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Contact: press@plma.com
Scott Morris - Walmart’s SVP Private Brands Food, Consumables, and Manufacturing - to Keynote
PLMA’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference
NEW YORK (December 2, 2025) - 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 in Bentonville, Arkansas, April 15-17. The topic of Morris' keynote is “The Future of Private Brands.”
The early bird rate is effective until Jan.16, 2026. Click here for more information or contact conferences@plma.com.
"Walmart is an exemplar of utilizing store brands as a key retail strategy," said Peggy Davies, PLMA president.
Among its recent store brand initiatives, Walmart's bettergoods assortment has been a major hit, featuring hundreds of products across categories like frozen foods, snacks, dairy and beverages.
This year’s conference will take place in Bentonville, reflecting PLMA’s ongoing approach of hosting the event near major retail hubs. The 2026 theme, “Building Brands That Drive Success,” emphasizes strategic growth and collaboration across the private label industry. The location is Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas.
The program offers a customizable schedule featuring:
- 12 breakout sessions across tracks including Brand Building; Innovation & Product Development; Emerging Technologies; Marketing & Shopper Engagement; Differentiation Through Innovation; and Strategic Partnerships.
- Five main-stage plenary presentations.
- A flexible “DIY” agenda format first introduced in 2025, praised for its variety and relevance.
“The format and retail-centric setting encourage deeper networking and meaningful discussions on the future of private brands and retailing overall,” added Davies.
Speakers include industry leaders from FMI, NIQ, Daymon, Path 2 Purchase Institute, Plante Moran, Lippincott, Circana, and others. Davies will serve as host and lead PLMA’s annual meeting and the 2026 Private Label Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
Dubbed "a new capital of cool" by The Wall Street Journal, Bentonville is the birthplace of Walmart and home to its global headquarters. Arts, culture, and history abound in the northwest Arkansas town whose population is about 62,000. Located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, it's accessible from major U.S. cities by air and a short drive from Kansas City, Dallas, Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Little Rock.
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 5,200 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and World of Private Label International Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides 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, promoting store brand products to the country's grocery shoppers. The month-long event focuses on increasing consumer attention to the quality, value and innovation of store brand products across all categories within brick and mortar and online retail formats. For more information, visit plma.com, plmainternational.com, and follow PLMA:
