For the six months ending June 15, dollar sales of private label products increased 4.4% vs the same period a year ago, vs only a 1.1% gain for national brands, according to just-released six-month data from Circana and PLMA.

Private label dollar share of the market is 21.2%, which represents total store brand sales of $128 billion halfway through the year.

In unit sales, store brands posted a 0.4% increase while national brands fell 0.6%.

Private label unit share is at 23.2%. This represents growth over the last few years. Unit share was 20.5% two years ago and rose to 22.9% last year.

The biggest climbers in dollar sales for the 12 weeks ending June 15 were Refrigerated Foods (+10.6%), Frozen Foods (+ 2%) Beverages (+4 %), Pet Care (+2%) and Beauty (+ 1.6%).

In unit sales, store brands were up in eight of the nine departments over the past 52 weeks.

Visitors will step into the “‘Store Brands Marketplace” at PLMA’s 2025 Private Label Trade Show, Nov. 16-18 in Chicago.

The Show is set to be the largest event of its kind, bringing together thousands of innovative store brand products and solutions under one roof. From food and beverages to health, beauty, and household goods, the Show spans a wide range of categories - including wine & spirits, refrigerated and frozen foods, sustainable packaging, functional beverages, self-care and wellness, snack items, baby products, pet care, kitchenware, convenience foods and grab-and-go items, and much more.

Click here for registration information.

Some of the largest snack categories in convenience stores are well-represented by store brands, including pretzels (35% private label share of all units sold) and pork rinds (16%), along with potato chips (6%) and snack nuts (5%). Store brand sales for the 52 weeks ending June 15 in popular snack sectors were potato chips ($95m), pretzels ($85m), pork rinds ($31m), and snack nuts ($29m).

Store brands are also big players in other c-store categories and departments. Store brands owned a 34% share of all products sold in the Refrigerated section and 19% of selections in Frozen, for the 52 weeks ending June 15, per Circana. Total store brand sales in those departments amounted to $1.5 billion.

Store brands also accounted for 6% of General Food items and 3% of Beverages sold in the channel, producing another $2.2 billion in revenue.

Travel stops and convenience stores are popular destinations for summer travelers in search of food, drinks and snacks. In our new PLMA Live! news report, we share details on the latest store brand offerings for summer travelers at Wawa, 7-Eleven, BP and Buc-ee's. Watch here:

Shoppers are cooling off this summer with limited-time summer ice cream flavors. Kroger, for instance, has launched four limited-time selections:

- Italian Style Summer Fizz (blood orange sherbet with candy clusters)
- Fireside Nights (toasted marshmallow ice cream with s’mores bits and an orange swirl)
- Sandy Shores (coconut ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel crunch)
- Poolside Tan Lines (a blend of vanilla bean, chocolate, and coffee ice creams).
 

-    Wegmans Food Markets’ “Seasoning Shak’rs” are shakable herbs and spices. Flavors include Cajun, Garlic Parmesan and Everything Bagel.

-    D&W Fresh Market’s Finest Reserve gourmet pizza sauces are imported from Italy. Varieties include Spicy Arrabbiata and Classic Napoli.

-    Costco has introduced Kirkland Signature™ Sonoma County Cabernet wine at select locations.

Changing tariff policies were addressed in a recent PLMA webinar. Maria Pearman of GHJ discussed what can be done to future-proof businesses from the impact of ever-changing tariffs.

Watch here: