The New Product Expo at PLMA's 2024 Private Label Trade Show is the place to see trends that will shape the industry for years to come.

This special showcase features hundreds of new foods, beverages, household goods, personal care products and much more.

Both domestic and international exhibitors submitted items for consideration. Products were selected based on the level of innovation, sourcing, sustainability and packaging.

Among the hundreds of products that will be featured this year: functional milk teas, herbal tea tonic infusions, vegan jerky, single-origin vanilla, a triple oil Korean cleanser and digital female hormone testing device.

The U.S. market appears poised for a substantial increase in acceptance of and demand for private label, mirroring European trends, according to a Rabobank report by Tom Bailey, Senior Analyst - Consumer Foods.

With a focus on quality and value, U.S. market share could grow from the current 19% to 30% by 2033, according to the report. Economic pressures, market dynamics, and strategic industry shifts are among the growth factors.

Consumers facing financial strain are increasingly turning to private label, as evidenced by rising sales and traffic to discount grocers. Retailer consolidation and the growing influence of major brands are also reshaping the market, potentially leading to more – and better-quality – private-label offerings, according to the report.

Private label wines have been gaining steam for the last 25 years, and the current market is “ripe” for private label wine to thrive even more, Anthony Aloia, PLMA’s corporate vice president, stated in The Wine Analytics Report from WineBusiness.

“We think wine is the next frontier,” Aloia said in the report.

The report references PLMA’s 2024 Private Label Report, which states that the sales value for store brands (grocery and non-food) in 2023 rose nearly 5% to $236 billion, which is $10.1 billion more than the previous year. 

During the first 10 months of 2024, store brand dollar sales rose 3.8%, outpacing national brands, which were up 1%. In unit sales, store brands also outperformed their counterparts, increasing 2.5%, while national brands declined 0.7%.

Store brands are finishing the year strong: In the month of September, dollar sales gained 5.7% and since July, sales have increased about 5%.

For the 2024 period ending October 6, store brands reached all-time highs in both dollar (20.6%) and unit (22.9%) shares. Taking a longer view, store brands' annual sales have risen by 41% over the past five years. PLMA projects sales for all of 2024 will surpass a quarter trillion dollars, setting a new record for yearly sales revenue.

In the 10 departments Circana tracks for PLMA, during the 52 weeks ending October 6, store brand dollar sales rose in all of them, and store brand unit sales increased in all but Health.

• Costco has launched Kirkland Signature Vintage Ale in select locations. The Imperial Stout is brewed using dark chocolate malt, milled oats and Dutch cocoa. It is aged nine months in oak barrels previously used to produce Kentucky Bourbon. 

• Twin Cities-area grocer Kowalski’s Markets has launched a line of frozen burritos
made locally in small batches using its own exclusive recipes. Varieties include Beef; Bean & Cheese; Spicy Beef, Bean & Cheese; Bean & Cheese and Steak Fajita. 

• Lunds & Byerly's, Edina, Minn., has a line of premium Norwegian crisp breads. Flavors include Everything, Multi-Seed and Sesame Oat. The crisp breads are crafted in a small, local bakery in Norway.

$45.0 Million

Store brand wine sales for the 52 weeks ending October 6, 2024, a 19.1% increase from the same period the previous year. For the same period, unit sales of store brand wine reached 6.8 million, a 5.3% rise.

Source: Circana

Whole Foods Market’s organic spicy sesame garlic crunch is among the growing number of crispy products on store shelves. Grains, granola, sprouted and fermented nuts, roasted chickpeas and mushroom chips add texture to breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Whole Foods Market’s Top 10 Food and Beverage Trends for 2025.

“This brand was created with busy parents in mind. The hope is that you find joy in mixing and matching items to create something uniquely yours.”

•   Erin Wisecup, category director at Midwest grocer Fareway, said about the launch of Truly Yours, which includes truffles, mini pies and sandwich cookies. Future products include snack mixes, wheat berry bread, organic pasture raised eggs, trail mixes, pasta meal kits, pasta and salad kits.
 

In a recent PLMA Lunch and Learn presentation, Kasey Sheffer, Vice President of Own Brands at Giant Eagle, discussed how she and her team prepare for the Private Label Trade Show in order to make the most of their time on the show floor.