NightBlogger

Major retailers say sales of house brand items are climbing as shoppers look to save a few pennies in a downbeat economy. Wal-Mart, Safeway and Kroger say their store brands have traditionally sold well and sales have recently increased. The Food Marketing Institute, a trade group in Arlington, Virginia, says about 60% of shoppers say they now buy some store brands. Kroger offers “Private Selection.” Safeway offers “O Organics.” Wal-Mart rolled out “All Natural”. Do Brand X disposable diapers beat Pampers? Probably not, but an increasing number of shoppers appear willing to experiment with the cheaper product. More

Locally grown produce is in vogue as even the biggest grocers try to appeal to shoppers and save on fuel costs. Among the big names selling homegrown food are Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Tesco, and Wal-Mart. As gas prices remain high and the popularity of local food grows—the number of local farmers markets has more than doubled in the past decade, the Department of Agriculture says—grocers are reviving the old practice of buying from smaller regional farms. More