Walmart Revamps Its Great Value Brand as Private Label Becomes the Default Choice

By Food Trade News Team

Walmart is giving its flagship Great Value brand a full-scale refresh, rolling out updated packaging across roughly 10,000 items beginning this spring. The overhaul, Walmart’s first major own-brand redesign in more than a decade – will touch everything from snacks and dairy to frozen foods. Company executives say the phased rollout is expected to take up to two years.

The move reflects a deeper shift already underway across grocery: private label is no longer a trade-down option. It’s becoming the top choice for value-conscious shoppers, particularly Gen Z and younger Millennials, who are far less brand-loyal and more comfortable putting store brands at the center of their baskets. With 87% of U.S. households already purchasing Great Value products, Walmart is simply scaling into that reality rather than chasing it.

At the same time, competition in private label is intensifying. 

Retailers like Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe’s have built entire value propositions around their respective store brands, while Amazon’s grocery private label has emerged as one of the fastest-growing by unit volume. 

Before the COVID pandemic, price had been the bar to clear; post-pandemic operators must hit the right notes on quality, relevance, and even design. 

The implication for the broader industry is straightforward: private label is rapidly evolving from one margin lever among many to strategic core. 

As younger shoppers normalize store brands – and in some cases prefer them – the pressure shifts squarely onto national brands caught in the middle, forcing them to justify premium positioning in a market that is increasingly indifferent to it.