packs of 0.2 l, TIP juices (apple, orange, multi-vitamin) are sold in 5-count-packs of 0.25 l. Powder for TIP instant beverage with orange flavor is available in bags of 200g. TIP carbonated soft drinks are sold in PET bottles of 1.5 l (cola, orange, lemon, apple spritzer) or 0.5 l (cola, lemon-soda), as is the red fruit multi-vitamin soft drink.

Metro offers its PL aro fruit beverages in 10-count-packs of 0.2 l (apple, orange, cherry). PET bottles of 0.5 l are used for aro apple-spritzer, the BCE vitamin-drinks "orange-carrot-lemon" or blood orange, multi-vitamin 12-fruit-drinks (red or orange), and ice tea peach. Aro lemon and peach ice tea and aro apple-spritzer are in 0.33-l cans.

Aldi markets several beverages which bear no label at all. Carrot-honey juice in non-returnable glass bottles of 0.33 l, apple juice, orange juice or multi-vitamin 12-fruit juice for children in 5-counts with drinking straws, orange fruit beverage in 10-counts, as well as 1.5-l Tetra Paks of Tea&Fruit and ice tea. Aldi offers 0.75-l Tetra Paks of directly pressed premium juices of Pure Fruit (orange, pineapple) and Apfelbluete (apple blossom; unfiltered apple juice). Juices in 1-l Tetra Paks are available as Goldhorn apple juice and rio d'oro orange juice. More juices are sold in non-returnable glass bottles of 0.75 l: Fruchtoase (fruit oasis) apple or multi-vitamin multi-fruit juice or Grünbauer Gartensaefte (garden juices): tomato, vegetable or sauerkraut. Wesergarten nectars (0.75-l Tetra Paks: sour cherry, black currant), Kirberg apple fruit beverage and orange nectar, Jacobi multi-vitamin nectar, and Vitalfit ACE vitamin drink in non-returnable glass bottles complete the jucie line.

Aldi's River cola, orangeade and lemonade are sold in PET bottles of 1.5 l, apple spritzer and River cola in PET bottles of 0.5 l.

Lidl's PLs for juices and other soft drinks are Freeway (cola), Solevita (juice) and Vitafit. Except for the black currant nectar, Lidl's PL Vitafit comprises juices only: 1.5-l Tetra Paks of apple juice, 5-count packs of 0.25 l of apple juice, orange juice and tomato juice in glass bottles, carrot juice and the multi-vitamin 12-fruit juice.

Energy & Fitness Drinks

While there are numerous PL vitamin drinks, PL energy drinks are sold only by three retailers: Big Puma (0.5-l PET bottles) by Plus and Red Horse (cans of 0.33 l) by Aldi. The name Red Horse is a composite of the competitive brand names Red Bull and Flying Horse. Lidl markets not only its energy drink under the PL name Freeway (0.5-l PET bottles) but also its fitness drink (0.5-l PET bottles). The 1-l Tetra Paks of Lidl's wellness drink (with 20% fruit, honey-yoghurt, fibers, an extract from aloe vera, magnesium and essential vitamins) belong to PL Solevita. Wal-Mart offers a Smartprice fitness-drink (0.5 l) and Aldi supplies River power drink (lemon or orange) as well as River low-calories fitness drink with grapefruit and lemon in 0.5-l PET bottles.

Coffee,Tea and Cocoa

Kaufpark and Akzenta (Rewe group) offer a few products of the uniform PL ja!-line: 500-g vacuum-packs of ground coffee (powerful, mild or decaffeinated), instant coffee "Gold" in 100-g glasses, 500-g bags of an instant powder containing cocoa and glucose, and 400-g bags of an instant lemon-tea-beverage.

Beside the eight types of A&P tea bags (green tea, peppermint, fennel, camomile, fruit, rosehip-hibiscus, Darjeeling or Ceylon-Assam) Kaiser's offers five types of Naturkind organic tea: green tea (in 100-g packages or as tea bags) and, as tea bags, camomile, peppermint, Morgengruß (Good Morning) and Abendtraum (evening dream).

Metro's line of aro products includes vacuum-packed ground Kaffee Roestmeister (Roasting Master): fully aromatic, mild, and decaffeinated. Aro instant cappuccino (classic, unsweetened, or Amaretto) is offered in 10 one-cup-sachets. Aro instant lemon-tea-beverage is sold in 400-g containers.

