Your story on Which? research into own label highlights the central debate around own-label ever since the category took off. You can see why copycat packaging has been a core part of the own-label world since its inception: it has provided a convenient shorthand for retailers, who see more profit return to store from this than from branded products. But now the category is coming into its own, we're seeing much less in the way of me-toos than in the early days. Walk down any supermarket aisle today, and you'll see that many own labels don't copy outright the leading brands-though naturally there are exceptions - as the Which? report highlights. In 2013, I'd argue that the category is reaching a state of maturity that is starting to give it the confidence to branch out on its own.
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