DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has unveiled a new value-oriented store brand chainwide.

Called Nice!, the brand includes more than 400 grocery and household products at prices up to 30% below those of national brands.

The 7,750-store chain plans to have most Nice! products on shelves by early 2012.
Many of the items go beyond what has traditionally been offered under a drug store brand, such as soups, sauces and bakery items, Walgreens notes. The company says it will continue to expand the Nice! brand over the next few years.

To unify its growing line of store brand food and household items, the retailer plans to phase out many of its established private labels, including Café W, Deerfield Farms and W.

Products marketed under those labels will be incorporated into Nice!. Also, Walgreens says it has renamed the DR Delish private brand, obtained in the Duane Reade acquisition, as Good & Delish.

Executives note that consolidating existing store labels into one recognizable brand will allow Walgreens to focus its investments in Nice! through product development, marketing and merchandising.

“Store brands have always been a core part of our business,” president of daily living products and solutions Joe Magnacca says. “With more shoppers seeking value in this economy, we’ve been able to attract new customers across every income level to our brands and maintain their loyalty with a focus on quality and assortment.

“Now with the launch of Nice! we are streamlining our offering to make it even easier for customers to identify high-quality everyday essentials at a great value,” he says.

Consumer feedback from the handful of Nice! items already on store shelves has been positive, Magnacca says. Research shows that 75% of Walgreens shoppers buy its store brands.