US shoppers are regaining their taste for the national brand groceries that some steered away from during the recession, providing evidence of an improvement in consumer confidence.
美国消费者对全国性的食品和生活用 品品牌的兴趣正在恢复，表明消费者信心正在改善。在衰退期间，全国性品牌一度失去青睐。
Kroger, the largest US traditional supermarket, said on Monday it had seen robust fourth quarter growth of national brands. David Dillon, chief executive, described this as “another positive sign” of an improving consumer mood.
美国最大的传统超市克罗格(Kroger)周一表示，它注意到，全国性品牌第四季度销量 劲增。公司首席执行官大卫·迪隆(David Dillon)表示，这是消费者信心不断改善的“又一积极信号”。
During the depth of the recession, sales surged of Kroger's lower cost own brand goods, such as Kroger Value Wheat Puffs Cereal, outstripping established national brands as shoppers focused on saving money.
在经济衰退严重的时期，购物者更加关注省钱，因此克罗格的一些低价自有品牌产品——比如克罗格小麦泡芙谷等——销量大幅增长， 远远超出老牌全国性品牌。
National and private label brands grew at about the same speed during its fourth quarter, ending on January 30.
在截至1月30日的第四财季，克罗格 店内全国性品牌和自有品牌食品的销售增幅大致相同。
Mr Dillon noted that some of the national brand growth resulted from more aggressive promotional spending by manufacturers. But he said it was also in line with other signs of renewed discretionary spending, such as stronger sales at Kroger's Fred Meyer jewellery chain, and improving sales of flowers and speciality coffee.
迪隆指出，一些全国性品牌的销售增 长，源自制造商更为积极的促销活动。但他也表示，这一趋势与非必需品销售再度增长的迹象一致。例如克罗格旗下的Fred Meyer珠宝连锁店的销售更为强劲，花卉和特色咖啡的销量也在增长。
“I actually take it as one sign of some glimmer of hope of improvement,” he said, of the stronger national brand performance. Kroger has the largest private label business of the three largest US supermarket chains. Private label sales account for 27 per cent of its sales, or more than $12.5bn.
他在评论全国性品牌销售走强的表现时说：“我真的觉得，开始有了一丝希望之 光。”在全美三大连锁超市中，克罗格的自有品牌业务规模最大，自有品牌占到销售额的27%，金额逾125亿美元。
Separately, Walter Robb, co-president of Whole Foods Market, said its more than 270 natural and organic supermarkets were seeing a similar slowdown in sales growth for its private label products. As the recession hit, Whole Foods private brands growth rose to four times the rate of national brands, he said but had slowed to more normal rates of 2-2.5 times larger. “It's still growing faster, but the brands are starting to come back. Which I would say would be another indication that . . . it is coming back towards a more appropriate balance between private label and branded goods.”
此外，Whole Foods Market联席总裁沃尔特·罗布(Walter Robb)表示，该公司旗下270多个天然食品和有机食品超市中，自有品牌产品销售也出现了类似的增长放缓势头。他表示，当经济衰退来临时，Whole Foods自有品牌的增幅曾攀升至全国性品牌的4倍，后来放缓到更为正常的2至2.5倍。“它们仍在快速增长，但品牌食品正卷土重来。我认