From Lance Bass of NSYNC to AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, pop music icons have strong connections to Topco Associates’ private brands. Jenny Applegate - Topco’s Vice President, Brand & Marketing - speaks with PLMA Live! about how music partnerships featuring Food Club, Crav’n Flavor and other store brands cater to multiple generations of shoppers. Watch Michael Sansolo’s interview with Applegate here.

In an exclusive interview with PLMA Live!, Scott Morris - Walmart's Senior Vice President of Private Brands Food, Consumables, and Manufacturing - discusses the redesign of Great Value, the company’s flagship and largest private brand. Morris shares key details of the brand’s first refresh in more than a decade. Plus, he speaks with Michael Sansolo on other topics, including health and wellness, sustainability and supplier partnerships.

PLMA’s Unify+ is a valuable market data tool from Circana that provides exclusive access to private brand dollar and unit sales. Circana’s Jim Carlson explains how it works. Plus, stay tuned for informational workshop dates. Unify+ is free to PLMA members and retailers. Click here to access the data. If you’re not a member, you can join here as well.

Spring cleaning is here and PLMA Live! shares an update on sustainable household products, including paper goods, storage bags, and laundry supplies. Products from H-E-B, Sprouts and Topco are profiled. Watch “What’s the Latest in Private Brands?” for more details.

Suppliers may have valuable ideas for retail clients on how to grow the category and improve profitability, but need to communicate with them more effectively, says Christopher Gardier, Catalyst Consultants. Gardier works with companies to adjust sales messaging in a way that resonates with customers and makes them an “irreplaceable” supplier. He outlines ways to improve the sales approach and build an organization that solves retailers' business problems in this interview with Michael Sansolo. Gardier will address this topic at PLMA’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference, April 15-17, in Bentonville, Arkansas. His co-presenter is Julien Leblanc of blueprint N.A. Click here for details about the conference.

From school cafeterias to the U.S. government, concerns about ultra-processed foods are a big topic of conversation. Hear about the science foundation, business implications, misinformation and reasons why private brands should pay close attention. Watch Carol Angrisani's interview with Kantha Shelke, Ph. D., senior lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and principal of food science strategy firm Corvus Blue.

PLMA’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference, April 15-17 in Bentonville, Arkansas, is a time to connect, learn and lead. The Class of 2026 will be inducted into the Private Label Hall of Fame. The educational program features 12 breakout sessions across multiple tracks and five main-stage presentations. Scott Morris - Walmart's Senior Vice President of Private Brands Food, Consumables, and Manufacturing - will deliver the keynote address. Jodi Daley shares highlights from the agenda and presentations.

Nominations are now open for the Private Label Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The deadline is March 2. The Class will be inducted during PLMA's Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference, taking place from April 15-17 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jodi Daley shares details into this year’s nomination process.

Join PLMA Live! for a wide-angle view of private label’s banner year. We dive into the results of 2025 year-end sales data. Find out where the sweet spots were. Discover the parts of the market booming for store brands. Maureen Donoghue brings the numbers to life in this latest video.

The industry united in support of the second annual Store Brands Month. Find out how retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers supported the nationwide consumer awareness campaign with in-store messaging, promotions, sweepstakes, special offers, and social media. PLMA Live!'s Jodi Daley has all the details.

Scott Morris - Walmart's Senior Vice President of Private Brands Food, Consumables, and Manufacturing - will deliver the keynote address at PLMA's 2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference, April 15-17 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The early bird rate is effective until Jan.23, 2026. Register here. Carol Angrisani discusses the topic of Morris’ address. Plus, hear about other high-impact speakers and the Private Label Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

For the 9th year running, Texas-based regional standout H-E-B is in the lead. Find out what customers loved and why, and take a deeper dive into what worked in 2025 for grocery outlets. Dunnhumby's new Retailer Preference Index (RPI) is out and reveals some interesting changes in the American marketplace. Plus, find out how your store brand could be the secret formula for driving sales among all shoppers. Join Maureen Donoghue for an insightful conversation with dunnhumby's Erich Kahner, Director of Competitive Strategy and Insights. Watch the full interview here.

Want to find out what’s new in store brands? Follow reporter Michael Sansolo as he visits exhibit booths at the 2025 Private Label Trade Show in search of the latest trends and innovations. Hear about protein-packed foods, unique pet treats, innovative sports medicine products and dried cherries.

Joel Rampoldt, Lidl U.S., sat down for a one-on-one interview with PLMA Live! Hear what Rampoldt says about the company’s growth and opportunities for private label suppliers. Plus, find out some of the new products to hit store shelves. Watch Carol Angrisani’s exclusive interview here.

PLMA’s powerhouse Fall 2025 speaker lineup has been announced. Over the next few months, you’ll hear from a robust roster of experts from Misfits Market, Thrive Market, C&S Wholesale Grocers and more. The series runs from September – November. Watch here to find out the full schedule for the PLMA Live! Online speaker series.

PLMA’s 2025 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show, Nov. 16-18 in Chicago, is set to be the largest event of its kind, featuring thousands of innovative store brand products and solutions under one roof. In a pre-Show report, Jodi Daley shares trends in Wine & Spirits, Self-Care/Wellness and Grab-and-Go. Visit storebrandsmarketplace.com for information about the show.

PLMA's 2025 World of Private Label International Trade Show, held May 20-21 in Amsterdam, featured 3,150+ exhibitors from 75 countries. In all, more than 32,000 trade professionals - including retailers, exhibitors and other visitors from 125 countries - attended the event. Judith Kolenburg reports on trends she found in the Idea Supermarket®, a special showcase featuring the latest product and packaging trends from around the globe. Among the products Kolenburg profiles: items for new moms and babies from Boots and dm-drogerie markt; and sports nutrition from Auchan and Aldi.

Five key themes are having an impact on the retail marketplace. Find out what they are from Rachel Dalton, Head of Retail Insights, North America, Kantar. AI, manufacturer-retailer partnerships and "decisive retail" are among the areas explored. Hear more about these and other themes, along with the impact on private label growth. Click here for full interview.

Businesses need to break down data silos, fragmented data ecosystems that lack integration between departments, says Joe Puglia, business technology and operations consulting principal, Plante Moran, PLLC. Eliminating data silos can improve collaboration, create efficiencies and provide better insights. Puglia also discusses the role of AI in planning, forecasting and scheduling. Click here for full interview.

Evolving consumer shopping habits have prompted certain retailers to modify their store formats. Among other advantages, stores with a smaller footprint meet shopper demand for quicker, more frequent shopping visits; a wider selection of fresh products and a more personalized experience. What’s more, they carry lower overhead costs. Plus, they enable retailers to enter new markets. McMillanDoolittle's Amanda Lai, Director of Food Industry Practice at McMillanDoolitle, speaks with Carol Angrisani. Click here for full interview.

The U.S. private label industry could see a $100 billion rise in sales over the next five years, reaching about $350 billion, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. Effective retailer-manufacturer collaboration is key to capturing this growth opportunity. Winning manufacturers will be those that partner with retailers to alleviate challenges and capability gaps. Click here for full interview.

What are the similarities between the current economic landscape and 1970s-style stagflation? What are the opportunities for store brands? To find out, PLMA convened a year-ahead panel discussion featuring three industry veterans: Thomas Ewing, T. Marzetti Company; Mark Krakauer, MWK Marketing and consumer goods consultant; and Jim Wisner of Wisner Marketing. The panelists share their perspectives on quality, consistency and other factors that position store brand food and nonfoods for success in the year ahead, including growing potential for premium private label. Michael Sansolo moderates. Click here for the full panel discussion.