6 Reasons Every CPG Needs a Value Tier Strategy

By Stefano Di Napoli, founder of CPGS · Originally published 2 February 2026

Key insights

The rise of private label and discounters is a structural market shift, not merely a temporary response to inflationary pressure.
Private label has become a core growth engine for retailers and is strongly linked to market share gains.
Mainstream brands are being squeezed between value-tier and premium players, leading to a long-term hollowing out of the mid-market.
Consumers have fundamentally reset their price–quality perception, increasingly viewing private label as equal in quality and unlikely to switch back even if incomes rise.
Discounters are growing faster than the overall market while building strong brand equity and cultural relevance.
For mainstream CPG manufacturers, incremental actions are insufficient; sustained competitiveness requires a structural rethink of portfolio strategy and more deliberate engagement with the value tier.