When distributors assess the brands (more)

Whole Foods Market has created what the whole profession considers a certification label: "Premium Body Care Label." Arguing that there is no official definition of what a "natural" care product is, Whole Foods decided to establish a list of 250 ingredients (preservatives, fragrances, surfactants, etc.) regarded as unacceptable as they were toxic or where non-toxicity had not been proved - and verify whether the products sold by them contained any.

 

Beyond the notion of a label (which I will come back to – in recent months there has been a proliferation of new organic and natural labels!) I would like to point out that this is an approach similar to that of Hannaford "Guiding Stars" (see my note of 26^th June). The question posed by Whole Foods is: "Which products meet our Premium Body-Care Standards?"

This totally changes the perspective: A distributor sets itself up as the certification body for the "natural" quality of a care product ... and displays it on its shelves.

It thus defines the "premium" offer available on its shelves - and immediately throws a doubt on products that are unable to carry the label … especially through a distributor whose positioning is in the natural and organic sector.

We can reasonably assume that more and more distributors will adopt this approach - if only because the battle over prices has its limits and they will have to find new forms of differentiation. In this way distributors will regain their hold on domestic brands by assessing them on features that correspond to the expectations of consumers such as nutrition and safety.