Walmart Canada's Great Value brand saves customers money

New package design makes brand easier to find

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - The new look for Walmart's Great Value brand makes it easier for Canadians to find ways to save money without sacrificing quality. Whether Canadians are shopping for meal solutions like frozen sirloin burgers, macaroni and cheese or salad dressing, or for party snacks like pizza, potato chips and salsa, Great Value's new consistent package design make products easier to find on the grocery shelf.

"Canadians trust Walmart to deliver great quality at unbeatable prices," says Les Mann , vice president of food and consumables. "The new look of our Great Value brand stands out on shelves and helps Canadians find the food they want at the prices they want." The new Great Value packaging features appetizing food photography showcased against a white background and offers easy-to-read nutrition labels.

In preparation for the brand relaunch, Walmart reviewed all 1100 Great Value products, conducted taste tests and reformulated recipes to improve taste, nutrition and quality. For example, Great Value Vegetable and Toasted Wheat Crackers were upgraded to lighter crispier new formulas, many Great Value Potato Chip flavours now have reduced salt without reducing flavour, and Great Value Microwave Popcorn were reformulated to remove trans fats and tropical oils. Walmart also reduced packaging when possible as part of the company's sustainability goals.

Canadians are shopping for private label groceries

Walmart's new private label package design comes at a time when Canadians are looking for ways to reduce household expenses. According to customer research commissioned by Walmart, more than half of Canadians (56 per cent) say they will reduce their out-of-home expenses, opting to stay in for meals. This trend applies to fast food as well, with 47 percent of respondents saying they now spend less on take-out meals. At the grocery store, Canadians are looking for ways to make their dollars go farther, with 51 per cent saying they are saving by switching to grocery store brands like Great Value.

Many Canadians say this shift to more cost-conscious shopping will continue even after the economy recovers. While Canadians are optimistic about what the future holds--5 per cent of Canadians feel the state of their personal finances will be good or excellent in the next year--33 per cent of Canadians say they'll continue to buy grocery brands when the economy bounces back, and 30 per cent plan to spend less on take-away meals.

"Over one million Canadians visit Walmart every day," says Mann. "With Great Value, we're pleased to be able to offer Canadians the brand value they are looking for in attractive new packaging."

About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada operates 313 outlets nationwide serving more than one million Canadians each day. With 80,000 associates, the company is the nation's third-largest employer.

    
    * The research noted above was conducted June 15-29, 2009 by Nielsen
    Canada. The margin of error is +/- 4 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence
    level.
    

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