The drug store chain is working on a significant overhaul of packaging design that will impact nearly 3,000 items.
The growth of private label across a multitude of retail channels was on display during the opening day of the annual Velocity Conference + Expo in Charlotte, N.C.
With a theme largely focused on how to build on the growth seen across the industry in recent years, several retailers discussed their efforts to modernize their respective private brands while also identifying new opportunities to further enhance engagement with shoppers.
Perhaps the day's biggest news came from CVS.
Mike Wier, vice president of Store Brands at CVS Health, noted the company is refreshing its entire CVS brand portfolio, which includes approximately 3,000 items. The effort, he said, uses some of the same principles CVS employed when launching its Well Market brand in 2024.
"It's an exciting proposition and a big opportunity for us to lead the industry," he said. "Inasmuch as we're a follower in the food categories, we have to be a leader in healthcare."
The need to update the CVS brand with a focus on packaging design stemmed in part from a review of the drugstore chain's ibuprofen and acetaminophen assortment, including both branded and private label products. During the review, the individual accompanying Wier -- whom he described as a former private label leader -- asked to see the CVS-branded assortment in the two pain relievers.
"We were standing right in front of CVS's products for about 10 minutes, and it was as if they just faded into the background," he said.
Additional details on the CVS private label rebrand are expected to be made public in the coming weeks.
The aforementioned Well Market line has been in CVS stores since debuting in the spring of 2024, with the retailer now some nine months into a full-scale launch. Wier said the line is exceeding expectations.
"Well Market was a branding project as much as a flavor and trend project," he said. "It was a transformation of our snack line and an opportunity for us to lean into snacks in a different way. But it's not just about the brand -- it's also about the products that go inside. We had to ensure a high degree of quality, offer mainstream products, but also appeal to more of that frontier edge of flavor within the snacking space."