PRIVATE LABELS BRANDS IN FOOD & GROCERY: THE CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF CONSUMERS & RETAILERS IN INDIA- A STUDY IN THE PUNE REGION

Abstract

Private labels or store brands are on escalating journey for growth in last few years in
Indian market. The growth of private label brands (PLBs) is quite impressive in food and
grocery segment, in spite of presence of leading national manufacturers brands in most of
the categories. Though, initially PLBs were considered as cheap alternatives and
therefore visible in copycat and generic categories, today they are apart of well defined
retail mix strategy, are developed in value innovators and premium categories for profit
maximization and customer loyalty. This paper examines the growth of these PLBs
internationally and among Indian retailer, mainly in food and grocery segment. It
investigates the perceptions of consumers for PLBs and their involvement in purchasing
of such PLBs in the retail segment. The purpose is to analyze unique PLB associations in
the minds of consumers so as to gauge the customer loyalty, consumer preferences and
shopping behavior, and thereby add to retail brand equity