PLMA's 2023 Trade Show to Hail 'The Store Brands Phenomenon'

The largest event for store brands in North America is set for November 12-14 in Chicago

NEW YORK (April 24, 2023) - At a time when store brands have grown to become a $230 billion industry in the U.S., PLMA has announced a fitting theme for its 2023 Private Label Trade Show: “The Store Brands Phenomenon.”

The show will be held November 12-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago.

"'The Store Brands Phenomenon' theme is appropriate in many ways," said PLMA President Peggy Davies. "Hailed as dynamic, innovative and pervasive, store brands offer boundless opportunities for retailers, manufacturers and trade suppliers."

The growth of store brands has been strong and steady. By the end of 2022, PLMA calculates that annual store brand sales had increased by 40% over a five-year period. Last year's double-digit gains continued through the first quarter of 2023, according to Circana. Sales and dollar and unit market shares are at all-time highs. 

They are the shopper’s best friend, offering innovation, performance and quality. Store brands accounted for nearly one-third of all new sales flowing into U.S. retailing last year.

And there's more to come. Every day, store brand products are moving into new categories, new chains, new channels, and new platforms.

“Store brands are a powerful retailer component that provides important points of differentiation, competitive advantage and builds consumer loyalty," added Davies.

The 2023 Private Label Trade Show will reflect this expansion. PLMA expects that over 1,500 companies will be exhibiting and 5,000 individuals attending.

"For more than 40 years, PLMA has provided supermarkets, supercenters, drug chains, wholesale clubs, dollar and specialty stores, mass merchandisers, importers and exporters, and e-commerce retailers an exclusive venue to discover the latest food and non-food products, ingredients, flavors, fragrances, and packaging,” Davies said.

For more information on "The Store Brands Phenomenon" trade show, contact PLMA at +1 212 972-3131, email info@plma.com or click here for more information.

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 4,000 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and its World of Private Label Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides annual conferences, executive education and professional development opportunities. Follow PLMA on plma.com, plmainternational.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Store Brand Beverage Numbers Deserve a Toast!

Featured in PLMA’s e-Scanner March 25, 2023 newsletter, created by Tom Prendergast, Director, Research Services

Throughout store brands' steady double-digit gains of 2022, which has continued through the first two months of this year, fully 16 of the 17 departments tracked by IRI showed store brand improvement.

One department demonstrated particularly strong sales performance -- Beverages -- a section once considered impenetrable for store brands due to the powerhouse national brands that inhabit it.

But that dominance may be changing. In this extremely competitive department, store brands have been growing at a faster pace than brands for the past 4, 12 and 52 weeks, reported IRI Unify exclusively to PLMA.

The numbers deserve a toast. Total private label beverage sales in 2022 were $12 billion and dollar sales grew by 19.3%. Double digit growth continued into the new year as dollar sales over the past four weeks totaled 18.6%, only a slight dip from the 20% sales growth in the past three months.  

The Beverages department is the third largest of the 17 tracked by IRI when it comes to national brand and store brand dollar sales ($130B) and second largest in unit sales with over 40 billion in sales. 

The largest category in beverages is bottled water. The category has sales of $6.8 billion in 2022 and dollar sales growth of 23.1%. While dollar sales did slow, from 21.3% over 12 weeks to 20.3% in the past four weeks, it remains the largest dollar sales category in the department.

Water is not the only growth category in this department. When you take a closer look at other areas you see while not everyone is showing growth but the ones gaining sales are especially strong.

For instance, carbonated beverages have increased from 15.8%-dollar sales growth last year to 32.4% in February and 28.9% over the past three months. This growth is also reflected in unit sales, as sales for carbonated beverages grew 4% in the past 4 weeks and 1.2% over the past 12 weeks. While unit sales did dip 2.5% last year, like dollar sales, sales of units of carbonated beverages continued to advance.

Two other growing categories over this period were refrigerated tea/coffee and tea bags. Refrigerated tea/coffee grew from 8.2% in dollar sales last year to 10.7% in the past four weeks. Tea bags had even more dramatic results, as dollar sales went from 5% in 2022 to 12.3% in the past three months to 17.5% in the past four weeks.

Other categories also stood out. These include bottled juices (10%), coffee (15.4%) and ready to drink tea/coffee (15.8%); all had double digit growth in 2022. In the past four weeks, while growth has slowed, it remains positive, ranging from 66.8% for ready to drink tea and coffee to 13.9% for coffee and 10.2% for bottled juices.

Unit sales improvements were also striking. Ready to drink tea/coffee saw units rise from 10.4% in 2022 to 84% over the past 3 months and 75.7% in the past 4 weeks. Coffee unit sales were up 2.8% last year but kept most of that growth in the past four weeks with a 2.5%-unit sales growth.

After decades of being a bottom shelf afterthought in a strong national branded department, store brands are evolving to become a presence if not a player in many parts of the huge Beverages sector.

To find out more IRI Unify data is available to all PLMA members and can be found at plma.com where these statistics and sales of 317 categories and 967 subcategories can be found.

PLMA Announces 2023 Private Label Hall of Fame Inductees
HOF logo

NEW YORK (March 23, 2023) - The Private Label Hall of Fame Class of 2023 was inducted last night during PLMA’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference in Orlando. 

Presented by PLMA and Store Brands magazine, the Private Label Hall of Fame was created in 2006 to recognize the men and women who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the global private brand industry.  

This year, the Hall of Fame honors 16 individuals in four categories: Next Gen Private Label Leader, Private Brand Innovator, Private Brand Champion, and Lifetime Achievement. 

“We proudly celebrate the outstanding achievements of these proven leaders and innovators,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “Their hard work and dedication are instrumental to the success of the store brands business.” 


Private Label Hall of Fame Class of 2023
 

         Next Gen Private Label Leader: 

  • Anthony Cera III, Own Brands Manager, Perishables, SpartanNash    
  • Colleen Kangas, President, Purcell International      
  • Angela LePore, Senior Manager, Private Brands Product Development, Simmons Pet Food, Inc.    
  • Kristin Provost, Senior Manager, Category Insights, Topco Associates, LLC                 
     
    Private Brand Innovator:
     
  • Alicia Cook, Category Director, Save A Lot                        
  • Casey Creegan, Manager of Merchandising, Love’s Travel Stops        
  • Roger Scommegna, CEO, Flying Blue Imports         
  • Guido Tremolini, President/Co-Owner, G.S. Gelato

    Private Brand Champion: 
  • Shane Brown, Director, Own Brand Sourcing, Giant Eagle, Inc. 
  • Jill Clark, VP, Sales and Marketing, Dutch Gold Honey, Inc. 
  • Andrea Collaro, Senior Director, Owned Brands, Brand Management/Product Development, Walgreens Co. 
  • Kristie Nicolosi, CEO, The Kingswood Company

        Lifetime Achievement: 

  • Brenda Lord, Vice President, Private Brands, CVS Health          
  • Nancy Ragozzino, President, Ragozzino Foods, Inc.         
  • Andy Russick, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Pacific Coast Producers      
  • Jill Sando, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Target
     
    “The 16 honorees represent the best of the best from across the world of private label and showcase the depth of talent the industry has to offer,” said Store Brands magazine Executive Editor & Associate Publisher Greg Sleter. “This august group of retailers and suppliers have had a major impact on the private label business and will continue to do so in the years ahead.” 
     
    Profiles on all inductees will be featured in the May/June issue of Store Brands magazine, featured on StoreBrands.com, and posted in a special section of plma.com. 

     
    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 4,000 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and its World of Private Label Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides annual conferences, executive education and professional development opportunities. Follow PLMA on plma.com, plmainternational.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.
"How Private Label Packaging Strategies Influence Shoppers Intent to Purchase"
Notable Quotable: Jillian Jensen, Gopuff
“By looking into consumer order trends, we were able to identify the flavors and products our customers were craving most and turn those insights into a private label assortment designed specifically around their taste preferences.”

