Taxi Studio redesigns Budgens own brand packaging as it looks to reposition itself as a premium retailer
Budgens is hoping to turn around consumer perception and position itself as a premium grocery retailer with a redesign of its entire own brand packaging led by Taxi Studio.
Over the last year, Budgens has rolled out a new proposition centred on ‘everyday discovery at the heart of local life’ and commissioned Taxi Studio to provide brand strategy and creative for the own brand packaging range.
Following a three way pitch, Taxi has worked directly alongside Budgens senior management team to define the strategy, segmentation and creative direction for some 800 plus lines of products.
The first iteration of this is currently being implemented across 180 Budgens fresh produce line in the first revamped store in Crouch End, London.
Speaking to The Drum, Taxi founder and creative partner Spencer Buck, said the retailer’s original premium position has been lost over time, partly due to its own brand packaging.
The re-design consists of two tiers of products – Better and Best – unlike larger supermarkets such as Tesco which carries multi-layers from Tesco Value up to
Taste the Difference.“From my perspective Budgens years ago managed to establish themselves almost as a baby sister to Waitrose,” Buck said. “Over time the premium-ness has been eroded for several reasons but the packaging was one of the key drivers.”
This was partly attributed to the adoption of packaging used in Ireland at SuperValu, a supermarket chain that is also owned by Budgens parent company Musgrave Group. “What was seen as premium in Ireland fell flat in the UK market and so that own brand packaging eroded the premium-ness that Budgens had established,” continued Buck.
Taxi Studio will now work to instil a sense of pride for the new packaging internally to help staff sell own-brand products as well encourage consumers to reappraise the grocery store as stocking a premium offering.
Budgens own brand and technical manager, Lucy Milleret said: “Taxi have lived up to their fearless reputation by taking on a brief with such tight timings and delivering nothing short of brilliance.”
The move comes amid the appointment of St Luke's to handle the Budgens advertising account and creative agency Über to produce its latest in-store and online marketing campaign.