Store Brands Continue to Thrive, per IRI
Sales Over the First 11 Months Up 10.6%
Annual Total is Expected to Set a New Record

As 2022 comes to a close, store brand sales in the U.S. continue their steady gains.

Over the first 11 months of the year, dollar sales increased by 10.6%, nearly twice the growth of national brands, which were up 5.8%, according to IRI. 

In the month of November alone, store brand sales improved by 12.4% compared to the same period in 2021, while national brands were up 7.4%. So far this year, store brand dollar share is at 18.5%, unit share is 20.1%. 

Based on the data, PLMA is projecting full year 2022 sales of store brands to reach $221 billion, which would be a $21 billion increase over 2021 and a new annual record. 

The growth is spread across the store. 

Looking at the 17 individual food and nonfood departments that IRI tracks for PLMA, over the trailing 52 weeks ending November 27, store brand sales were up in 16 of them, including double digit increases in nine departments: Beverages, Deli prepared, Liquor, Refrigerated, Floral, Bakery, Produce, General food and Deli meat. Only in the Tobacco department were sales off. 

In the two largest departments for store brands, Refrigerated with $47 billion in sales, and General Food with $38 billion, the increases over the 52-week period were 15.3% and 12.3%, respectively.

Store brands also outperformed national brands in terms of unit sales for the first 11 months of the year; they were down slightly at minus 1.3% while national brands dropped more than three times as much, off 4.3%. For the month of November, store brands were nominally even at minus 0.8% while national brands gave up 4%. Such disparate results in unit sales are often seen as an indicator of shoppers switching to store brands from national brands.

The in-person return of PLMA’s Private Label Trade Show was a tremendous success. Retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and other industry members connected and collaborated to advance the store brand industry. News anchor Jodi Daley reports on product trends from the show floor, ideas shared at the presentations and much more. Click here for video.

The global private label industry will again meet at PLMA’s “World of Private Label” International Trade Show at the RAI Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam, May 23-24.

In all, some 25,000 professionals from more than 120 countries will participate. Exhibitors will be joined by retailers, wholesalers, importers, and others, to examine products, strengthen partnerships, identify innovation in business practices and plan for profitable store brand growth.

For more information regarding World of Private Label and PLMA International, please visit plmainternational.com

Peggy Davies, PLMA President, welcomes everyone to the 2022 Annual Private Label Trade Show.

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Contact: press@plma.com

PLMA Announces 2022 Salute to Excellence Award Winners
Walmart, Albertsons, Sprouts among retailers honored for store brand innovation

CHICAGO (Nov. 13, 2022) - Walmart’s Sam's Choice™ oatmilk chocolate bar; Albertsons’ Signature Reserve™ ravioli with porcini mushrooms and truffle; and biodegradable household cleaner from Sprouts Farmers Market are among PLMA’s 2022 Salute to Excellence award winners for store brand innovation.

They join nearly 100 other Salute to Excellence winners announced today at PLMA’s 2022 Private Label Trade Show here. The annual awards recognize outstanding food and nonfood products introduced within the last year at supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers and many other retailers. More than 725 products from 50 North American retailers were submitted.

“I congratulate all the retailers that participated in this year’s award program,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “These awards prove that store brands are leading the retail industry and giving shoppers the high-quality, high-value and great-tasting products they want.”

Among the product trends from this year’s winners:

• Plant-Based Products - Full Circle Market™ Plant-Based Bolognese-Style Pasta Sauce from Topco Associates; Sam's Choice™ Oatmilk Dark Chocolate Bar, Walmart; Earth Grown™ Non-Dairy Mocha Fudge Almond Milk Frozen Dessert, Aldi.
• Specialty Pasta and Sauce – Signature Reserve™ Ravioli with Porcini Mushrooms and Truffle from Albertsons; and Gustare Vita Parmigiano Reggiano Pasta Sauce from Hy-Vee.
• Eco-Friendly Nonfoods - Total Home® Stainless Steel Silicone Straws from CVS; and Multi-Use Biodegradable Cleaner from Sprouts Farmers Market.
• Organic - Regeneratively Grown Organic Nepali Golden Black Loose Leaf Tea from Thrive Market; SE Grocers Prestige-brand Organic Chili-Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Southeastern Grocers; Simple Truth Organic™ Chocolate Chip Baked Energy Bar from Kroger; and 365 by Whole Foods Market-brand Organic Fair Trade Unsweetened Coconut Shreds from Whole Foods.

Submissions were sampled and evaluated by a panel of professional and consumer judges on several criteria, including taste, packaging and value for money. Categories include snacks, health and beauty, home and household, food for the family, meal preparation and healthy eating.
The winning products are being showcased at PLMA’s 2022 Private Label Trade Show, which opened today and runs through Nov. 15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The winners can be viewed soon at www.plmawinners.com.

