Selling items that your rivals can't offer helps stores drive sales and hold onto existing customers.
For decades, Sears was the only place you could buy its signature Craftsman tool line. Those tools had a strong reputation and a lifetime replacement warranty. That helped the retailer bring in customers who wanted Craftsman products that could not be bought elsewhere and for a long time, it kept Sears relevant well after its heyday had passed.
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Sears, of course, as it has spiraled into nearly being out of existence, sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker in 2017. That brought the company $900 million, which helped keep it afloat for a few more years, but ultimately, losing exclusivity on the brand hastened the one-time retail giant's slide into its current state of barely existing.
And, while Craftsman might be a somewhat bespoke example because of its decades of success and a huge following, exclusives have long been part of the retail playbook. Target (TGT) -) has been aggressive in this space by creating distinctive house brands and working with a number of celebrities to create signature products and product lines its rivals can't offer.
That's a strategy that Walmart has been following specifically in the grocery space. This has included bringing in exclusive frozen meals from a number of big-name television chefs and a partnership with perhaps the most beloved snack cake company to offer a holiday exclusive.
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Walmart adds celebrity chefs' frozen meals
Walmart has partnered with Golden West Food Group (GWFG) to bring frozen meals from a number of celebrity chefs to Walmart. The deal includes Gordon Ramsay's "Chef Ramsay," food line, Guy Fieri's "Flavortown" brand, "Delicious Eats" from Kardea Brown, and a line from former "Bizarre Foods" host Andrew Zimmern.
Each of the lines contains frozen versions of the various chefs' signature dishes. GWFG has offered similar descriptions for each line (specific to each chef) in a series of press releases.
"Delicious Eats by Kardea Brown encapsulates the essence of Brown’s lifelong love and passion for food, offering a range of thoughtfully crafted dishes that make it possible to experience her signature Southern charm easily and conveniently at home. From savory sauces that dance on the palate to spice blends that transport you to Brown’s South Carolina home kitchen, each dish is a testament to her dedication to flavor that evokes true feeling and emotion," the company shared.
Walmart has an exclusive on all of these celebrity chef brands which gives it a very differentiated freezer section that Target and Kroger can't offer. The retailer has now extended its efforts to offer exclusive food offerings with a new holiday partnership with Hostess.
Walmart says give the gift of Twinkies
Snack cakes tend to have very passionate followings. Hostess products might have the most impassioned fans, because it makes so many beloved products that people enjoyed as children that they now like to share with their own kids.
Twinkies are arguably the king of all snack cakes that people have nostalgic feelings about. Walmart has made a special deal with Hostess for a unique holiday offering.
"Hostess just released a new three-foot box of Twinkies for Christmas! These boxes are similar to the candy bar ones that have been around the last few years in that they are long and flat and perfect for a fun gift for the holidays," the popular Snackolator Instagram page reported. "You can get these only at Walmart and each one includes 18 individually wrapped Twinkies in a gift box."
Walmart has been selling the exclusive Twinkies gift box for $13.97 in its stores while supplies last.
