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 Scroll down to read the latest press information from PLMA member companies or click PLMA News for current press releases from PLMA. |
RALCORP ACQUIRES HARVEST MANOR FARMS
(St. Louis)—Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. has acquired Harvest Manor Farms, a leading manufacturer of private label and branded snack nuts with annual net sales of approximately $180 million. Harvest Manor Farms will continue its operations in El Paso, Texas. Ralcorp anticipates the transaction will be slightly accretive during the remainder of its 2009 fiscal year. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Kevin J. Hunt, Co-Chief Executive Officer and President of Ralcorp Holdings, said, “Harvest Manor Farms will become a key part of our snack nut business and will enhance Ralcorp's snack nut product offerings and nationwide manufacturing footprint.”
NOW FOODS EXPANDS MANUFACTURING FACILITY
(Bloomingdale, Ill.)—NOW Foods, Inc., celebrating its 40th year manufacturing natural products, is in the final stages of expanding its state-of-the-art Bloomingdale, Illinois GMP certified manufacturing facility to 250,000 sq. ft. The expansion includes enlargement of NOW’s laboratory in staffing and capability for the more complex testing. The company also announces that it has introduced 3 SKUs of Organic Stevia to its product range.
CALICO BRANDS OFFERS MULT-TIER LIGHTER RACKS
(Ontario, Calif.)—Calico Brands is offering a multi-tier rack program for its lighters to convenience stores. Included in the 3-tier and 4-tier racks is a combination of sparkwheel, electronic, mini sparkwheel, themed-designs and cigar disposable lighters. As an additional bonus, each rack in the program includes a free pre-selected 50 ct. tray of Calico Jeweltone sparkwheel lighters or custom logo sparkwheel lighters.
PRESTIGE WINE GROUP OFFERS FAIR TRADE VARIETALS
(St. Paul, Minn.)—Prestige Wine Group is introducing Fair Trade Certified wines. Four varietals are offered: cabernet sauvignon, malbec, chardonnay, and merlot. The wines are produced by Fairhills, a South African company. Sales of Fair Trade Certified products have grown dramatically in the U.S. Their sales are currently estimated at $730 million and projected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2012. While new to the U.S., sales of fair trade wines have been growing steadily among European countries since 2003.
MONDIV INTRODUCES STAND UP POUCH PACKAGING AT PLMA TRADE SHOW
(Boisbriand, Quebec)—Mondiv, a division of Lassonde Specialties, is introducing innovative specialty food products packaged in stand up pouches at PLMA’s Trade Show, held November 16-18, 2008 in Chicago. Mondiv is offering pasta sauces, gravies, soups, and ready-to-eat meal solutions (beans in various sauces) packaged in pouches. This new pouch technology is added to the company’s capabilities in glass containers. Mondiv now has a full line of retort products, many of which are preservative-free and organic. Mondiv is also introducing a line of ready-to-drink coffees at the Trade Show. Visitors can find samples of the new products at Booth 1000 on the trade show floor.
WINTERFIELD LLC ACQUIRES BOOTS CREEK CONVERTING
(Marion, Ind.)—Winterfield LLC, a leading U.S. manufacturer of disposable tableware products, has acquired Boots Creek Converting, also located in Marion, Ind. Boots Creek is a privately-held company with a closely related product line consisting of decorated paper plates, bowls, and cups. Winterfield, LLC will attain all of the assets of Boots Creek Converting. Steve Hendey, the former owner of Boots, will become a stockholder and vice president in the newly expanded company that will operate under the Winterfield, LLC banner. William L. Lester, President of Winterfield, LLC said: “This is an exciting time for Winterfield, LLC as we strengthen our product portfolio, and broaden our customer base to include food, drug, value, club wholesale and retail channels while gaining a position into the party goods segment.” |
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On a typical trip to a supermarket to buy 43 basic grocery and household items, the research indicates that consumers saved an average of $46.39, or more than 30% savings when compared to purchases of national brands in the same categories. The products represented in the typical market basket included cereal, soda, pasta, orange juice and cookies, on the food side, and facial and bathroom tissue, cold and flu medications, dog food and aspirin among the non-foods. The top five products in the study which were found to have the largest gaps in pricing by percentage were aspirin, sinus spray, soda, saltine crackers and body lotion. The price differential in soda, aspirin, sinus spray and lotion saved consumers between 50-60%, while items such as cereal and ice cream consumers saw savings of over 30%. Store brand frozen pizza had a price differential of 23%. Dog food saved shoppers 25% over competing brands. In total, 35 of the 43 food and non-food items PLMA examined saved consumers more than 20% off their grocery bills and nearly a quarter of the products saved shoppers over 40%. (Click here to download the complete chart of market basket products and prices) PLMA's 8-week price comparison research was conducted in a typical suburban supermarket located in the northeast. A market basket featuring 43 frequently purchased products from both food and non-food categories was used. A leading national brand product was compared to a similar store brand product in each category and prices were adjusted to account for all known discounts, coupons and promotions available for each of the weeks included in the study. “Prices may vary from market to market, but the savings that consumers will achieve will follow the same pattern across the country,” said PLMA President Brian Sharoff. The Private Label Manufacturers Association is the industry trade association devoted exclusively to store brands. Founded in 1979, PLMA today represents over 3,000 companies who are involved in the manufacture and distribution of store brand products. The products supplied by PLMA members include food, beverages, snacks, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter drugs, household cleaners and chemicals, outdoor and leisure products, auto aftercare and general merchandise. The survey was conducted weekly during the 8-week period from January 2, 2009 through February 22, 2009.
