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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.

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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.

Food retailers increasingly offer a wider variety of private brands options in their stores and are strengthening their private brands value proposition. But it all comes down to which private brands categories shoppers actually purchase. That’s what we examined with IRI in Power of Private Brands: At the Register 2018 report.

<p>By Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, Private Brands, Technology, Food Marketing Institute<br /> <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/photos-for-staff-use/check-out/20171205-fmi-store-shoot-1000_ed.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=7bcf786e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="20171205-FMI-Store Shoot-1000_ed" title="20171205-FMI-Store Shoot-1000_ed" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></p> <p>Food retailers increasingly offer a wider variety of private brands options in their stores and are strengthening their private brands value proposition. But it all comes down to which private brands categories shoppers actually purchase. That&rsquo;s what we examined with IRI in <em><a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-private-brands-part-one-from-the-register">Power of Private Brands: At the Register</a></em><em> </em>2018 report.</p> <p>In general, private brands are purchased by a majority of U.S. households with U.S. sales totaling $138 billion in calendar year 2017 across multiple retail outlets and convenience. In the grocery channel, private brand sales totaled $68 billion during the same time period. While overall private brand sales improved, it&rsquo;s important to consider consumer trends in addition to where they are spending their food dollars. Supermarkets have stabilized their role as the &ldquo;primary store,&rdquo; but this status matters less as shoppers add on other non-traditional channels as frequently used sources. Remaining primary with consumers today does not mean maintaining a steady share of grocery trips, which is why we&rsquo;re seeing private brands performing best outside of grocery. IRI&rsquo;s experience indicates that the growth must therefore be coming from the Mass-Dollar-Club channel. It&rsquo;s evident that the private brand picture depends on the channel.</p> <p>So what&rsquo;s a food retailer to do? To better understand potential growth opportunities for food retail private brands, let&rsquo;s take a closer look at how private bands are preforming in specific categories and departments.</p> <h5>Spotlight on Organic Private Brands</h5> <p>Looking at the data, shoppers turn to private brands when making organic purchases. For example, the organic private brands segment is growing, with a 0.3 point share increase in the past year. The segment with the biggest organic presence is refrigerated, which has a 9 percent share and increased 1 point in the past year. At the same time, private brands sales represent about 20 percent of food and beverage sales overall, but when it comes to organic items, private brands represent close to 30 percent of sales and this remains consistent across departments. Clearly there is an opportunity for food retailers to continue to leverage the private brands organic value proposition with shoppers. </p> <h5>The Recipe of Premium and Value</h5> <p>According to IRI Consumer Connect data from the third quarter of 2017, nearly one-third of U.S. households struggle to afford groceries. For these households, private brands represent a price value that is essential to meeting their grocery shopping needs. At the same time, IRI finds that premium and organic products are more likely to be purchased by higher earners. This means the recipe for private brand success includes offering private brand tiers to meet the needs of the value shopper, but also satisfies the premium shopper. </p> <h5>Swimming Up Stream</h5> <p>Food retailers have done a lot to change the frozen seafood category and it&rsquo;s starting to pay off. Offerings in this private brands category have shifted from inexpensive frozen, breaded seafood to a wider variety of healthier options. Today, private brands frozen seafood is presenting a stronger value proposition with a range of price points. While mainstream private brands still represents more than half the dollar business, premium and value combined represent 75 percent of the category, making the frozen seafood private brands category an example to look at for other categories.</p> <h5>In Conclusion</h5> <p>Private brands continue to experience a rise in consumer awareness and acceptance, and in response, retail outlets across the value chain are making private brands a strategic priority to differentiate and drive loyalty. We have also witnessed a number of non-traditional retail outlets join the private brands movement to differentiate. Therefore, traditional grocery retailers that have private brands as one of a number of strategies for consumer engagement and loyalty, should mine their customer data to identify and better understand shoppers&rsquo; motivations. </p> <p><a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-private-brands-part-one-from-the-register" class="button-secondary">Download Power of Private Brands: At the Register 2018</a></p> <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-private-brands-part-one-from-the-consumer" class="button">Download Power of Private Brands: From the Consumer 2018</a>

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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.

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OMEGA Members Receive a 3.4% discount

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