George Huntington Hartford, Levi Strauss, Charles R. Walgreen, Sr., Rowland Hussey Macy, Sr., Aaron Montgomery Ward, Frank Winfield Woolworth, Caleb Bradham, The Brooks Brothers, Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck. The names read like a Who’s Who of American retailers. Along with their CPG contemporaries, they were entrepreneurs and innovators who created the template for today’s retail, and along the way they created private brand.
Not restricted to category or channel, they created brands that stretched well beyond the confines of grocery to include virtually every retail channel and category. They—and the brands their teams created—are the subject of my new book, “Vanguard Vintage Originals,” a photographic celebration of vintage private brand packaging. The coffee table book celebrates private brands and includes more than 150 photos by award-winning photographer Teri Campbell.