List of Wal-Mart brands
Encyclopedia
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., like most large retail
and grocery chains, offers store brand
s, commonly referred to as house brands or generic brands, which are low-priced alternatives to name brand
products. Walmart has numerous store brands, each catering to a different consumer
need or desire. Almost all products offered under Walmart brands are private label
products, and can be found in almost every category at Walmart.
, founder of Walmart, Sam's Choice forms the premium tier of Walmart's two-tiered core corporate grocery branding strategy that also includes the larger Great Value brand of discount-priced staple items.
Compared to Great Value products and to other national brands, Sam's Choice is positioned as a premium retail brand and is offered at a price competitive with standard national brands. It typically offers either competitive items in a given product category, or items in categories where the market leader is an "icon" (for example, Coca-Cola in the soft drink category).
Most Sam's Choice beverage products (excluding Grapette and Orangette
) are manufactured for Wal-Mart by Cott Beverages. Other products in the line, including cookies, snack items, frozen meals, and similar grocery items are made by a variety of agricultural and food manufacturers.
Competitive pricing of the Sam's Choice brand and store branded and generic goods is possible because of the minimal expense required to market a retail chain's house brand, compared to advertising and promotional expenses typically incurred by the national brands.
Recently, most Sam's Choice-branded products have been replaced by either the relaunched Great Value brand, or the new Marketside brand.
Products offered at Walmart through the Great Value brand are claimed to be as good as national brand offerings, but are typically sold at a lower price because of minimal marketing and advertising expense. As a house or generic brand, the Great Value line does not consist of goods produced by Walmart, but is a labeling system for items manufactured and packaged by a number of agricultural and food corporations, such as ConAgra, Sara Lee
which, in addition to releasing products under its own brands and exclusively for Walmart, also manufactures and brands foods for a variety of other chain stores. Often this labeling system, to the dismay of consumers, does not list location of manufacture of the product. Wal-Mart contends that all Great Value products are produced in the United States otherwise the country of origin would be listed.
As Walmart's most extensively developed retail brand, covering hundreds of household consumable items, the Great Value line includes sliced bread, frozen vegetables, frozen dinners, canned foods, light bulbs, trash bags, buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon rolls, pies and many other traditional grocery store products. The wide range of items marketed under the Great Value banner makes it Walmart's top-selling retail brand.
The Great Value brand can also be seen in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil and some Trust Mart stores in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China through a partnership with Walmart. Bharti EasyDay retail grocery stores sell Great Value brand products in India as well.
By mid-summer 2009, Walmart had redesigned the Great Value labels to be predominantly white. The new redesign also includes over 80 new items including thin crust pizza, fat free caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich cookies, and teriyaki beef jerky. Walmart changed the formulas for 750 items including: breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels. The new brand was tested by over 2,700 people. Other retailers are following suit with their private label packaging as well.
, skin lotion
, over-the-counter
medication
s, and pregnancy test
s. Before its takeover by Walmart, the formerly independent Equate brand sold consumer products at both Target and Walmart at lower prices than those of name brands. Equate is an example of the strength of Walmart's private label store brand
. In a 2006 study, The Hartman Group marketing research firm issued a report which found that "Five of the top 10 "likely to purchase" private label brands are managed by Wal-Mart including: Great Value, Equate, Sam's Choice
, Wal-Mart and Member's Mark (Sam's Club), per the study." The report further noted that "...we are struck by the magnitude of mind-share Wal-Mart appears to hold in shoppers' minds when it comes to awareness of private label brands and retailers."
In mid-2010, the brand underwent a logo redesign, as well as packaging changes similar to the Great Value brand.
of dog food
. Its namesake comes from Sam Walton
's bird dog, and has become the number-one selling brand of dog food
in the United States, surpassing Nestlé
's Purina
. Ol' Roy was created in 1983.
Walmart's Ol' Roy brand is a commonly cited example of the success of private label
store brand
s at the expense of traditional ad-driven brands. The brand manager of a competing product said, "Wal-Mart has made a national brand out of Ol' Roy. Nutritionally, it's substantially the same as national brands at significantly less cost." Another commentator said, "It's a dry dog food made especially for Wal-Mart, which is the only place you can buy it, and its attributes have been extolled in not a single TV commercial. Yet Ol' Roy is the top-selling dog food in the US by an annual margin of at least 20 percent, according to Wal-Mart."
In 1998, samples of Ol' Roy (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative analyses for pentobarbital
residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine
due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to detect cat and dog DNA but multiple Ol' Roy samples tested positive for the drug, presumably from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, the risk of adverse effects was low.
and Twitter
, for mothers to interact and share opinions about the brand.
