Target, Kroger Enjoying Growing Sales of Organic and Natural Foods

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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT), based in Minneapolis, MN, on August 19 announced the launch of a new flagship private label brand, Good & Gather. The in-house brand will focus on four categories: organic; kids; seasonal; and premium products. More than 2,000 products including dairy, produce, ready-made pastas, meats, granola bars and sparkling water, are expected to roll out under the Good & Gather brand over the next 18 months. Good & Gather will become Target’s largest brand, replacing existing house brands Archer Farms and Simply Balanced and reducing the number of products under Target’s Market Pantry Brand, reports Sustainable Food News. In related news, Cincinnati, OH-based grocery giant Kroger (NYSE: KR) claims its Simple Truth brand now offers more Fair Trade Certified products than any other U.S. private label brand. The company reported on August 20 in its 2019 Sustainability Report that it sold $17.6 billion worth of natural and organic products in 2018. Kroger’s natural and organic private label brand, Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic, achieved sales of $2.3 billion in 2018, making it the second largest brand sold in its stores, the company reported. Kroger said it purchased 17.2 million pounds of Fair Trade certified ingredients for its private label products, and also said it sold more than $1 billion worth of organic produce in 2018. Kroger operates 2,800 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 35 states. Each store carries on average 4,000 natural and organic items, reports Sustainable Food News.