Woolworths to beef up its own-label product range
Woolworths is launching an extensive range of own-label products under the Worth It brand, and is backing it with a TV advertising campaign likely to feature a well-known celebrity.
No decision has been made on whether the campaign will continue to feature brand characters Wooly, a roving reporter, and Worth, the strait-laced anchorman.
The new ads break on May 25 and is being created by the retailer’s incumbent agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH).
The Worth It range is being expanded from a handful of branded products to 420 everyday items. It will include home and kitchenware, toys, confectionery and clothes, and will be available in all stores from May 14. The company will announce the launch of the brand today (Wednesday) when it presents its preliminary results.
A spokeswoman says the company is launching the range to reaffirm itself as a low-price retailer. "Research has found there’s a demand for competitively priced every day essential products among our customers," she says.
Woolworths has 821 stores in the UK and has recently unveiled several new products and services. This year it launched a flower delivery service to compete with Tesco and Marks & Spencer, and it developed an online travel website that pitches the retailer against the likes of Lastminute.com and Opodo.
This latest launch comes a month after the company’s marketing director Stephen Robertson announced he was leaving the retailer after three years. The company is not replacing him directly, and instead will distribute his responsibilities among other departments. The bulk of his duties have been taken over by Tony Holdway, the company’s head of brand communications.
