Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a retailer
    • ex. The online retailer offers free delivery.
  2. launch
    • ex. The IT company will launch its new software next week.
  3. plant-based
    • ex. My cousin doesn’t eat meat. She follows a plant-based diet.
  4. entice
    • ex. The discounts offered by the store enticed a lot of customers to buy more items.
  5. an alternative
    • ex. I’m trying to eat less meat, so I use mushrooms as an alternative.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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U.S. retailer Walmart has recently launched Bettergoods. It is Walmart’s largest store brand in 20 years. The store brand offers a variety of products including frozen food, snacks, beverages, pasta, coffee, and chocolate. These products are divided into different categories like plant-based options and food for special types of diets. Bettergoods aims to entice younger shoppers who want cheaper but high-quality food products. The store brand is available in Walmart’s stores and online shop.

The introduction of Bettergoods happens at a time when prices are on the rise. People are looking for cheap alternatives, making store brands more popular than national brands. According to the market research firm Circana, store brands’ sales increased last year compared to 2022. On the other hand, national brands’ sales decreased. According to The Associated Press, store brands have greatly improved their products’ taste and quality.

And as different store brands’ quality increases, so does the competition among retailers. Retailers, including Target and Trader Joe’s, are continuing to develop and improve their store brands. So, Walmart’s Bettergoods products are designed to be unique. Walmart’s store brand wants to introduce new trends and flavors to customers.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Store Brands and National Brands

  • Which do you prefer to buy, store brands or national brands? Discuss.
  • People are looking for cheap alternatives, making store brands more popular than national brands. Why do you think this is the case? Discuss.
  • Store brands are now more popular than national brands. What do you think national brands can do to get their popularity back (ex. lower their prices, improve their products)? Discuss.

Retailers

  • When buying products, what kind of retailers do you usually go to (ex. big and popular stores, small retailers in the market)? Discuss.
  • How do you feel about retailers making their own store brands? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what is an effective strategy that retailers can use to entice younger shoppers to shop at their stores? Discuss.