albert-new-logoThe Albert brand was founded in Central Europe in 1991. Today Ahold operates 280 stores in the Czech Republic and 25 stores in Slovakia, where it is among the best-known brands in food retail.

The company, which also operates more than 21 gas stations in the Czech Republic and seven in Slovakia, employs 15,000 people in both countries and provides service to over 200 million Czech and Slovak customers every year.

The essential elements of the new Albert brand are great choice, a wide assortment of food with focus on the fresh, friendly staff – and always a good price. A key component of strengthening the brand is an increasing emphasis on private label products. The company also continues to develop and expand its private label ranges. Stores are also being improved and tailored to meet their different needs.

The company is committed to being a leader in food retail industry in the markets it serves, whether that is by setting the highest standard for product quality and customer service it stores or by pursing programs aimed at improving the health of consumers and well-being of the communities it serves.

old-albert-hyperAlbert will continue to reposition, rebrand and remodel its stores in 2009 to further improve its offering to customers and to improve its sustainable long-term profitability.

“We are creating a sustainable future for our company in this highly competitive market by delighting our customers, by investing in price and value, and by cutting costs,” says Johan Boeijenga, CEO Albert / Hypernova.

Each week up until June 1 the company will open five new stores rebranded from the Hypernova banner to company’s reinvigorated Albert banner. The company first announced a year ago that it would carry out the rebranding.

With the store conversions, the current retail brands Albert and Hypernova will be united under a single brand with a new visual identity, Albert. This includes the transformation of 56 Hypernova and HYPER Albert stores, which will be rebranded Albert hypermarkets by the mid-2009.

Official Website (in Czech language)

albert-website-july-2009

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Yes retailers do kill brands, and don’t be surprised because I have seen it today and it is happening everyday in supermarkets or hypermarkets around the globe, I was a buyer previously and buyers are known to be arrogant people and pushing brands to fight between each other in order for them to grab the best deals out of this inter-brands competition to gain shelf space in any given category.

Brand owners want to have the best visible space for their products, in order to push consumers helping them rotating their stocks, and sometimes such spaces can cost a fortune that some multinational are willing to pay, which I believe they are getting back from the consumers’ pocket, just to have their product at the “eye level”.

But if you pay all this money and your product is not really showing well on the shelf ?

Today, while I was having my market visit with our distributor in Estonia, I was really shocked to see what I am sharing with you below (sorry for the bad quality, the security guy had big muscles, could not jeopardize).

How a brand or product shall sell if the consumer can barely see it? How the companies will help consumers build their brand awareness if he is not able to see the brand while strolling between the shelves?

Definitely a retailer can kill a brand if their shelves are not well organized, knowing that some of them say they are reflecting category management on their spaces, which if also is not maintained the right way, can also kill a brand.

Having said the above & seen the below, now I say: Bye Bye $$$$ we pay for listing !

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