Senior executives at Golub Corp. have said the Price Chopper name no longer reflects the chain's broad range of products and services. Instead, it conveys the image of a no-frills or deep-discount supermarket, especially in areas beyond the Albany region where the brand is not as well-known.
Two national retail branding consultants who had no role in Price Chopper's decision to change its name to 'Market 32 by Price Chopper' both question the reference to '32,' but one was more critical than the other about the supermarket chain's new title.

"The name they chose boggles my mind," said Laura Ries, co-owner of Ries &amp; Ries in Georgia, a consulting firm whose recent clients include Ford, Doritos and Samsung. "They have not completely dropped 'Price Chopper.' They've made it longer and more confusing. They've added terms that people aren't going to really completely understand."

She added: "It's easier to remember Price Chopper than it is Market 32. I think they're going in the wrong direction. In fact, it's a weaker name. Price Chopper is a stronger name, it's just not the position they want to own."

Ries has never been to a Price Chopper, nor had she heard of the brand prior to being contacted by the Albany Business Review. She said the Market 32 name doesn't communicate a specific identity or what the chain provides to customers.

"In the supermarket business, you've got Whole Foods at the high end, Walmart at the low end, and everyone else fighting in that mushy middle. You have to really think hard, and, we say, narrow the focus to build a brand and then pick a name that's unique and memorable."

Another retail consultant, Joseph Bona, said the '32' -- which references 1932, the year the company was founded by brothers Ben and Bill Golub -- "seems a little esoteric."

"Do people even know or care that's when the brothers started the company?" said Bona, regional division president at CBX, a New York City firm that has done work for Dr. Scholl's, Snapple, Wrangler and others.

Bona, however, wasn't dismissive of the new name, saying the consultants who worked with the supermarket chain on the rebranding "did their homework and based it on some foundational knowledge of the existing base."

Mona Golub, spokeswoman of The Golub Corp. in Schenectady, New York, owner of Price Chopper, issued this statement when asked to respond to criticisms from branding consultants:

"How can a consultant from outside of the area, who hasn't visited our stores, doesn't know our current brand architecture, essence, voice, and personality, and didn't receive information about the extensive modernization plan that prompted the name change, possibly render an opinion about it?"

Senior executives at Golub Corp. have said the Price Chopper name no longer reflects the chain's broad range of products and services. Instead, it conveys the image of a no-frills or deep-discount supermarket, especially in areas beyond the Albany region where the brand is not as well-known.

The new name is part of a $300 million-plus strategy that will include renovations and upgrade s to half of the 135 stores over the next five years. The remaining stores will also be converted, a process that could take eight to nine years, officials have said.

There have been plenty of opinions voiced about the rebranding since it was announced earlier this week, something that company officials fully expected after more than 40 years of using the Price Chopper name. Jerry Golub, president and CEO, is hosting a live Facebook chat today to answer questions and further explain the changes.

Mona Golub declined a request to speak directly with the consultants who worked on the rebranding. The firm, Watt, has offices in Toronto and China and has done brand development for large supermarket chains Safeway and A&amp;P and many other companies including Home Depot and Hallmark.

Golub officials have said they worked for about two years on the rebranding, a process that included extensive customer research and consideration of numerous names before settling on Market 32 by Price Chopper. The 'by Price Chopper' will be dropped after officials believe customers have become accustomed to the new name.

"The 100,000-plus customers whose insight guided our process are thrilled that we're investing in improving their stores and creating a more modern shopping experience," Mona Golub said. "And many more have expressed their enthusiasm since we made the announcement. We're gratified by the passion our customers feel about our current brand and confident that when they see the transformation and experience Market 32, the name will define itself."

Read the full article <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2014/11/national-branding-experts-question-price-choppers.html" target="_blank">here</a>.