4 minute read
Private Label vs. Own Brand: Battle of the Brands
7up vs. tesco’s lemonade Whether you’re brave enough to admit it or not, we’re all guilty of brand loyalty. I’m sure many of us can relate to leaving our local corner shop in frustration, empty handed and mumbling something along the lines of “why don’t they ever have the branded stuff?”. But do private brands really guarantee the best? Aside from their higher prices, it would be interesting to see if branded snacks are really in a league of their own when it comes to taste, so I’ve put it to the test. I’ll be tasting Maryland choc chip
First, I tackled the lemonade, 7up, the fizzy lemon and lime drink in the iconic green bottle, versus Tesco’s ‘Stockwell & Co.’ lemonade. Price wise, it’s easy to guess which was on the cheaper side; One 500ml bottle of 7up cost £1.00, more than five times the price of Tesco’s copycat, which was 17p for a 2litre bottle! After settling my initial excitement, I asked my flatmate to pour a small portion of each drink into two separate glasses, which I then proceeded to taste with my eyes closed. I instantly recognised the flavour of the first drink: A slight lemon tinge, extreme fizz and the strange coating your teeth get when you’ve had too much sugar: it was 7up. Having set the bar high, I was not overly surprised that 7up won the challenge. Stockwell’s lemonade, despite having a stronger lemon flavour, was disappointingly flat – the worst thing a fizzy drink can be.
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Mr. Kipling’s Angel Slices vs. tesco’s angel cake
I stepped cautiously into the next experiment. Angel Cake is my alltime favourite snack, so I was sceptical to taste anything that may ruin it for me entirely. I quickly stuffed a slice in my mouth and was met with the familiar sweet, sticky icing and fluffy vanilla sponge cake of Mr. Kipling’s angel slices. Although I did not expect the unbranded treat to outperform Mr. Kipling’s, nothing could have prepared me for the disaster that was Tesco’s ‘Angel layer cake’. I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed in a cake before this moment. It was dry, gritty (as if the mix hadn’t been blended thoroughly) and lacked the sweetness expected from what Tesco claimed was a ‘Teatime Classic’. I wish I could say that the price of the unbranded product compensated for its taste, but in this case the branded goods were even cheaper; with a 6 pack of Mr Kipling’s Angel Slices costing £1 and a large slice of Tesco’s cake pricing higher at £1.25. Round two, the brands are still in the lead.
cookies, 7up, Wotsits crisps, Mr Kipling’s Angel slices and, of course, their counterfeit equivalents to decide which is better. My prediction is that the branded goods will win this challenge, purely because their widespread recognition and success could only be made possible if their products are of a high quality, but who knows? I may be proven wrong…
Wotsits Crisps vs. Happy Shopper’s Cheese Puffs
Next up was the battle of the cheesy crisps. I decided to pair up a British classic, Wotsits, with Happy Shopper’s cheese puffs from my local corner shop. Although I’m not a major crisps fan, I honestly cannot fault Wotsits – they had a nice cheesy taste and crunch and only cost a pound for a large bag. The counterfeits came in at half price, offering two bags of cheesy goods for the price of one, and who doesn’t love a bargain? Although they weren’t quite as cheesy or crunchy, they came quite close. I would honestly recommend the Happy Shopper alternative if you’re hosting some friends so you can get more for less, I’m sure they won’t taste the difference.
Maryland’s Cookies vs. Tesco’s Cookies
Finally, I was left to try the chocolate chip cookies. Maryland are infamous for their sweet treats so I knew this would be a tough round for Tesco to win. What surprised me first was the prices of the two. Of course, you would initially expect the branded goods to cost more, but as shown with the Angel Cake, this is not always the case — the Maryland cookies were in fact 10p cheaper. The two almost identical cookies were placed in front of me and I took a bite of both – they tasted exactly the same. I continued to eat, determined to find a flaw in either, but (unlike I predicted in my hypothesis) I couldn’t. This proves that brands don’t always guarantee a better taste and sometimes you can simply go for the cheaper alternative. Although in this case the Maryland cookies were cheaper than Tesco’s, I would keep my eye out for more of their unbranded biscuits and you may be able to save yourself a bit of money.
Ultimately, in the battle of the brands anyone can win. This test goes to show that although we hold brands on a pedestal, you can often find unbranded treats which taste just as good as the original and sometimes cost even cheaper! I would recommend trying this for yourself and finding which snacks you prefer, I can almost guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised.