This Is the Meaning Behind the Kirkland Signature Brand Name at Costco
Perhaps you’ve heard us wax poetic about Costco’s private-label brand, Kirkland Signature, before? Perhaps you’ve also waxed poetic about how much you love it? The private-label brand includes all sorts of things like plastic wrap, applesauce pouches, vodka, and much more. And the stuff is always just as good as the name-brand stuff — if not better!
People have all sorts of questions around the brand. (Is it really made by the comparable big-name companies and just repackaged? How is it so inexpensive?) We had one burning question that was recently answered by Kirkland Reporter: Why is it called Kirkland Signature? Why not, say, Costco Signature?
Turns out, the Costco team and founder Jim Sinegal first wanted to call the brand “Seattle Signature” because the company was based in the Emerald City and they wanted to honor their home town. Unable to secure the name, the team decided to try a second option and went with “Kirkland Signature,” replacing Seattle with Kirkland, which was the name of the town their flagship warehouse was located in.
Read more: Costco founder, new CEO shares visions for company at Kirkland Reporter
And the very kernel for the idea of Costco’s private-label brand came from the U.K. After visiting, Sinegal realized that 50 percent of the food business was dominated by private-label brands and decided that Costco should follow suit.
Thanks, Kirkland Reporter, for getting to the bottom of that! And thanks Kirkland, Washington (and stores in the U.K.)!
More on Kirkland and Costco
- Kitchn Editors Reveal Their Favorite Kirkland Signature Products at Costco
- The Best Bottles of Kirkland Booze to Buy at Costco — Including the Vodka and Beyond
- The 13 Best Kirkland Signature Products at Costco
- 3 Private-Label Brands We Love as Much as Costco’s Kirkland Signature
- The Best Things You Aren’t Buying at Costco, According to Our Readers
Do you love Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand as much as we do? Tell us about your favorite products in the comments below!