Private Label Strategy

THIRTEEN

Are Brands Dead?

Private label share: Switzerland, 45 percent; United States, 20 percent

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE observed that every industry has its golden age. For brand manufacturers, it was the middle of the twentieth century, when distribution channels were fragmented and the media was consolidated. Powerful brand manufacturers like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever would delight their customers by launching one new product after another.¹

We hope our book has demonstrated to the reader who has followed us until the last chapter that we are now in a new era, where the retailers have power and have used it to transform the competitive brand landscape. With the rise of giant retailers like Aldi, Carrefour, ...