Store Brands Like Kirkland, Great Value and Up&Up
Kirkland Signature, Great Value and up&up are store brands of Costco, Walmart and Target, which design and sell them but rarely say who makes each item.
By Olivia HarperContributing writer. Policy checked .
On this page
Store brands, also called private labels, are products a retailer sells under its own name. Who makes Kirkland, Great Value or up&up? This page sums up, in our own words, what Costco, Walmart and Target say about their own brands on their own pages, read on October 27, 2026.
What a store brand is
A store brand is owned by the retailer, not by the factory that fills the box. The store decides what the product should be, sets the price and puts its name on the label, and an outside manufacturer often does the making. You only find the brand at that chain, which is why Costco calls Kirkland Signature a Costco exclusive.
The three big ones
| Brand | Store | Since | What the store says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland Signature | Costco | 1995 | Costco's exclusive private label, from groceries and household goods to clothing and luggage |
| Great Value | Walmart | 1993 | Walmart's largest private brand, found in nine out of 10 U.S. households |
| up&up | Target | 2009 | An everyday essentials brand, relaunched in 2024 with hundreds of new and reformulated products |
Target says it has more than 40 brands sold only at Target, which make up about one third of its yearly sales and more than $30 billion a year. Its other owned brands include Good & Gather food, Market Pantry, Cat & Jack kids' clothing, Threshold and Room Essentials. Walmart said in April 2026 that it is giving almost 10,000 Great Value food and household items a new package design over two years, with the products inside and the prices staying the same.
Who makes Kirkland and other store brands?
Mostly, the stores do not say. Costco's Kirkland Signature page does not name any manufacturer, and Chowhound reported in May 2026 that the brand does not directly disclose its makers. Target says its owned brands are run by more than 1,500 people in over a dozen countries who handle design, sourcing and product development, but it does not name factories.
There are exceptions when a store tells the story itself. In 2017, Walmart's newsroom profiled Wells Dairy of Le Mars, Iowa, as the maker of Great Value ice cream for 30 years at that time.
How to read the label yourself
The package is the most reliable clue. Look for a line such as "manufactured for," "distributed by" or "packed by," and for the country of origin. Chowhound notes that Kirkland items differ: its organic peanut butter is labeled as made in the U.S., while its whole cashews are processed and packed in Vietnam. Packed or distributed in the U.S. does not mean the contents come from the U.S.
Are store brands cheaper?
Usually that is the point. Walmart says Great Value saves an average family 35% a year, based on its own comparison of a basket of common food items against national brands. Target says Market Pantry costs 10 to 30% less than national brand equivalents. Compare the unit price on the shelf tag to be sure.
Returns
Target lets you return Target Owned Brands items for up to one year with a receipt, for an exchange or a refund. See the Target return policy and the Costco return policy for the full rules.
Sources
About Kirkland Signature, Costco. Great Value redesign and Wells Dairy profile, Walmart. Target owned brands and Target return policy, Target. Kirkland origins, Chowhound. Checked October 27, 2026.