Private Brands Drive Engagement Across Generations

Promoting and Advancing Petroleum Marketing, Retail Grocery, and Convenience Stores in West Virginia

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

Our Purpose and Commitment

OMEGA is a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the business interests of the state’s petroleum marketing, retail grocery, and convenience store industries.

As a network of over 225 locally owned businesses, OMEGA actively promotes cooperation, advocates for favorable legislation, and provides education and resources to its members. With over 50,000 employees, OMEGA members significantly contribute to the state’s economy, generating more than 10% of all state taxes and supporting local communities through scholarships, charitable donations, and civic involvement.

OMEGA is committed to fostering industry growth while serving West Virginians with essential services like fuel, food, and convenience.

who frontpage

member frontpage

Join a Community that Champions, Connects, and Elevates!

Your Essential Connection in West Virginia

OMEGA offers three types of membership: Convenience Store Members, Petroleum Marketer Members, and Grocer Members, all of which play a vital role in providing fuel, food, and essentials across West Virginia. As a liaison with state and national agencies, OMEGA works closely with organizations like NACS, PMAA, FMI, and the N.G.A. to advocate on behalf of its members.

We keep members informed through newsletters, legislative updates, an online resource hub, and educational seminars. Additional member benefits include access to the Encova Workers’ Compensation Discount Program and participation in our annual Trade Expo and fundraising efforts for children’s charities. OMEGA is here to support, advocate, and enhance the success of our industry members.

There are few things in life that span different generations. My kids have never heard of an 8-track tape and my grandkids someday won’t know what a VCR is. That’s the world we live in these days, but it turns out private brands are an exception and have become quite public by raising their profiles with consumers across age segments. More than a third of consumers surveyed in a new report say they have noticed a growing variety of private brand products. These brands influence some 46 percent of consumers in their choice of where they shop.

By Doug Baker, Vice President, Private Brands, Technology, Industry Relations, Food Marketing Institute <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/photos-for-staff-use/produce/20171205-fmi-store-shoot-0103_ed6e7c1f0324aa67249237ff0000c12749.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=84dc786e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="20171205-FMI-Store Shoot-0103_ed" title="20171205-FMI-Store Shoot-0103_ed" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> There are few things in life that span different generations. My kids have never heard of an 8-track tape and my grandkids someday won’t know what a VCR is. That’s the world we live in these days, but it turns out private brands are an exception and have become quite public by raising their profiles with consumers across age segments. More than a third of consumers surveyed in a new report say they have noticed a growing variety of private brand products. These brands influence some 46 percent of consumers in their choice of where they shop. The report, called <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-private-brands-part-one-from-the-consumer">From the Consumer: Understanding the Private Brand Consumer</a>, is the latest installment in FMI’s annual <a href="https://www.fmi.org/industry-topics/private-brands">The Power of Private Brands series</a>, driven by FMI’s Private Brand Leadership Council. This year’s Consumer findings, based on research from Information Resources Inc., underscore how much private brands are drawing the attention and dollars of shoppers in multiple generations. The passion is led by Millennials, for whom about 19 percent of dollar purchases are in private brand items. Millennials may be the share leaders, but Gen X spends the most dollars on private brands, and is responsible for 31 percent of spending on these products across all retail outlets. These points were further addressed in a recent <a href="https://www.fmi.org/events-education/webinars/webinar-recordings/view/webinar-recordings-public/2018/05/10/the-power-of-private-brands-from-the-consumer">FMI webinar</a>, in which I was joined as a presenter by Mark McKeown, vice president of Client Insights at IRI, and Cindy Hogan, director, own brands, at Meijer. Mark emphasized that retailers are using their private brands for differentiation, and noted this strategy leads to greater consumer loyalty, more trips and better same store sales growth. Cindy said the growth of private brands and the building of consumer awareness are critical.  The report points out that private brands are becoming more like full-fledged brands as they grow in sales and sophistication. Positioning is especially important for lifestyle brands, because consumers need to have a clear understanding of these brand propositions, and how they differ from value and mainstream brands. Lifestyle brands typically focus on segments including organic and premium. Cindy noted that lifestyle brands achieve a measure of personalization by focusing on specific shopper needs. She added, “We need to stay partnered with our vendors to better understand what consumers want.” The Consumer report is the second of four annual installments in The Power of Private Brands series. The first, <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-private-brands-part-one-from-the-register">From the Register</a>, was published earlier this year. Two more reports in this series will be released in the coming months. They are: <ul> <li>From the Industry: Perspectives on industry attitudes and performance based on trading partner feedback.</li> <li>From the World: A view of the forces shaping global retailing and private brands.</li> </ul>

Read full article on FMI

Menus

Some of the main menus of the template are now set via the template parameters saving you having to set up menu modules for each menu. From this section you can choose what menus you would like connected with these pre assigned menu areas of the template.

Copyright Information

Enter the copyright information that will appear in the footer area of your template.

Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.