Associated Wholesale Grocers is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its opening price point private brand, Always Save.
In 1984, AWG debuted the line with 140 pantry staples, including peanut butter, jelly, marshmallows and condiments. By the end of the year, Always Save had grown in popularity. Now 40 years later, the brand portfolio boasts more than 550 key value items in a variety of departments including center store, bakery, meat, personal care and non-foods.
To celebrate this milestone, AWG member retailers and employees enjoyed an anniversary celebration complete with cake, ice cream and balloons at AWG’s recent Innovation Showcase and Annual Meeting.
“We’re proud to celebrate a brand that has been so important to AWG member retailers for providing quality products at good prices for their customers for 40 years,” said Tye Anthony, AWG’s chief merchandising and marketing officer.
“We invest a great deal into Always Save to ensure it continues helping AWG member retailers compete in the marketplace by delivering value to customers seeking relief on their grocery bill.”
Throughout its 40-year history, Always Save has offered quality products at an opening price point or best price per unit measure. AWG member retailers and end-consumers trust the brand for providing value through its low pricing, while also providing a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee.
This combined quality and value helps Always Save compete for budget-conscious customers’ business, exclusively with AWG member retailers. Extending across the store from the bakery department to the freezer section, it keeps customers loyal to AWG member retailer stores and helps these stores continue to grow.
“Providing a strong opening price point brand is not new at AWG,” said Emily Detwiler, AWG Brands’ executive director.
“As AWG and our member retailers see other retail chains introduce lines similar to Always Save in pricing and assortment, we’re confident in the recipe of success that has helped Always Save thrive for so long. We don’t compromise on the quality of our products or our customer satisfaction guarantee.”
Although Always Save continues to sell some of the first products introduced in 1984, the brand focuses on innovation. Last year, the brand introduced products in the health, beauty and wellness category for the first time with an assortment of over-the-counter medications, bubble baths and oral care products. Through category initiatives, vendor partnerships and analytics from the AWG Partner Gateway (AWG’s information-sharing and data portal), Always Save will strategically continue to evolve.
“We showed AWG member retailers new Always Save product lines at this year’s Innovation Showcase,” Detwiler said. “We will continue to purposefully grow Always Save within the AWG Brands portfolio, while focusing on what makes the brand so successful: quality and value.”
About Associated Wholesale Grocers
AWG is the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently-owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and more than 3,500 locations throughout 33 states from nine wholesale divisions.
In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies that provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, health and beauty care, general merchandise, pharmaceutical products, specialty foods and natural and organic products.
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