Target’s New “up & up” Brand

Target has relaunched its store brand of basic household products as they adjust to changing consumer habits in the recession. They’ve rebranded their core commodities line — a product category that includes everyday items such as baby wipes, sunscreen, dryer sheets and plastic containers — under the name “up & up.” The relaunch includes new packaging that replaces the traditional Bullseye logo with colorful arrows and the new brand name.

Target has actually been phasing in “up & up” products into its stores since March, although I personally have seen a huge upswing in the rebranded merchandise in stores in just the past two weeks. By the end of September, Target will be selling more than 800 “up & up” products. Target claims the brand is equal in quality to national brands (and they even hired a third-party testing firm to back up their claims) but at a lower price, offering a savings of 30% on average.

“Our guests are savvy and know they don’t have to spend a lot to get high-quality products,” Mark Schindele, Target’s senior vice president of merchandising, said in a news release.

The rebranding is all part of Target's efforts to stay competitive in this recession. Store brands are on the upswing — they’re generally more profitable than name-brands for retailers — and market researchers say that consumers are increasingly buying in-house brands to save money.

PS: in a similar move, Target rival Walmart recently relaunched its own private brand, called “Great Value”.