Mountain Equipment Co-Op: The Private Label Strategy

Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is a well-known Canadian retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment. While it stocks a range of branded products in its stores, a key source of profits is its private label line of products, which spans the entire range of products offered at MEC. The challenge MEC faces is how to continue to develop and launch innovative private labeled products while recognizing that these private labeled products may be direct competitors of MEC’s assortment of global brands. MEC needs to be able to develop its line-up without being seen as infringing on intellectual property or being too much of a “follower.” In assessing how MEC can develop its line-up, students can review MEC’s philosophy as a co-operative (in which it positions itself as being different from corporations) and its design philosophy.