Commissary customers worldwide will start seeing private label products on their stores' shelves in May 2017, with an initial assortment of about 400 items, officials announced today. 

Defense Commissary Agency officials announced they have selected MDV SpartanNash, a long-time distributor of products to commissaries and exchanges, to supply the private label products to commissaries. They conducted "a rigorous selection process" to identify the supplier for the products, according to the announcement. 

Private label products are sometimes referred to as "generic" products, usually costing less than national name brands. Many other grocer retailers offer private-label products, sold under their own, in-house brand or under a brand developed by their suppliers. That includes the military exchanges, who have developed their own lines of private label products.

Over the next few months the commissary agency will work with SpartanNash to decide on an initial assortment. That assortment of about 400 items will be available to commissaries worldwide in May 2017 and will continue to grow to about 1,000 items by the end of 2017, officials said. Over the next two years, they'll add more products.

"Our customers have been asking for private label for a long time," said Joseph Jeu, DeCA's director and CEO, in the announcement. He cited a DeCA patron survey in which 60 percent of respondents said they would like to see commissaries offer private label products.

"They are smart, savvy shoppers who know that private label products are cost-effective alternatives to national brands," Jeu said. "We're excited to help them save more at our commissaries." 

Commissaries have long sold brands that are similar to private label brands, the same as are sold in some civilian stores, and offered a cost savings, but they were not developed by the commissary agency.

Officials said key selection criteria included quality, cost savings, ease and efficiency of implementation and the ability to support and increase the program in the future.

MDV SpartanNash, headquartered in Norfolk, Va.,  is a division of SpartanNash, a wholesale distributor that supplies more than 2,100 independent stores in 47 states. The Fortune 400 company is also a grocery retailer with more than 155 corporate supermarkets in 10 states. 

Previously, a DeCA spokesman said officials would use merchandising agreements for the process, not a contract, because these agreements are "traditionally used for resale acquisitions of this nature."


Karen Jowers covers military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times. She can be reached at kjowers@militarytimes.com.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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