Dr Michael Schade, Dr Eike Abraham and Prof. Christoph Burmann (all from the markstones Institute) and Prof. Christopher Kanitz (FH Oberösterreich; University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria) have published an academic paper entitled “Linked vs. stand-alone – how focused and generic retailers should manage their private label (PL) branding strategy” in the journal *The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research* (VHB: C Journal).

In their study, the authors use an experimental study to examine how retailers should optimally design their private label branding strategy. The central question is whether private labels should be closely linked to the retailer’s brand (“linked”), or whether independent brand management without reference to the retailer (“stand-alone”) is more advantageous.

In their study, the authors use an experimental study to examine how retailers should optimally design their private label branding strategy. The central question is whether private labels should be closely linked to the retailer’s brand (‘linked’), or whether independent brand management without any reference to the retailer (‘stand-alone’) is more advantageous.

The results show that the optimal choice of private label strategy depends largely on the retailer’s degree of specialisation. Whilst specialised retailers with a clearly focused product range benefit from a link between the retailer’s brand and the private label, particularly in the premium segment, stand-alone brand management proves to be more advantageous for entry-level brands. For less specialised retailers with a broad product range, however, the results suggest that a stand-alone strategy is the more effective option in both the entry-level and premium segments. The study thus makes an important contribution to private label research by demonstrating that the impact of private label strategies is context-dependent and that, in particular, the retailer’s strategic orientation must be taken into account.