Seven types of aro tea are offered as tea bags: peppermint, camomile, fennel, hibiscus, rosehip, mixed fruit, and Ceylon-Assam Blend, the latter alternativley available in packets of 500 g. Aro fruit tea "Wild Berries" is offered in bags of 500 g.

Plus's coffee PL Bremer Stolz (Pride of Bremen) is available as vacuum-packed ground coffee (Der Feine Premium, Extra, Mild Bean and decaffeinated Schonkaffee), as instant coffee in glasses (200 g: Extra, 100 g: Schonkaffee and Der Feine Premium), and as Bon Gusto Café instant cappuccino in cans of 200 g. Plus offers PL Choco Olé cocoa powder in 250-g packets and cocoa drinks in 0.5-l bottles.
There are nine types of Plus's PL Lancaster tea in tea bags: peppermint, rosehip-hibiscus, fennel, camomile, fruit, cherry & yoghurt, raspberry & bramble, cherry & currant, and Ceylon-Assam blend. Furthermore there is Lancaster instant wildberries-tea-beverage (400 g).

Smartprice tea supply comprises tea bags (English Blend, rosehip-hibiscus, fruit, peppermint and camomile) and an instant lemon-tea-beverage in 400-g bags.

Real's TIP coffee is available as vacuum-packed ground or as instant. TIP instant cappuccino is offered in cans of 200 g, in packets of 10 one-cup-sachets (classic, unsweetened, Amaretto) or in 500-g bags (family cappuccino with a fine flavor of cocoa). Furthermore, there is TIP instant ice-coffee (10 one-cup-sachets).

TIP Ostfriesische Teemischung (East Friesian blend) is sold in packets of 250 g. Real offers TIP ice tea "peach" instant powder (five bags at 100 g) and 400 g of an instant lemon-tea-beverage in containers or bags.

Naturkost - Grünes Land (natural food - green land), real's organic PL, offers ecologically cultivated Darjeeling tea (100-g bag).

Aldi sells four exclusive brands of coffee: Markus vacuum-packed ground, Kena instant coffee, and Moreno and Combo instant cappuccino. Schokovit instant cocoa is sold in 800-g containers.

Aldi's exclusive tea label is Westminster. The three types of Westminster green tea (China Chun Mee, vanilla or lemon) and Westminster Ostfriesische Teemischung (East Friesian blend) are packaged in bags of 250 g. Westminster tea bags are available as black tea, rosehip-hibiscus, peppermint, camomile and fruit.

Lidl's Melangerie ground coffee is offered in double-vacuum-packs, 2 x 250 g. Four types of Bellarom instant cappuccino are offered in 200 g cans. The Bellarom range also has Choco Drink and instant Hot Chocolate. Lidl sells its Granarom instant coffee in glass containers: Gold Supreme Quality Coffee, Highland 100% Arabica, and - presented in a black glass container - Pure Kenyan First Class 100% Arabica.

Lidl's tea PLs are Edward Tea, Lord Nelson and Knights Bridge.

Gut & Günstig Hanseaten drinking chocolate is offered in packets with 10 one-cup-sachets. Concerning tea, E-Center offers one of the widest ranges of PL articles. Gut & Günstig Euroshopper and King's Gold Tea together offer a choice of more than twenty items.

Dm's Alnatura ground Café Gourmet classic is packaged in 500-g paper bags. Alnatura tea is available in deluxe flavors like Rooibos, stinging nettle with lemongrass and fruit tea for children.

Mineral Water

Plus's FonteRanda "Falkenberg Quelle" - carbonated, lightly carbonated or non-carbonated mineral water - is sold in PET bottles of 0.5 l or 1.5 l. Real's non-carbonated TIP Herrather Jungbrunnen is the only mineral water (seen by PLI) which is filled in Tetra Paks (1.5 l). TIP Anhaltiner Bergquell, either strongly or lightly carbonated, can be bought in PET bottles of 0.5 l or 1.5 l. Wal-Mart's Great Value Felsensteiner medium (lightly carbonated) is available in PET bottles of 0.5 l or 1 l. Non-carbonated GV Felsensteiner Naturelle is sold in 1.5-l PET bottles. Whereas Aldi offers Cora Quelle (source) in PET bottles of 0.5 l or 1.5 l, Lidl markets three PLs: Fuerstenbrunn (0.5 l) and Becherich (1.5 l) carbonated mineral waters and Saskia Naturis Quelle non-carbonated mineral water in 2-l PET bottles. (All PET bottles mentioned in this section are disposable and with deposit.)