- Jillian Jensen, General Manager of Private Label Merchandising at Gopuff, said of the new limited-time fall-themed additions to its Crave Shoppe and Basically private label brands.

Selections include Crave Shoppe Iced Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Donut Holes, Cheese Danish, Mini Apple Fritters and Bourbon Salted Caramel Fudge; and Basically Apple Cider.

Study: More Male Shoppers Look for Savings

Male consumers are increasingly adopting cost-conscious purchasing habits.

In just six months, the share of men who search for coupons or promotional codes online rose 9 percentage points, from 34% to 43%, according to the Consumer Sentiment Study by market research consultant Alter Agents.

The percentage of men who shop sales events throughout the year increased from 38% to 46%, while use of credit cards that reward purchases rose from 39% to 45%.

Thirty-five percent of men say they are purchasing more store or private label products instead of national brands. Among both men and women, 39% of higher-income households report purchasing more private label products, nearly identical to the 41% of lower-income households doing the same.

The changes among men point to greater effort going into finding savings before a purchase. Participation in traditional loyalty programs remained relatively stable, while behaviors that require shoppers to seek out a deal or choose a payment method based on its rewards increased during the study period.

Did You Know?
58% of consumers say they don't care if a product is a national brand or private label. They just buy what they need, according to a NielsenIQ report, “A Tale of Two Consumers: The Polarized Mindsets Reshaping Global Consumption.”

Among other findings: 
•    67% of Gen Z consumers believe private-label products are just as good as national brands.
•    68% of consumers view private-label products as a good alternative to national brands.
•    69% of consumers believe private-label products offer good value for money.
•    About one-third of price-constrained consumers will switch to lower-priced products or whichever brand is on promotion.

Private Label Wine Raises the Bar on Innovation

Retailers are pouring more resources into private-label wine as they expand their offerings and strengthen promotional efforts.

Albertsons, for instance, has introduced three new store brand varietals:
•    The 2024 Vinaforé Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
•    The Luna Chiara Valdadige DOC Pinot Grigio
•    The Firefly Ridge Lighter Sauvignon Blanc

Among other promotional efforts, Gelson’s Markets includes its private label wine in gift baskets. One basket includes Gelson's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a variety of store brand groceries, including chocolate chip bread, pasta sauce and spaghetti.

Meanwhile, H-E-B's newly remodeled Hancock Center store in Austin, Texas, features an expanded Beer and Wine Department. Shoppers can receive expert guidance from a wine steward and explore new varieties at in-store tasting stations.

PLMA's 2026 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show, Nov. 15-17 in Chicago, will again host a dedicated Wine & Spirits section on the Show floor that gives buyers one-stop access to private label sourcing opportunities from around the world.

Building on the success of previous Shows, the Show will offer buyers access to a wide range of wines, spirits, beers, ciders, ready-to-drink beverages and emerging beverage concepts from multiple continents.

In the newly rebranded World of Ideas, the International Salute to Excellence Wine Awards will feature three dozen winners hailing from seven European countries and the U.S.

Wine exhibitors will be among thousands of exhibitors from 60 countries who will present the latest in food, beverages, health and beauty, household products and general merchandise.

Retailer, wholesaler and visitor registration is open for buyers looking to expand their adult beverage programs at the U.S. private label industry’s most comprehensive annual event.

New PLMA Study Reveals Growth Opportunities in Personal Care

 To better understand how shoppers perceive and choose store brand personal care products, PLMA has conducted the first study in its new Shopper Intelligence series.
“Store Brand Reach in Personal Care” reveals how shopper trust, category-level barriers and cross-category adoption can unlock new growth opportunities for store brand personal care.

Based on a survey of 1,500 U.S. shoppers, the study provides retailers and suppliers with evidence to help determine where to invest, which barriers must be overcome and how individual product opportunities can develop into broader category growth plans.

