A number of US exporters at the PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta seem to be pinning their hopes on strong branding as a route back into the European and UK markets.

Your first reaction might be “good luck!”, but high operational and shipping costs are leaving US growers with little choice. They are not alone, of course, but one thing that is undeniable in other fields is that the Americans tend to stand firmly behind their brands and traditionally have not been afraid to make the financial commitments that many in other countries might dismiss as folly. That some are looking at the UK market, in its current position, as having potential for brand extension is surprising, but it will be interesting to see the method behind the madness.

A brand that adds value to the retailer, as well as the consumer, is surely not to be sniffed at.

While certain retailers refuse to shift from their own-label preoccupation, there are still opportunities for suppliers that have the scale and deep enough pockets to come out of their troubled corners fighting. Suppliers that have been working outside of the UK retail marketplace, and have therefore not had much of their creative blood drained in the name of efficiency, may well be at an advantage.

Certainly the third of Asda’s suppliers who will be shown the door in the near future will have had any thoughts of brand value engineered out of them long ago.