About PLMA:
The Private Label Manufacturers Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry. It is the only trade group of its kind, representing 3,800 member companies in more than 75 countries. In addition to annual, industry-defining trade shows in Chicago and Amsterdam, PLMA offers its members the annual Leadership conference, executive education and professional development programs, original consumer and market research, as well as digital media platforms, including exclusive news coverage from PLMA Live! and the e-scanner industry newsletter. Follow PLMA on plma.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

Near Record Number of Retailers Registered as PLMA Chicago Show Approaches
Sold-Out Event Reflects Store Brand Industry Optimism

NEW YORK (Nov. 10, 2022) -- Thousands of smiling faces will be assembling in a few days at PLMA's sold-out 2022 Private Label Trade Show, November 13-15, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago. The Show is themed, "Consumers Are Back In Charge," a nod to the evolving attitudes and demands of post-pandemic shoppers.

The U.S. store brand business has much to be pleased about these days. Sales are up, retailers are doubling down on the products to help customers cope with inflation, innovation is turbocharged to meet consumer expectations, and there's a surge in store brand non-foods, particularly in health and beauty, household products and nascent categories like hemp-derived CBD.

But most of all, the industry will be celebrating its first in-person trade show in three years.

"After all that time apart, we're pleased that our industry reunion in Chicago will draw large crowds from across the board," says Peggy Davies, PLMA president. "We declared the event sold-out for exhibitors about a month ago, the earliest call ever, and the number of individual retailers who've registered has already exceeded the 2019 figure and is close to a record."

"Visitors will discover high-quality, food and non-food store brand products from some 1,400 outstanding suppliers in 2,300 booths. And it's a global affair. More than 50 countries are represented on the floor, including more than 500 booths in national pavilions from Europe, Latin America and Asia," offers Anthony Aloia, PLMA's corporate VP. "Overall, we're expecting attendance to top 5,000."

The South Hall is devoted to health and beauty, household goods, kitchenware, and general merchandise; food, snacks, beverages, refrigerated and frozen are located in the North, South and Sky Halls. Innovation is featured up and down every aisle and viewable in PLMA's popular Idea Supermarket TM, New Product Expo and Salute to Excellence displays. There are also showcases for Wine and Spirits, Hemp-derived CBD products and Plant-based meat and entrees.

As a result of the strong exhibitor participation, retail executives are eager to walk the floor. John Evans, Director of Private Brands, HBC, GM and Non-Foods, Weis Markets, says, "The PLMA show is our innovation pipeline and we've found many new items and vendors there. It is great to be back in person as our private brands are in a great position to grow share and the resources we find in Chicago help us meet consumers’ needs of the future."

Christine Heffernan, SVP, Sourcing & Supply Chain, Topco Associates, adds, "We look forward to meeting with companies we already partner with, especially those we haven’t seen outside of a Zoom call. Quality is a key element for a successful program. If I find something I like, I ensure my team stops at the booth to inquire about that company's capabilities."

Prior to the Show, PLMA’s Executive Education program will be conducted at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, November 12-13. Designed with Saint Joseph’s University’s, the curriculum provides an understanding of what's required to bring store brands to market in a post-pandemic environment, including product innovation, sales and marketing skills, and effective retailing operations and merchandising practices.

The Sunday program kicks off with presentations by MaryEllen Lynch, Principal, Center Store Solutions, IRI; Ken Harris, Cadent Consulting Group; Jon Hauptman, President, Price Dimensions LLC, and Gary Stibel, Founder/CEO, New England Consulting Group.

Concluding the afternoon will be a panel, "Hemp is More Than CBD," moderated by Joe Linne, VP, Hemp Brand Builders, and including Lynn Sarsgard, Senior Business Development Director, Hemp Brand Builders; Evan Ogburn, Founder/Co-Owner PHARM CBD; Rachel Berry, Founder/CEO, Illinois Hemp Growers Association and Adrienne Snow, CEO/Co-owner, Western States Hemp.

On Monday, Arjun Chakravarti, Managing Partner of Cogknition Analytics, a leading strategy and analytics consultancy, will deliver the breakfast keynote, 8 AM at the Hyatt's Grand Ballroom. His topic is "Economic Growth in 2023: Will It Impact Your Business Strategy?"

On Tuesday, a Retail Trends panel, also 8 AM at the Hyatt, will discuss "How has the upheaval of the Covid era impacted store brands and shoppers?" Moderating will be Michael Sansolo, President, Sansolo Solutions, a speaker, author and blogger with a unique view of trends impacting shoppers, employees, competition and management.

Panelists include David Bishop, Partner, Brick Meets Click; Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman Group; Caroline Davidson, Director, Agency and Channel Partnerships, SPINS; and Anthony Schelich, Partner, Marketing Concepts Group.

PLMA is gratified but not surprised by the early sell-out of exhibition space and near-record turnout by visitors. "Retailers know that in these difficult times more and more consumers are turning to store brand food and non-food products," explains Davies. "And the best single place to source those products is our Chicago show."

Click here for additional show information. 

