private label

As the competition between home improvement heavyweights Lowe's and Home Depot intensifies, customer service is emerging as one of the key features on which they will need to innovate. Lowe's latest attempt is a new incentive program for customers paying with the store's credit card.

In this economy, cash-strapped consumers have become more budget conscious and less concerned about appearing cheap. As a result, better-known brands have steadily been losing ground to store-branded food products.

American Italian Pasta shares surged more than 26% Monday morning after snack-products company Ralcorp Holdings agreed to buy it at $53 per share in cash -- a 27% premium to Friday's close. But Ralcorp also lowered its guidance.

Shoppers trim their food budgets when gas prices rise, but they don't always give up the name-brand foods they like. Store brands have gained ground among consumers in recent years, a new study shows, but their popularity among thrifty shoppers may be overstated, says Kusum Ailawadi, a professor...

Safeway (NYSE: SWY) is out to prove that the term "private label" is up for a revised, new and improved, economy edition. The chain yesterday announced that it had reached agreements to market its "O" organics and "Eating Right" store brand products at Albertson's, ShopRite and Exito supermarkets...