Press Release 9th January 2024

25 years of clever - 25 years of quality at a discount price

A good life doesn't have to cost a lot of money - with this vision, the own brand clever was launched in spring 1999 with a range of 40 basic food products. Some people may still remember the potato chips, fruit yogurts and fish sticks with which the discount brand found its way onto BILLA shelves back then. This was followed by its inclusion in the BIPA range in 2000 and in the ADEG range in 2007.

The clever range is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and already includes more than 700 everyday products. / Copyright: BILLA, Reproduction for PR purposes free of charge

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At a glance

Since 1999, the own brand clever has been offering quality at a guaranteed low discount price
Launched 25 years ago with 40 basic groceries, the range now includes more than 700 everyday products
With a supported brand awareness of 97 percent, clever is the most frequently purchased own brand in the entry-level price segment in Austria
Even more products with quality at a discount price: expansion of the clever variety in the dry goods and drinks range

Today, the clever range includes more than 700 everyday products: from local apples to a large selection of cheeses, from sausage and meat to frozen pizza, ice cream and snacks to drinks, household and hygiene products and pet food.

"The reliable price-performance ratio has made clever a reliable everyday companion for people in Austria for 25 years now. Anyone who reaches for clever is always guaranteed to buy at a discount price - without having to study price comparisons on the shelf. It's not for nothing that clever products are the most frequently found in customers' shopping carts of all Austrian own brands. With a supported brand awareness of 97 percent*, clever is the number one own brand in Austria," explains BILLA CEO Erich Szuchy.

Quality and prices you have been able to rely on for 25 years

The most popular products and therefore top sellers of the own brand today include products such as kitchen rolls, tea butter, toast ham, energy drinks, eggs, gouda, minced meat and bananas. To mark the 25th anniversary, many clever new additions are now being added to the BILLA and BILLA PLUS shelves, including colorful peanuts, burger buns, fresh egg waffles, party shots and a limited edition of the energy drink Gummibärli. In addition to a constant expansion of the product range, the clever design has been revised over the years. The discount brand has always had its finger on the pulse of the times with its packaging designs. However, clever's top priorities have always been product quality and guaranteed low prices, as well as consumer trust, then as now.

Win a car in the big anniversary giveaway

Great prizes are being raffled off to celebrate clever's 25th anniversary: including a VW Polo, 90x REWE shopping vouchers, 20x BILLA Reisen vacation vouchers, 20x oeticket event vouchers worth 200 euros each and 20x BILLA Reisen sports event vouchers worth 400 euros each.

*REWE Own Brand Monitor 2022 conducted by marketmind, n = 2,000 (November 2022)