Own-label product ranges could be small stores' best route to meeting customers' expectations of value, according to an industry data analyist.

Speaking at the Federation of Wholesale Distributor's annual conference in Birmingham earlier this month, Nielsen retail services manager David Glennon said retailers could expect to see a fall in big brand promotions as brand owners' discretionary budgets are used to absorb raw material cost increases.

He suggested that retailers could instead exploit own-label promotions to appeal to today's cost-conscious customers.

"Independent retailers looking to keep up a value offering once these big brand promos fall back will be able to do so by promoting their own-label goods," he told C-Store. "Fortunately for them, the wholesalers and symbol groups have made great strides in this area these past few years and there is now a huge amount of faith in these types of products."

Shoppers would also become increasingly "promiscuous", regularly visiting more stores to ensure they picked up the best promotions and deals, he said.

Local stores were also likely to benefit as the strain on spending continued to force a growing number of people to reduce their car use, he added.