NEW YORK - While “recession” is the most popular word in today’s media, the buzzword at PLMA’s Private Label Trade Show, to be held Nov. 15-17 in Chicago, will be “innovation.” PLMA is launching its new Innovation Hall, a unique “show-within-a-show” at the association’s annual Trade Show in the Rosemont Convention Center to help retailers and manufacturers maintain store brands’ growing leadership role in the marketplace. The new exhibition space will feature an array of companies that offer innovative products and services for private label that go beyond product development. “The Innovation Hall represents the next logical step in the evolution of store brands,” says Brian Sharoff, President, PLMA. “Over the past decade, store brands have expanded to annual sales of $80 billion. This has been driven by remarkable gains in product quality and assortment. But as business gets larger, more complex and demanding, there is a strategic need by both retailers and manufacturers for more than just products.” PLMA’s Innovation Hall will concentrate on services and ideas that are necessary for growth to continue: • Laboratory testing and certification: to ensure product quality, consistency and safety. • Market research, marketing services, business consulting: sophisticated data and expertise to manage store brands as brands. • Software and technology: information systems that can be applied in all aspects of sales, marketing and supply chain operations. • Packaging design and graphics: to reflect the greater importance of premium products and expansion into new categories. • Logistics and supply chain: to guarantee superior service and greater efficiency. • International sourcing: to give retailers and manufacturers access to the global marketplace •Manufacturing equipment: to increase the capability of suppliers to produce new products quickly and achieve higher volumes. • Financial services: to allow retailers to offer their customers financial services that round out the shopping experience. “If store brands are going to sustain their success in the decade ahead, retailers and manufacturers will have to commit themselves to innovation in products and services,” PLMA’s Sharoff says. PLMA’s new Innovation Hall will occupy the mezzanine hall. In addition to company exhibits, there will be demonstrations and classes open to all trade show attendees. The new Innovation Hall will also open the day before the regular show floor starts so that exhibitors and visitors alike can participate. PLMA’s annual Private Label Trade Show is the nation’s largest marketplace for store brand products. Over 4,500 visitors attend the show annually, including buyers and executives from virtually every major retail chain and wholesaler. The show, held at Chicago’s Rosemont Exhibition Center, presents more than 2,000 exhibit booths from the leading manufacturers of private label products. All major product categories are represented, from food and beverages to health and beauty care and household.
NEW YORK – New consumer polling data from GfK Custom Research North America reveals that U.S. consumers are making big changes in their supermarket shopping as they tighten their budgets during the country’s economic troubles. The research, conducted by GfK for the Private Label Manufacturers Association, found: • More than 30% of consumers polled say they are now “buying more store brand products” compared to a year ago. • Nearly three out of 4 say current economic conditions are “important” in deciding to buy more private label. • The percentage of consumers who say that they buy private label “frequently” has increased sharply to 55% from 41% in 2006 and 12% back in 1991. These and other findings are included in a special PLMA report, “Store Brands and The Recession,” based on GfK’s nationwide poll of nearly 800 main household grocery shoppers taken last month. The report also indicates that consumers are going beyond traditional supermarkets for their main grocery shopping and visiting more stores to get the lowest prices. Nearly 50% of respondents say they expect to prepare and eat more meals at home. PLMA commissioned GfK to undertake this study on consumer attitudes toward private label in the U.S. in the light of news reports pointing to escalating growth rates of store brand sales in all retail channels over the past year. PLMA has published a series of reports on store brands every five years since the early 1980s. The last was conducted by the Ipsos-MORI organization in 2006. The GfK survey was intended to measure changes in consumer habits study since 2006.
http://www.plma.com/PLMA_Store_Brands_and_the_Recession.pdf For more information about store brands and to arrange an interview with Brian Sharoff, President, PLMA, contact Dane Twining, Director of Public Relations, at (212) 972-3131. |
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