PLMA Celebrates Successful 2025 Private Label Trade Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

NEW YORK (November 21, 2025) - PLMA’s 2025 Annual Private Label Trade Show, held Nov. 16-18 in Chicago, once again proved to be the premier B2B event for the industry.

“PLMA’s ‘Store Brands Marketplace’ was a success in every way, creating new opportunities for the private label industry to thrive,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies.

The Show featured hundreds of thousands food and nonfood products, 3,000 booths and more than 1,900 exhibitors representing 63 countries.

A major highlight of this year’s speaker lineup was the keynote address by Joel Rampoldt, CEO of Lidl US. Rampoldt detailed Lidl’s efficient business model, including its use of electronic shelf labels, shelf-ready packaging, and a curated assortment purchased in high volumes. He emphasized the company’s strong partnerships with suppliers.

“We invest in suppliers,” Rampoldt said.

Lidl’s business philosophy, he noted, is built on differentiation through price, quality, and simplicity. Store brands play a central role, with approximately 80% of its 3,300 core items positioned as private label. These include the Preferred Selection line of premium and globally sourced products and the new Butcher’s Specialty meats line. In addition, 85% of Lidl’s products are sourced in North America.

“We are a private brand company — because it’s the way we can deliver the best price and best quality,” Rampoldt explained.

He added that Lidl’s goal is to be the first choice for business partners, suppliers, team members, and consumers.

“We know that with the curated assortment we offer, our customers will shop at other stores — and that’s fine. But we want to be the place they come first because of the quality, price, and shopping experience.
The event drew upwards of 14,000, including retailers, exhibitors, visitors, and industry professionals from across the private label and retail sectors. The exciting and engaging Show floor provided one-stop-sourcing of new and innovative foods and nonfoods.

Collagen - Collagen is used as an ingredient in supplements, foods and beverages to support skin, joint and bone health.
Products on the Show Floor: Coffee Latte with Bioactive Collagen Peptides/Collagen Shots.

Functional Foods - Probiotic popularity has surged due to the reported link between gut health and overall well-being.
Products on the Show Floor: Probiotic Frozen Smoothie Cubes/Snacks.

Greener Cleaners - More sustainable choices are available for laundry cleaning.
Products on the Show Floor: Ultra-Concentrated Laundry Detergent Designed to Be Diluted at Home/Dissolvable Laundry Cleaning Sheets/Compostable Fabric Softener Sheets.

Regeneratively Farmed Products - Regenerative agriculture supports practices that prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem restoration.
Products on the Show Floor: Regeneratively Farmed Rice/Cold-Brew Coffee/Eggs.

Patched Up - Topical patches made with vitamins, antioxidants and other ingredients provide convenience for consumers seeking relaxation, immunity and wellness.
Products on the Show Floor: Sleep Patch/Energy and Focus Patch/Calm and Relaxation Patch.

Attendees flocked to the Show’s special displays:

• PLMA’s Idea Supermarket®, featuring the latest product and packaging trends from retailers around the globe.
• New Product Expo, a showcase of select product and packaging innovations from companies exhibiting at the show.
• PLMA's 2025 Salute to Excellence Award® Winners, an exhibit of retailer food and non-food product innovations chosen as best private label product in their categories by industry and consumer judges. Click here to see this year’s winners.

Throughout the Show, attendees voiced excitement about the second annual Store Brands Month in January - the national event promoting the quality, value and variety of store brands. Inside the Idea Supermarket, a kiosk played a compilation of videos featured on the @StoreBrandsMonth Instagram page. Click here for more information about Store Brands Month.

About PLMA

The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry. With executive offices in New York and International Council offices in Amsterdam, PLMA represents more than 5,200 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and World of Private Label International Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides annual conferences, executive education and professional development opportunities. An advocate for the industry, PLMA created Store Brands Month, a nationwide collaboration of retailers, wholesalers, and private label suppliers, promoting store brand products to the country's grocery shoppers. The month-long event focuses on increasing consumer attention to the quality, value and innovation of store brand products across all categories within brick and mortar and online retail formats. For more information, visit plma.com, plmainternational.com, and follow PLMA: