It’s official now: Homebrand is going to disappear from Countdown’s shelves too, but the supermarket chain has something else up its sleeve.
Chris Fisher, Countdown’s general manager of merchandise, has confirmed that the chain is going to phase out its iconic Homebrand private label, as part of a bigger Woolworths Group’s move.
"Customers love our own brands for their quality and low prices, but we want to make them better and make it easier for people to choose the product that best suits them,” said Fisher.
The change will be gradual. Starting from May, Countdown will introduce a new Essentials range, a high-value offering including everyday necessities at low prices, which will replace Homebrand over the next two years. Meanwhile, both Countdown Select and Signature Range brands will be merged into one ‘Countdown’ brand, a quality, mainstream label.
“This is more than just a packaging change. We are reinvigorating our own brand products and reviewing each one over time to ensure we are delivering easily identifiable, quality products that suit our customers’ needs at low prices,” said Fisher.
Currently, over 70 percent of Countdown’s own brand products are locally-sourced, and the company has confirmed that the majority of them will continue to be sourced in New Zealand.
