In recognition of a changing retail environment, Sam’s Club is reconstituting its Member’s Mark private label as a purpose-driven brand, the Walmart Stores division has announced.
Now, to build on the momentum, Sam’s Club is introducing a new identity for its Member’s Mark brand supported by the slogan Made with Our Member and Planet in Mind that signals an aspiration for all items to be of the highest quality while featuring trend-right innovation and a focus on people and the planet, the retailer maintained.
In 2020, Walmart announced its goal to become a regenerative company, and Sam’s Club indicated that the declaration was behind a decision to re-evaluate the Member’s Mark brand. With many highly rated Member’s Mark items already including sustainable attributes, Sam’s Club saw an opportunity to continue evolving its private label in a way that serves people, climate and nature while reducing waste, it asserted.
To highlight its fresh brand identity, Sam’s Club is introducing a new Member’s Mark logo and design construct featuring a subtle checkmark that communicates the high quality of the product line as well as its focus on people and the planet, the company noted. Members will begin seeing the new logo and check design on packaging over the next 18 months.
Sam’s Club will partner closely with the Walmart Sustainability team on its Members Mark initiative, it stated. At the same time, Sam’s Club will leverage the My Member’s Mark Community, a group formed in 2019 that includes more than 40,000 Sam’s Club members who provide feedback and input on Member’s Mark items throughout a product’s lifecycle.
Among the other initiatives it is rolling out, Sam’s Club indicated that it would:
- Continue evolving its private brand in a way that serves people, climate and nature while reducing waste, building on efforts it has already made with products such as Fair Trade Certified Member’s Mark Colombian Supremo Coffee,
- Remove certain ingredients from Member’s Mark food and consumable products, while boosting its assortment of items that are made using practices that promote animal welfare, help support land and ocean health, mitigate deforestation, use more sustainable textiles and come from renewable sources.
- Incorporate more recyclable, reusable and industrially compostable components in Member’s Mark items and packaging as well as take an active role in reducing the brand’s environmental footprint by calling for suppliers to participate in Project Gigaton, Walmart’s signature private sector consortium to reduce or avoid one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Source Member’s Mark items more responsibly and create inclusive economic opportunities by diversifying its supplier base over the years.
Above all, the retailer asserted, Sam’s Club aims to embrace a regenerative mindset as it develops Member’s Mark items, placing nature, humanity and its members at the center of item innovation and renovation.
“The Sam’s Club member is at the center of everything we do, so as we continue to evolve the Member’s Mark brand, we intend to develop items that are reflective of the ingredients, processes and materials they want, and don’t want, in their products,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, Sam’s Club senior vp, private brands and sourcing. “Now, as we introduce new Member’s Mark items and renovate existing ones, we are making decisions that not only focus on quality, innovation and value, but on the impact we are making on the world around us.”