“The findings show that performance trust drives store brand adoption five times more than price, the proof shoppers need varies by category, and success in one category can increase the likelihood of adoption in another,” said Peggy Davies, PLMA president. “Personal care is one of the most promising open frontiers for store brands.”
A PLMA Live! Presents Lunch & Learn webinar will be held October 1. Attendees will learn which proof points can motivate shoppers to switch to store brands and which cross-category pathways can turn a single-product purchase into broader personal care adoption.

CLICK HERE to register.

PLMA will present the full findings during the Opening Seminars at its 2026 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show.

Registration Closes 9/11: Mastering Enterprise Sales & Category Leadership
Ahold Delhaize USA and Target Senior Leaders to Headline PLMA's 2026 Trade Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EDITORS NOTE: Bios and Photos HERE Logos HERE
CONTACT:
Libby M. Roberge
Director, Marketing & Communications
lmroberge@plma.com
press@plma.com

Ahold Delhaize USA and Target Senior Leaders
to Headline PLMA's 2026 Trade Show

NEW YORK (August 19, 2026) -- Senior executives from two of the country's most admired retailers -- John Conlin, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Food & Beverage at Target and Abby Cook, Senior Vice President of Own Brands for Ahold Delhaize USA -- will describe the inner workings of their companies’ successful store brand programs to an audience comprised largely of private label food and nonfood suppliers at PLMA's 2026 Private Label Trade Show, November 15-17, in Chicago.

The executives will deliver keynote addresses at successive breakfast sessions: Conlin on Monday, November 16, and Cook on Tuesday, November 17, both at 8 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, headquarters hotel for PLMA's 2026 Trade Show.

“This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from top retail executives leading their companies’ own brand strategies,” said Peggy Davies, PLMA president. “We’re looking forward to their insights into how strong retailer-supplier collaboration supports the evolution of their brands and creates opportunities for continued growth.”

Conlin leads Target’s Food & Beverage business and is responsible for all merchandising and buying activities, as well as the company’s owned brand food portfolio and sourcing operations. Since joining Target in 2000, he has held numerous leadership positions across merchandising and digital businesses, leading a wide range of categories including Seasonal, Home, and Apparel. Prior to his current role, he served as Senior Vice President of Properties and New Store Development.

“Our role at Target is really to curate the best food assortment in the industry,” said Conlin in a recent interview. Food and beverage comprised 24% of the chain's merchandise sales last year.

Cook oversees Ahold Delhaize USA's Own Brands portfolio, leading strategy, innovation and execution to support growth and differentiation across the company’s U.S. grocery brands. She is responsible for positioning the portfolio for its next phase of growth and helping advance the company’s Growing Together strategy through product innovation, quality and value. Prior to her current role, Cook served as Vice President of U.S. Strategy and Portfolio, where she led the development and execution of key strategic priorities, including the advancement and long-term strategy for Own Brands.

“The role of our team is to stay a few horizons ahead, anticipating shopper needs and bringing innovation, quality and value to life through our Own Brands portfolio,” said Cook.

Ahold Delhaize USA continues to expand its Own Brands portfolio, which is available across its local grocery brands, including Food Lion, The GIANT Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. The company's portfolio consists of 12 private label brands. Among them are Nature’s Promise, which offers organic, plant-based and free-from products, and Taste of Inspirations, its premium specialty and gourmet food brand. Last year, the company expanded the assortment with approximately 1,100 items focused on healthier options and ready-to-eat offerings.

About PLMA

The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry worldwide. With executive offices in New York and International Council offices in Amsterdam, PLMA, is the only trade group of its kind, representing more than 5,200 member companies in more than 80 countries.  In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and its World of Private Label international trade show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides in person and online events including 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 focused on increasing consumer attention to the quality, value and innovation of store brand products across all categories and retail formats. For more information visit plma.com, plmainternational.com, and follow PLMA on LinkedIn.