When it comes to household sundries and everyday products, BJ’s Wholesale Club has been a household name since its inception in the 80s. And one of their flagship products- the laundry detergent, is made by one of their two private labels, Berkley Jensen. This article explains ‘Who makes Berkley Jensen Laundry Detergent?’.
With their main office situated in Westborough, Massachusetts, the home-products provider started as a company conceived by departmental store company Zayre, at the bay area in 1984. This iconic member-only-based sales model provider is famously known for being the first to introduce the warehouse club concept in the United States. But what’s more to know about BJ’s Wholesale?
The BJ’s Wholesale Club Story
The birth of BJ’s Wholesale Club was part of the beginning of the Wholesale Club era- it began right around the same time as its direct competitors, Costco and Sam’s Club. While it is an independent company with a proper stronghold today, BJ’s wasn’t always the strong business we know it to be today. The company was plagued by the passing of the baton of ownership multiple times- while it was conceived and begun by Zayre, it was later sold off to their competitor at the time, Ames. They then created TJX Companies, which kicked off its warehouse division with BJ’s and the now non-existent HomeClub, which together formed Waban Incorporated.
Later, Waban Inc. turned BJ’s Wholesale Club into an independent entity- as we know it, today.
There are quite a few thoughts behind the iconic brand acronym as well. While it is very enticing to think that BJ’s simply stands for Berkley Jensen (one of their own private brands), the story can’t be any more different. The actual elaboration of the abbreviation as we know it today is Beverly Jean- named after the daughter of the first President of the company, Mervyn Weich.
What Makes BJ’s Wholesale Club Unique?
Their membership-based sales model was a novel idea and fresh when it was introduced decades ago. This, coupled with their product quality and proper service to their loyal customer base has ensured their solid competition with some of the leading brands in the US- Costco and Sam’s- which is astonishing on its own because of how statistically ahead the other two brands are and yet, BJ’s Wholesale always manages to be one of the key players of this market. This model ensures that each customer enjoys the maximum benefit of their membership and thus, keeps their customer base unwavering.
It is also noteworthy that, BJ’s Wholesale Club’s success is also proportionate to their geographical reach- while Sam’s and Costco are pretty much everywhere, BJ’s Wholesale Club operates at select locations only. Given the fact that they’ve announced that an expansion plan is in the works, who’s to say BJ’s Wholesale Club will not directly compete with its bigger and better competitors in the near future?
More about the BJ’s Wholesale Club Membership Model
At BJ’s Wholesale Club, the membership model is structured at three tiers, with corresponding benefit levels for each- The Inner Circle, the 2% Membership and the Business Membership. The Inner Circle members get various coupons, add-on membership facilities and complementary facilities as well. The 2% provides all the same benefits as the Inner Circle but also provides an extra 2% cash back upon each purchase. The business membership is more suitable for those buying for resale purposes. So you could buy their laundry detergent (which is what you came to find here in the first place, *wink wink*) for your own consumption or to sell again if you’re a commercial entity. Add this to the fact that customer convenience is given its due diligence at BJ’s Wholesale Club- memberships can be renewed right at their store counters- BJ’s perfectly justifies its longevity, however silent.
What else does BJ’s Wholesale Club sell?
Apart from its very famous laundry detergent which is a household name, BJ’s also sells a varied range of non-perishables under their brand Berkley Jensen- baby products, makeup, home supplies like the laundry detergent and such- and non-perishables as part of their other private brand, Wellsley Farms- dairy products, ready-to-eat meals, fresh produce, juices and deli meats. And let’s not forget, these are just a few of their products. They also sell products from some other of America’s favourite brands- Kerrygold, Amy’s Kitchen, Kashi, Newman’s Own and many more. Considering the wide range of products, it is easy to see why BJ’s Wholesale Club boasts of membership in the millions- a recent study attests to BJ’s Wholesale Club having a little more than 5 million loyal members, who pay to be part of the club and buy their household products and goodies by the bulk.
Conclusion- They’re here to stay!
Despite the rocky path that BJ’s Wholesale started off on, it has developed into a fan-favourite brand with its own considerable and unshakable market base. Couple that with their plans to start in some other new locations and tap new markets, we can expect BJ’s Wholesale Club to grow to be a much larger entity than it is today.
