Dive Brief:
- Stop & Shop has launched a new private label line of coffee, the Northeastern supermarket chain announced Monday.
- The brand, named Taste of Inspirations, is available chainwide and includes seven coffee blends in packaged bags or multi-packs of individual servings.
- Stop & Shop’s introduction of the new coffee line comes as the grocer looks to strengthen ties with shoppers in a bid to improve its financial performance.
Dive Insight:
Stop & Shop described the Taste of Inspirations brand as an affordable solution offering “coffee lovers an elevated coffee experience at a great value.”
The brand’s blends include Cozy Cabin, a nutty, creamy flavor with sweet notes; Smoky Symphony, which offers “boldness and artisan craftsmanship in each sip”; and a decaffeinated option called Mellow Moonlight that combines “a creamy body with subtle suggestions of toasted graham cracker.”
“Our mission with Taste of Inspirations is to deliver premium products at an unbeatable value for our shoppers,” Natalia Torres-Furtado, Stop & Shop vice president of category management, said in a statement. “The new coffee collection shows our commitment to quality and flavor, delivering a line up that competes with well-loved brands, at a fraction of the price.”
The new coffee line, available at all of Stop & Shop’s approximately 360 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, is priced at $7.99 for a 12-ounce bag or package of 10 K-Cup servings.
Stop & Shop is rolling out the in-house coffee brand as the Ahold Delhaize-owned chain proceeds with plans to close 32 underperforming locations by the end of 2024 and sharpen its image with consumers against a backdrop of fierce competition. The company has struggled financially in recent years, and its value proposition and pricing “are simply not strong enough,” Ahold Delhaize USA CEO JJ Fleeman told investors in May.
Stop & Shop is also working on a multi-year store-renovation campaign, and the company reported earlier this year that upgraded stores have performed better than their unrenovated counterparts.
