Trader Joe's Introduces 'Wasabi Arugula' ... Minus the Wasabi

Private Brand Showcase

Trader Joe's, which we often refer to as an iconic grocer because of its rabid fan base and creative private brand development and merchandising, has introduced an interesting new addition to its eponymous store brand fresh, packaged produce line - Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula.

What makes the new Wasabi Arugula item interesting isn't so much what's in the bag though. Instead, it's what's not inside that grabbed our attention.

Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula doesn't include actual wasabi. Instead, what's inside the bags is a spicier version of the common arugula, also called rocket lettuce, that's sold in many U.S. supermarkets and grocery stores.

The grocer, which has about 360 stores in the U.S., already offers basic arugula or rocket lettuce under its Trader Joe's brand, packaged in cello bags similar to the new "Wasabi Arugula". Therefore, when its private brand development team and the marketers at the corporate offices in Southern California decided to introduce the spicier arugula variety under the same brand, they needed a catchy name. TJ's specializes in catchy names for its various private brand products, after all.

Enter wasabi, that extremely popular - except among the faint of palate - Japanese condiment (it's Japanese horseradish to be specific) - that's not only the staple at every sushi bar in the world but also provides a special kick when paired with many types of foods (and with other condiments like mayonnaise). it's also a catchy and fun word to say. If you don't believe us, say Wasabi fast three times straight right now.

The result: Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula. And below the product name on the package a tag line says: "Arugula with a little extra punch."

The Wasabi Arugula packaging isn't deceptive. It makes no claim of containing actual wasabi - although including a packet of wasabi salad dressing would make some lovers of the Asian condiment do back flips of joy.

But when spotting the package of Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula in the produce case from a slight distance away in the grocery aisle (point-of-purchase), the first thing that does come to mind is: "Interesting, arugula with wasabi." That is, until you pick the package up and look at it closely. In other words, the name (the hook) works to draw shoppers' attention to the product. That's good brand marketing.

The 7oz bags of Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula sell for about $2.39-$2.59, depending on where the particular TJ's grocery market is located in the U.S.

We didn't see any cross-merchandising of chopsticks near where the Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula was displayed in the refrigerated produce case. Doing so might be a cute idea though, in keeping with Trader Joe's whimsical merchandising philosophy.

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October 28, 2011: Move Over Chipotle - Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Introduces its Own Brand of Burrito Bowls

October 26, 2011: Farms ... at Safeway? Grocer Launches its Newest Private Brand ... 'Safeway Farms'

>View all the past stories in our Private Brand Showcase feature at these links - private brand showcase, private brands showcase.

Strategy Session: Tesco Might Want to Get 'fresh & naked' at 'fresh & easy'

Fresh & Easy Buzz Strategy Session

Tesco is launching a new brand and line (called range in the UK) of unwashed, fresh salad greens in 350 of its stores in the United Kingdom (UK).

The brand's name is: "fresh & naked."

The "fresh & naked" brand is the creation of the UK's G's Marketing. The lettuce is grown by Shropshire's, a UK family farming operation that's been around since 1952, and is partnered with G's Marketing.

There are four "fresh & naked" salad green varieties (SKUs) - wild rocket, lambs lettuce, sweet mixed salad leaf and strong mixed salad leaf - at present.

The salad greens are packaged in attractive boxes, pictured at top, rather than in plastic bags. Fresh & Easy Buzz likes the look of the package. And because they're in boxes rather than the expected plastic bags, we think they will draw shopper attention in the produce case. The boxes are 100% recyclable, except for the cellophane window.

The fresh produce company and the retailer have signed an exclusive agreement for Tesco to sell the "fresh & naked" brand and line in 350 stores in the UK. The agreement runs until the end of summer 2010, according to G's Marketing, and can be renewed.

Not only is the "fresh & naked" name, which G's Marketing spells using all lower-case letters, a tad bit naughty and fun, it fits rather well with the name of Tesco's U.S. fresh foods and grocery chain - Fresh & Easy - which similarly is spelled in all lower case.

How about that?

Fresh & Easy Buzz suggests Tesco grab the license to the "fresh & naked" brand for the United States from G's marketing and launch a line of unwashed salad greens, and value-added salads - perhaps replacing its current "fresh & easy" brand or adding to it - in its 159 Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market already has the local suppliers for the salad greens. All Tesco need do is obtain the rights to use "fresh & naked," including the packaging, for its Fresh & Easy fresh food and grocery chain in the U.S.

The "fresh & naked" brand name would also be good for some other selected fresh produce items. We also think there are some ready-to-eat fresh foods items that would be great under the "fresh & naked" brand name. How about fresh, packaged sushi, which Fresh & Easy sells, for example?

We think the "fresh & naked" brand name would particularly resonate well with the primary demographic, "Millennials-plus six" (Millennials are ages 18-29. We add six years, to age 35, for our Fresh & Easy cohort), that our research has found most likes the Fresh & Easy stores. But it also would likely have appeal to most other demographics; or at least not offend.

But even less scientifically speaking, Additionally, the "fresh & naked" name just fits well with "fresh & easy," from both semantic and marketing-merchandising standpoints.

An introductory (and perhaps ongoing) promotional tag-line for the salad greens and value added salads at Tesco's Fresh & Easy could be: "Get "fresh & naked" at "fresh & easy," followed by a description of the new line. Another one: "They're getting "fresh & naked" in the aisles at fresh & easy."

As you can see, in addition to "fresh & naked" fitting well with "fresh & easy," it has the potential to provide for some catchy marketing copy - and loads of merchandising fun. Humor in marketing and merchandising done well can translate to strong branding and sales.

Additionally, It wouldn't take a whole lot of work to garner a bunch of media buzz over the introduction of the "fresh & naked" salad line at "fresh & easy" either.

Private branding some of its fresh salad greens, ready-to-eat green salads and a few other appropriate items under the "fresh & naked" brand would also go towards a strategy we offered in a May 18, 2009 piece - Strategy Session: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Needs to Move From its One Store Brand Fits All Strategy to A 'Three Brand' Store Brand Strategy - in which we suggested Tesco's Fresh & Easy should adopt a multi-private brand strategy, rather than using its "fresh & easy" store brand across all product categories in the stores.

Since we've published the 2009 piece, Fresh & Easy has added some additional store brands, including "Mother's Joy," for a line of breakfast cereals in the dry grocery category and, most recently, "Eat-Well," for a new line of fresh, prepared entrees and side dishes, which it introduced in early April of this year.

In February-March 2009, Fresh & Easy introduced the "Buxted" brand, which it uses on a few SKUs of fresh meat: beef, pork and chicken items. "Buxted" is positioned as a value brand in the meat category, merchandised side-by-side with the grocer's "fresh & easy," brand for all other category items. [See - March 9, 2009: An English Village, A British Fresh Chicken Brand and Tesco Fresh & Easy's New 'Buxted' Discount Fresh Meat Brand: What Do All Three Have in Common?]

Since it appears our multi-brand advice was pretty spot on in 2009, perhaps it offers some utility regarding the grocer's adoption of "fresh & naked" as an additional private brand for selected use in the fresh produce category, and in a limited way for some ready-to-eat fresh foods like our sushi example? We think it does.

We still argue that Tesco's Fresh & Easy needs a different store brand for its natural and organic grocery items, rather than using the fresh & easy name on both conventional and natural-organic SKUs.

The Wild Oats brand is no longer available. It's in the process of being sold to one of two companies that have bid on it: Topco, a retailer-owned private brand cooperative, and a food manufacturing company in California. But Fresh & Easy could certainly create a natural-organic brand and use it for all of its items in the category, using 'fresh & easy" for just the conventional items.

As a start up, Tesco's Fresh & Easy needs to generate more excitement than it's currently doing, along with building the business. It needs to think outside of the 10,000 square-foot box more often as well.

We think "fresh & naked," as part of that multi-private brand strategy is one of many ways for the grocer to do so.

['Fresh & Easy Buzz Strategy Session' is a periodic feature in which we offer marketing, merchandising and other strategic concepts and ideas for Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market and other food retailers.]