About PLMA:
The Private Label Manufacturers Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry. It is the only trade group of its kind, representing 3,800 member companies in more than 75 countries. In addition to annual, industry-defining trade shows in Chicago and Amsterdam, PLMA offers its members the annual Leadership conference, executive education and professional development programs, original consumer and market research, as well as digital media platforms, including exclusive news coverage from PLMA Live! and the e-scanner industry newsletter. Follow PLMA on plma.com, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

PLMA’s Keynote, Retail Trends Topics:
Outlook for Economic Growth in 2023 and
PL Response to Consumer & Retail Changes
Nov. 14-15, Hyatt Regency O’Hare Ballroom

NEW YORK (Nov. 8, 2022) – The outlook for the economy amid the highest inflation in four decades and the changes needed to stabilize today’s market, will be the focus of the keynote, "Economic Growth in 2023: Will It Impact Your Business Strategy?" on Monday, Nov.14 at PLMA’s 2022 Private Label Trade Show in Chicago.

Kicking off PLMA’s much anticipated show, Arjun Chakravarti, Ph.D., Managing Partner of Cogknition Analytics, will deliver the address at 8 AM in the Hyatt Regency O’Hare’s Grand Ballroom.

Chakravarti will provide an overview of U.S. consumer spending, labor markets and global supply chains giving focus to what needs to change for each to naturally stabilize inflation. Among the issues he will address are how likely these changes are to occur given current conditions; which will shed light on how aggressively the Federal Reserve will need to intervene to meet its goals; and the implications for economic growth and private label demand over the next six to 18 months. 

Michael Sansolo, President, Sansolo Solutions, will be the moderator of the Retail Trends Breakfast panel, “How has the Upheaval of the Covid era Impacted Store Brand Products and Shoppers” at 8 AM, Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt. The panel of industry experts will include David Bishop, Partner, Brick Meets Click; Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman Group; Caroline Davidson, Director, Agency and Channel Partnerships, SPINS; and Anthony Schelich, Partner, Marketing Concepts Group. 

Sansolo will lead the discussion on consumer trends, how they’ve changed, why they’ve changed and what will be the lasting effects of today’s economy on consumer buying habits. Experts will delve into retailer responses during past inflationary times and its lasting impact on private label; what are the fundamental changes currently happening to the foundation of retail; how has the Omnichannel changed consumer purchasing habits; and how to take lessons from the past and turn them into retail and private label opportunities.

More About the Speakers:

Chakravarti is a highly regarded expert on the impact of macro and consumer-level economics on business strategy, he has worked closely with several companies in the food and grocery industry and has served in leadership roles both in industry and academia.

Prior to Cogknition Analytics, a leading strategy and analytics consultancy, he was a member of the executive leadership team Global Experience Specialists (GES), serving as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Analytics, and Insights. He was also an award-winning business school professor at Illinois Tech, having published in top academic journals and developed graduate and executive programs in analytics, design, and management.

Chakravarti serves on the board of the Center for Event Industry Research (CEIR) as well as Consulting Economist for Winsight-Technomic. He received his Ph.D. and MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Sansolo is a consultant, speaker, author, and blogger with a unique and diverse view of the changing nature of trends impacting shoppers, employees, competition, economics, supply chains and management.

He’s currently the research director of the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Councils for both supermarkets and convenience stores and in his 13 years as senior vice president at FMI, the biggest food retail association in the United States, he was responsible for all education, supply chain and research activities.

Prior to joining FMI, Sansolo was editor-in-chief of Progressive Grocer magazine.

The show, which is themed, "Consumers Are Back In Charge," a nod to the evolving attitudes and demands of post-pandemic shoppers, will feature more than 1,400 outstanding suppliers of high-quality food and non-food products in 2,300 booths. More than 50 countries are represented on the floor, including over 500 booths in national pavilions from Europe, Latin America and Asia. PLMA is expecting 5,000 attendees at the private label industry’s first in-person trade show in three years.

Located in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, the South Hall is devoted to health and beauty, household goods, kitchenware, and general merchandise; food, snacks, beverages, refrigerated and frozen are in the North, South and Sky Halls. Innovation is featured up and down every aisle and viewable in PLMA's popular Idea SupermarketTM, New Product Expo and Salute to Excellence displays. There are also showcases for wine and spirits, hemp-derived CBD products and plant-based meat and entrees.

About PLMA:
The Private Label Manufacturers Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry. It is the only trade group of its kind, representing 3,800 member companies in more than 75 countries. In addition to annual, industry-defining trade shows in Chicago and Amsterdam, PLMA offers its members the annual Leadership conference, executive education and professional development programs, original consumer and market research, as well as digital media platforms, including exclusive news coverage from PLMA Live and the e-Scanner industry newsletter. Follow PLMA on plma.com, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

The in-person return of PLMA’s Private Label Trade Show is right around the corner. There will be many opportunities to connect and collaborate at this can't-miss event, Nov. 13-15 in Chicago. Watch our video report on educational seminars, networking opportunities and, of course, the exhibit floor! Click here for video.