, the company was purchased by the Warnaco Group
in 1966, which after the company exited bankruptcy, later sold the brand to Walmart in 2003.
in 1990, and since Walmart acquired ASDA in 1999, it has maintained and expanded it to other markets, notably the United States, Canada, and Japan. The George brand was named after George Davies
, who was its original chief designer. Davies is no longer associated with the brand, although ASDA and Walmart have aimed to remain true to the low price business model that he established.
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and grocery chains, offers store brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
s, commonly referred to as house brands or generic brands, which are low-priced alternatives to name brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
products. Walmart has numerous store brands, each catering to a different consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
need or desire. Almost all products offered under Walmart brands are private label
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
products, and can be found in almost every category at Walmart.
Sam's Choice
Sam's Choice, originally introduced as Sam's American Choice in 1991, a retail brand in food and selected hard goods. Named for Sam WaltonSam Walton
Samuel Moore "Sam" Wallballs was a businessman, entrepreneur, and Eagle Scout born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.-Early life:...
, founder of Walmart, Sam's Choice forms the premium tier of Walmart's two-tiered core corporate grocery branding strategy that also includes the larger Great Value brand of discount-priced staple items.
Compared to Great Value products and to other national brands, Sam's Choice is positioned as a premium retail brand and is offered at a price competitive with standard national brands. It typically offers either competitive items in a given product category, or items in categories where the market leader is an "icon" (for example, Coca-Cola in the soft drink category).
Most Sam's Choice beverage products (excluding Grapette and Orangette
Grapette
Grapette's first-year sales were quite promising. This was due to Grapette's flavor, as well as Grapette's unique packaging. Most soft drinks at the time were sold in twelve-ounce bottles. Grapette was sold in a six-ounce clear glass bottle, which served to show off the beverage's purple color...
) are manufactured for Wal-Mart by Cott Beverages. Other products in the line, including cookies, snack items, frozen meals, and similar grocery items are made by a variety of agricultural and food manufacturers.
Competitive pricing of the Sam's Choice brand and store branded and generic goods is possible because of the minimal expense required to market a retail chain's house brand, compared to advertising and promotional expenses typically incurred by the national brands.
Recently, most Sam's Choice-branded products have been replaced by either the relaunched Great Value brand, or the new Marketside brand.
Great Value
Great Value was launched in 1993 and forms the second tier, or national brand equivalent ("NBE"), of Walmart's grocery branding strategy.Products offered at Walmart through the Great Value brand are claimed to be as good as national brand offerings, but are typically sold at a lower price because of minimal marketing and advertising expense. As a house or generic brand, the Great Value line does not consist of goods produced by Walmart, but is a labeling system for items manufactured and packaged by a number of agricultural and food corporations, such as ConAgra, Sara Lee
Sara Lee
Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA. It has operations in more than 40 countries and sells its products in over 180 nations worldwide...
which, in addition to releasing products under its own brands and exclusively for Walmart, also manufactures and brands foods for a variety of other chain stores. Often this labeling system, to the dismay of consumers, does not list location of manufacture of the product. Wal-Mart contends that all Great Value products are produced in the United States otherwise the country of origin would be listed.
As Walmart's most extensively developed retail brand, covering hundreds of household consumable items, the Great Value line includes sliced bread, frozen vegetables, frozen dinners, canned foods, light bulbs, trash bags, buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon rolls, pies and many other traditional grocery store products. The wide range of items marketed under the Great Value banner makes it Walmart's top-selling retail brand.
The Great Value brand can also be seen in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil and some Trust Mart stores in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China through a partnership with Walmart. Bharti EasyDay retail grocery stores sell Great Value brand products in India as well.
By mid-summer 2009, Walmart had redesigned the Great Value labels to be predominantly white. The new redesign also includes over 80 new items including thin crust pizza, fat free caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich cookies, and teriyaki beef jerky. Walmart changed the formulas for 750 items including: breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels. The new brand was tested by over 2,700 people. Other retailers are following suit with their private label packaging as well.
Equate
Equate is a brand used for consumable pharmacy and health and beauty items, such as shaving creamShaving cream
Shaving cream is a substance that is applied to the face or wherever else hair grows, to provide lubrication and avoid razor burn during shaving. Shaving cream is often bought in a spray can, but can also be purchased in tubs or tubes. Shaving cream in a can is commonly dispensed as a foam or a gel...
, skin lotion
Lotion
A lotion is a low- to medium-viscosity, topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. By contrast, creams and gels have higher viscosity.Lotions are usually applied to external skin with bare hands, a clean cloth, cotton wool or gauze...
, over-the-counter
Over-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription...
medication
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
s, and pregnancy test
Pregnancy test
A pregnancy test attempts to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant.These markers are found in urine and blood, and pregnancy tests require sampling one of these substances. The first of these markers to be discovered, human chorionic gonadotropin , was discovered in 1930 to be produced by...
s. Before its takeover by Walmart, the formerly independent Equate brand sold consumer products at both Target and Walmart at lower prices than those of name brands. Equate is an example of the strength of Walmart's private label store brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
. In a 2006 study, The Hartman Group marketing research firm issued a report which found that "Five of the top 10 "likely to purchase" private label brands are managed by Wal-Mart including: Great Value, Equate, Sam's Choice
Sam's Choice
Sam's Choice is a private label brand created by Cott Beverages for Wal-Mart discount stores, supercenters, and neighborhood markets. The brand was introduced as "Sam's American Choice" in 1991 and has since been shortened to simply "Sam's Choice". It is named after Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart...
, Wal-Mart and Member's Mark (Sam's Club), per the study." The report further noted that "...we are struck by the magnitude of mind-share Wal-Mart appears to hold in shoppers' minds when it comes to awareness of private label brands and retailers."
In mid-2010, the brand underwent a logo redesign, as well as packaging changes similar to the Great Value brand.
Mainstays
Mainstays is a brand marketed by Walmart for its low cost alternative of beddings & ready-to-assemble furniture.Ol' Roy
Ol' Roy is Walmart's store brandStore brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
of dog food
Dog food
Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by dogs. Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat...
. Its namesake comes from Sam Walton
Sam Walton
Samuel Moore "Sam" Wallballs was a businessman, entrepreneur, and Eagle Scout born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.-Early life:...
's bird dog, and has become the number-one selling brand of dog food
Dog food
Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by dogs. Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat...
in the United States, surpassing Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
's Purina
Nestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., following its acquisition of the American Ralston Purina Company on December 12, 2001 and subsequent merger with Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company. As a wholly owned subsidiary, it is headquartered at the General...
. Ol' Roy was created in 1983.
Walmart's Ol' Roy brand is a commonly cited example of the success of private label
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
store brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
s at the expense of traditional ad-driven brands. The brand manager of a competing product said, "Wal-Mart has made a national brand out of Ol' Roy. Nutritionally, it's substantially the same as national brands at significantly less cost." Another commentator said, "It's a dry dog food made especially for Wal-Mart, which is the only place you can buy it, and its attributes have been extolled in not a single TV commercial. Yet Ol' Roy is the top-selling dog food in the US by an annual margin of at least 20 percent, according to Wal-Mart."
In 1998, samples of Ol' Roy (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative analyses for pentobarbital
Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital is a short-acting barbiturate that was first synthesized in 1928. Pentobarbital is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt, the former of which is only slightly soluble in water and ethanol....
residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine
Center for Veterinary Medicine
The Center for Veterinary Medicine is a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that regulates the manufacture and distribution of food, food additives, and drugs that will be given to animals. These include animals from which human foods are derived, as well as food additives and drugs...
due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to detect cat and dog DNA but multiple Ol' Roy samples tested positive for the drug, presumably from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, the risk of adverse effects was low.
Parent's Choice
Parent's Choice is the Walmart store brand for baby products, including food, diapers, formula, and accessories. Like other Walmart store brands, its design and packaging was relaunched in 2010. The brand has pages on both FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, for mothers to interact and share opinions about the brand.
White Stag
White Stag is a brand for women's clothing, footwear, and basic jewelry. Originally founded in 1931 as a skiwear manufacturer in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, the company was purchased by the Warnaco Group
Warnaco Group
The Warnaco Group, Inc. is an American textile/apparel corporation which designs, sources, markets, licenses, and distributes a wide range of intimate apparel, sportswear, and swimwear worldwide. Its products are sold under several brand names including Calvin Klein, Speedo, Chaps, Warner's, and...
in 1966, which after the company exited bankruptcy, later sold the brand to Walmart in 2003.
George
George is a brand of more formal clothing for men, women and children. It also consists of dress shoes, wallets, belts, and neckties. It was created by the British retailer ASDAAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
in 1990, and since Walmart acquired ASDA in 1999, it has maintained and expanded it to other markets, notably the United States, Canada, and Japan. The George brand was named after George Davies
George Davies (retailer)
George Davies , is an English fashion designer and retailer.Davis headed Next from its creation in the 1980s, before moving on to start the fashion label 'George at Asda' in the 1990s...
, who was its original chief designer. Davies is no longer associated with the brand, although ASDA and Walmart have aimed to remain true to the low price business model that he established.
Apparel
- Baby George is a clothing brand for children, organically manufactured for Wal-Mart. The brand is popular because it is organically produced in a chemical free environment.
