BENTONVILLE, ARK. – Walmart’s Sam’s Club is rolling out three new exclusive brands in a bid to maintain the sales momentum it’s enjoyed over the past five quarters and lure more shoppers with its groceries.

The warehouse club chain run by Walmart Stores Inc. is launching Artisan Fresh, an array of baked goods from baguettes to apple pies; Simply Right, a personal care collection including diapers and pet care; and Daily Chef, which includes groceries such as olive oil.

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The three new brands being unveiled this year by Sam's Club involve personal care and pet care products, fresh baked goods, and groceries. The Associated Press

The new brands will be rolled out to all 600-plus stores by the end of October. In many cases they will replace its store label Members Mark.

The launch builds on the efforts over the past year to improve the quality of its merchandise.

“The strategy is working. We’re staying the course — the member is responding,” Linda Hefner, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said during a media tour of a Sam’s Club store a few miles from Walmart’s headquarters. The company’s annual shareholder meeting is today.

Walmart wants 20 percent of what its own customers spend on food and consumables like paper towels to be spent at Sam’s Club, up from 12 percent.

Efforts to enhance Sam’s Clubs’ portfolio of merchandise have already paid dividends, inching closer to arch-rival Costco the gold standard for the industry. In its latest fiscal year ended Jan. 31, Sam’s Club, which accounts for about 12 percent of Walmart’s total revenue, posted a revenue increase of 3.5 percent to $47.8 billion. That compares with a 0.1 percent increase at Walmart’s much bigger namesake U.S. business.

Sam’s Club has started to roll out Artisan Fresh’s goods in the deli and bakery. Simply Right will start to appear in stores this month, and the rollout for Daily Chef will begin in July.

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