LONDON - Tesco has made steps to launch its global brand by debuting pet food and ice cream without the Tesco brand, Marketing Magazine reports. The goal is to produce successful products that could appear on shelves of non-competing stores, such as gasoline stations and garden centers.

The initial "venture brands" include La-thams dog food, NutriCat cat food and ChokaBlok ice-cream. "Our own-label business is very mature, so we??re looking at what??s next," said Sidonie Kingsmill, brands development director for Tesco.

"Our venture brands are very different to own-label; they will never be "me-too" products," she said. "We look at where the customer opportunities are, where brands are not succeeding and what we can do in addition to brands. We??re in a unique position as the biggest retailer, with access to the best suppliers worldwide."

Name-brand manufacturers like Procter & Gamble and Nestlé were informed of the new product line but Kingsmill said that the companies "were not upset" because Tesco??s venture brands were different products.

Product marketing with print advertising, sampling and websites, only lists the grocer as the stocker. All three brands will debut in central European Tesco stores during the summer.