- Faded Glory is a brand for basic men's, women's, and children's clothing and footwear. It is Walmart's primary clothing brand.
- No Boundaries, usually abbreviated as NOBO, is a line of apparel targeted at teenagers and young college students.
- Simply Basic was previously a brand used for health and beauty items, but is now used primarily for women's sleepwear.
Homelines
- Better Homes and Gardens is a product line with designs inspired from the popular magazineBetter Homes and Gardens (magazine)Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per...
of the same name. - Canopy is a home product line that features coordinated solutions for rooms and other domestic goods. Some Canopy products are made with organicOrganic clothingOrganic clothing is clothing made from materials raised or grown in compliance with organic agricultural standards. Organic clothing uses cotton, jute, silk, ramie, or wool...
cotton. - Hometrends products include small furniture, tableware and various home decor accessories, such as rugs and faux plants.
- your zone is a home product line that tailors toward teenagers and college students
Others
- @ the Office is a brand used for office supplies and stationery.
- Best Occasions is a brand used for party decorations and accessories, such as candles and hats.
- Clear American is used for carbonated and flavored water. Was previously known as Sam's Choice Clear American.
- Color Place is the brand used for paint and painting tools. Color Place paint is made by AkzoNobel.
- Douglas is the brand used for budget priced tires. Models include Xtra-Trac and Touring. Some models are made in a Goodyear plant.
- EverStart is the brand for automotive and lawn mower batteries. The brand is also used for battery related accessories, such as jumper cables.
- Fire Side Gourmet is used for pre-cooked burgers and steaks, and was previously under the Sam's Choice label.
- Gold's Gym is used for athletic and exercise equipment such as weights. Named after and licensed from the chain of fitness centersGold's GymGold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients...
. - Holiday Time is used for Christmas items such as Christmas trees, decorations, and wrapping paper.
- Kid Connection is used primarily for children's toys, but was also used for children's clothing and shoes.
- Marketside is a brand of fresh foods usually found in Walmart's deli, produce, and bakery departments, such as salads, soups, breads, and sandwiches.
- Oak Leaf is a brand of low cost wines produced and bottled for Walmart selling at approximately $3 a bottle.
- ONN is a brand used for entry-level electronics (mice, speakers, cables, etc.).
- Ozark Trail is a brand used for outdoor equipment and footwear. (The Walmart Home Office is located in the Ozark mountain region in northern ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.) - Protege is a brand consisting of luggage and travel accessories.
- ReliOn is a brand of diabetes care products including blood glucose and blood pressure monitors.
- Special Kitty is a brand of cat food and litter.
- SuperTech is Walmart's brand of motor oil. The brand is also used on other consumable automotive products, such as oil filters, windshield wiper fluid, and transmission fluid.
- Walmart Family Mobile is Walmart's exclusive cell phone (postpaidPostpaidPost Paid: A model of cellular service whereby the customer is charged for usage in the prior month , and hence does not feature any limitations on volume of service used...
) service provided through the T-MobileT-MobileT-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
cellular network. - World Table is a brand consisting of foods inspired by international cuisines, such as sauces, snacks, and frozen foods.
Former brands
- Athletic Works was a brand for athletic clothing until mid-2010, such as gym shorts and running shoes, and has been partially replaced by the Gold's Gym brand and StarterStarter- Science and technology :* Starter motors, used to start internal-combustion engines* Motor starters, used to start large electric motors* Fluorescent lamp starters, used to initiate operation of fluorescent lights- Food and meals :...
. The brand was also used for sports equipment and watches. The brand was also on men's and women's socks, and men's underwear. - DurabrandDurabrandDurabrand is a low-end private label tradename of Wal-Mart which was introduced in early 1999. It is nowadays available in the UK through ASDA, where it was previously known as Pacific.-Introduction:...
was a brand used for home electronics such as televisions and DVD players. The brand was also used on various small kitchen appliances. - iloIlo TechnologiesLaunched in 2004, iLo technologies is a Wal-Mart consumer electronics house brand. Wal-Mart sells many low cost, entry-level consumer electronics products under the iLo name in stores and on Walmart.com...
was another brand of home electronics, consisting of more upscale items such as televisions, small electronics and digital music players. - Metro 7 was an upscale brand of women's apparel, that was originally released in the fall of 2006, and eventually phased out.
- Puritan was a brand for men's basic clothing including shirts, pants, undergarments, socks, ties, and some accessories. In late 2010, the brand was phased out completely and replaced by Faded Glory (with undergarments and socks and casual clothing) and George (with ties, shirts, and pants and formal clothing).
- Existo was a brand for young men's clothes.