Swee!, a hyper-local brand under the Private Label umbrella of RedMart, Singapore’s leading online grocery retailer, has been awarded Gold in the New Brand category at the 2019 Vertex Awards. The annual Vertex Awards celebrates and recognises the best in private brand packaging design across the globe.
Other Gold Award winners this year include renowned overseas retailers such as Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia, 7-Eleven in the US, Sobeys in Canada, Albert Heijn and SPAR in the Netherlands, El Corte Inglés in Spain, and German supermarket chain Aldi.
Launched in February 2018, the Swee! brand is a celebration of Singaporean tastes and preferences, offering entry-level, everyday groceries and household items ranging from oyster sauce and sesame oil to sausages and scourers for Singapore shoppers. It is one of three brands under RedMart’s Private Label range, along with RedMart Label and World’s Cellar. Launched in May 2015, the three brands together house more than 320 products across 13 categories, all sold exclusively on RedMart.
Richard Ruddy, Chief Retail Officer and Head of Grocery for Lazada Singapore, said, “We launched our RedMart Private Label range in May 2015 with the aim of delivering value for money to customers with no compromise on quality or innovation. Since then, the range has grown by leaps and bounds – we have experienced 80 percent year-on-year growth and more than tripled our Private Label revenue since June 2017, and almost 50 percent of RedMart shoppers now buy RedMart Private Label products.”
Nupur Agrawal, Private Label Lead at RedMart, said, “We are thrilled to receive this award with Anthem Singapore for RedMart’s Swee! Label, which is under our Private Label umbrella. We will continue to expand our offerings to provide Singapore grocery shoppers with the best product range and quality regardless of price point, as well as look for ways to enhance the online-to-offline experience, such as through innovative and iconic packaging designs.”
Anthem, the global creative agency responsible for Swee!’s packaging design, was challenged by RedMart to deliver a brand story with local relevance and ultimately attract more traditional shoppers who are more comfortable buying from their regular brick-and-mortar supermarket. RedMart and Anthem’s goal was to create a brand proposition that connects with the local consumer and answers their need for a range of simple, fit-for-purpose items.
Spencer Ball, Creative Director of Anthem Singapore, said, “It is a proud moment seeing Swee!, a brand born out of Singapore’s heartland, being honoured on the world stage. This is a perfect example of the shared belief in a simple, strong idea, from a talented creative team and a bold client.”
As a strictly online brand, packaging presentation and branding is paramount. RedMart and Anthem collaborated to create a brand with a ‘chirpy’ personality, but with a familiar simplicity. Drawing on inspiration from Singapore’s heartland, with a nod to the utilitarian aesthetics of high-rise public housing estates and the unpretentious language of the neighborhood wet market, Anthem landed with the brand name ‘Swee!’ – a Hokkien expression that roughly translates to ‘works perfectly’. Since its debut on RedMart, the line has continued to grow with a diverse range of products.
Anthem is known for choosing to collaborate exclusively with retailers and brand owners who share their company values in ensuring the highest quality products. The brand development partnership with RedMart was a great fit, as RedMart’s Private Label is built on stringent quality guidelines with a deep commitment to supporting sustainably and responsibly sourced products.
Anthem, part of SGK group, had previously won Vertex awards for other projects. This year, the group has also won Gold Vertex Awards for the work developed for Woolworths Supermarkets.
The 2019 Vertex Awards received a record number of entries from 33 countries representing the absolute best in packaging design from across the globe.
RedMart is fully owned by Lazada Group, Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce and shoppertainment platform.