Albertsons Cos. consolidates brands under Signature Select name
Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. Inc. will rebrand its Signature Farms, Signature Care and Signature Cafe products under one master brand, Signature Select.
This new overall brand change will feature a refreshed and modern logo, bold packaging and a new marketing campaign designed to build an emotional connection with customers, according to a news release. The transition to Signature Select is underway across store banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and Shaw’s, and is expected to be complete in early 2024.
Signature Select is the largest brand in Albertsons Cos.’ Own Brands portfolio, with more than 8,000 products, including packaged salads, other produce, frozen and shelf-stable foods, as well as ground beef, pork and chicken.
“… By bringing these sub-brands together under one name, we are building greater brand recognition, driving brand loyalty and creating customers for life,” Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Jennifer Saenz said in the release.
Related: Albertsons Cos. redesigns O Organics brand packaging, launches Gen Z campaign
After the consolidation of Signature Farms’ fresh poultry and produce, Signature Cafe’s deli items and Signature Care’s line of personal and baby products, the master brand will feature the modern Signature Select logo with a unified package design across its broad assortment of product categories so shoppers can easily identify the brand throughout the store.
To reinforce the quality associated with every Own Brand item, Signature Select guarantees 100% customer satisfaction, or they can receive a full refund of the purchase price, according to the release.
The Signature family of brands was introduced to the Albertsons portfolio of stores in 2016, after Albertsons and Safeway merged.
But the “S” branding dates to the 1960s, when Safeway sold products under the “S” brand, including milk, bread, ice cream, coffee, jellies, soft drinks, lunch meat, canned fruits and vegetables, frozen foods and paper products. The “S” brand remained a key private label for Safeway until 2012, when the company retired its namesake brand and merged its products under the Safeway Kitchens, Safeway Farms, Safeway Home and Safeway Care brands, which ultimately became the Signature family of brands.
The Signature Select consolidation and rebranding follows recent updates to the company’s Own Brands portfolio, such as the evolution of the O Organics brand and redesign of the Open Nature brand.
These brand innovations are supported by a May 15-17 survey by Prodege, commissioned by Albertsons Cos., revealing that consumer demand for private labels continues to grow with 93% of Americans embracing and expanding their purchases of store brands.
Respondents cited price, quality and availability as the main drivers of these purchases with a large number writing in that better taste was a factor when choosing a private label brand.
Signature campaign
To celebrate Signature Select, the company debuted a new summer campaign appearing now in print, social, online and streaming channels.
From family cookouts, backyard brunches, summer treats and more, the creative highlights imagery of how Signature Select elevates everyday life with convenient, affordable alternatives to national brands in every aisle, without sacrificing taste or quality, according to the release.
Related: ‘The consumer is clearly trading down,’ says Albertsons Cos. CEO
“When developing the marketing campaign to accompany our expanded Signature Select flagship brand, we knew we wanted to celebrate the brand’s virtues of quality, taste, value and convenience,” Brandon Brown, Own Brands senior vice president, said in the release. “Our Signature creative showcases warm, welcoming scenes that puts the Signature Select brand at the center of life’s moments. We’re creating an emotional connection with our customer and showing her how everyday occasions can have their own signature flavor and style.”
Signature Select is part of the Own Brands portfolio, including O Organics, Lucerne, Open Nature, Primo Taglio, Debi Lilly Design, Waterfront Bistro, Soleil and Value Corner. Shoppers can find Own Brands products exclusively at Albertsons Cos. stores.
As of Feb. 25, the company operated 2,271 retail stores with 1,722 pharmacies, 401 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The company operates stores across 34 states and Washington, D.C., with 24 banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market.
