PLMA e-scanner

Attendees Gained ‘World of Ideas’ at PLMA's International Trade Show

PLMA 39th annual “World of Private Label” International Trade Show - May 19 and 20 in Amsterdam – was, by the numbers, a huge success: The Show presented some 3,300 exhibitors from 80 countries.

It was also a bounty of food and nonfood private label concepts. Trends inside the “World of Ideas” - a new special section featuring innovation, trends and new product development - included bubble tea in yogurt, mango ice with chili sauce, and caper-flavored potato chips. The area also included exciting showcases of popular Next Gen products, such as collagen shots, electrolyte beverages and K-Beauty.

The nonfood assortment included facial skin hydration with a unique combination of serum and mist, as well as items using post-industrial waste as a resource. For example, there was a cooking pan created from coffee waste and recycled aluminium coffee cups.

Click here to learn more about the “World of Ideas.”

New Market Data: Five-Month Sales Report

Circana's five-month U.S. store brand sales results illustrate small but steady growth. In the paramount metric of unit sales, store brands have inched up so far in 2026, while national brands have inched down.

Store brand unit sales are ahead by 0.1%; national brands are off by 2.1%. In dollar sales - a less significant metric due to shifting tariff policies, high inflation and chaotic industry pricing - store brands gave up 0.2% during the period while national brands added 2.2%.

Store brand sales in product departments are a mixed bag, but in several sections, such as Pet Care (+4.8% in units), Beverages (+1.3%) and Refrigerated (+0.9%), the products are doing well. In year-to-date sales, store brand unit share stands at 23.8%, an all-time high. Dollar share is 21.2%, just off its top mark.

Store brands expansion over the past twelve months includes significant growth in several large food and nonfood categories, according to Circana sales data for the 52 weeks ending May 17.

Six food categories with annual store brand sales of $500 million or more increased by double digits. The leader of the pack was Side Dishes/Refrigerated, which improved 23.3% and scored $1.8 billion in store brand sales for the period.

Next in line was Seafood/Refrigerated, up 20.6% ($570 million in sales); Coffee/Beverages, plus 16.4% ($2.6 billion in sales); Dried Meat Snacks/General Food, ahead 16.2% ($573 million in sales); Meat/Refrigerated, plus 14.1% ($6.7 billion in sales); and Chocolate Candy/General Food, which rose 13.9% ($930 million in sales).

At the same time, seven nonfood categories with annual store brand sales of $50 million or more also increased substantially over the same period. Mailing Supplies/General Merchandise was tops, gaining 144.5% and generating $161.3 million in store brand sales for the period, followed by Laundry Fabric Care.

Additives/Household Essentials, up 50.1% ($80.8 million in sales); Shoe Polish & Accessories/General Merchandise, ahead 30% ($49.6 million in sales); Fragrances-Women's/Beauty, which rose 26.5% ($117.3 million in sales); Cat Treats/Pet Care, plus 19.9% ($71.5 million in sales); Foil Pans/General Merchandise, up 18.9% ($365.5 million in sales); and Skin Care/Beauty, ahead by 16% ($328.6 million in sales).

Here are the Top 20 growing categories for food and nonfood over the past 52 weeks ending May 17, 2026.

Nonfood

CATEGORY	PL DOLLAR SALES	CHANGE YA %
HAIR COLORING	$3,833,261	206.5%
PET TREATS	$6,466,272	184.0%
MAILING SUPPLIES	$161,246,300	144.5%
PET VEHICLE & TRAVEL	$1,999,021	125.1%
ELECTRIC SHAVER GROOMER	$3,840,468	68.6%
LAUNDRY FABRIC CARE ADDITIVES	$80,744,711	50.1%
HAIR SPRAY/SPRITZ	$5,336,733	36.8%
PAVEMENT DE-ICING	$14,928,842	34.0%
SHOE POLISH & ACCESSORIES	$49,639,998	30.0%
OTHER CLEANING TOOLS	$8,331,631	29.2%
PET SUPPLEMENTS	$31,186,567	27.8%
FRAGRANCES - WOMEN'S	$117,256,714	26.5%
SHOWERHEADS	$41,889,913	25.6%
OUTDOOR INSECT/RODENT CONTROL CHEM	$43,214,008	23.3%
AUTO APPEARANCE ACCESSORIES	$16,764,981	22.9%
DEODORANT	$2,198,203	21.8%
CAT TREATS	$71,478,650	19.9%
AUTOMOTIVE AIR FRESHENERS	$1,377,609	19.3%
FOIL PANS	$365,451,384	18.9%
SKINCARE	$328,619,446	16%

Food

CATEGORY	PL DOLLAR SALES	CHANGE YA %
BEER/ALE/ALCOHOLIC CIDER	$2,652,668	254.5%
GUM	$9,789,001	43.0%
CANNED JUICES – SS	$45,766,550	32.5%
OTHER SNACKS – FZ	$7,337,717	29.0%
ASEPTIC JUICES	$133,561,124	26.4%
BAKED GOODS – RFG	$415,999,893	25.0%
ALL OTHER MILK	$22,460,931	23.7%
SIDE DISHES – RFG	$1,791,704,457	23.3%
SEAFOOD – RFG	$569,591,177	20.6%
SIDES/OTHER – FZ	$135,230,073	20.4%
PASTA – RFG	$173,631,575	19.7%
WINE	$36,884,359	18.6%
COFFEE	$2,550,590,377	16.4%
DRIED MEAT SNACKS	$572,727,971	16.2%
OTHER BREAKFAST FOOD – SS	$379,974	15.2%
JUICES – FZ	$138,205,778	14.4%
FRANKFURTERS	$260,107,433	14.4%
DRY FRUIT SNACKS	$248,157,517	14.3%
MEAT – RFG	$6,732,543,683	14.1%
CHOCOLATE CANDY	$930,220,115	13.9%

Stats and Facts: Europe vs. U.S. on Private Label Sales

While Europe leads in private label market share, the U.S. is a powerful runner-up in dollar sales and the numbers prove it. Here's the scoreboard: Private label sales across 17 European countries last year were €387 billion, reports NIQ. That's about $454 billion in American dollars. At the same time, private label sales in the U.S. reached $330 billion in 2025, according to Circana.

Report: Robomart, ‘No Waste Army’ Among Innovative Retail Concepts

Retailers around the world are leveraging emerging trends, deploying new technologies, and adopting new ways of working to create better experiences, stronger connections, and more resilient business models, according to a report by Ebeltoft Group, a global alliance of retail and brand consulting firms.

The report highlights numerous concepts that are propelling retail forward.

Among them:

Robomart

Robomart is a start-up that builds self-driving delivery robots. It began as an autonomous store on wheels stocked with pharmacy and pantry items. It has progressed to on-demand delivery, like those of established food delivery platforms.

According to the report, Robomart is innovative because it’s an autonomous mobile marketplace; has an efficient, high-capacity design (full-size EV, traveling up to 25 mph) and provides a low-cost, frictionless experience (flat $3 delivery fee).

No Waste Army

No Waste Army turns unwanted food into popular grocery products. It works with farmers and producers to utilize surplus or imperfect fruit, vegetables, and other ingredients: creating shelf-stable jams, sauces, pickles, and snacks.

The report notes that the concept intervenes before surplus becomes waste by sourcing directly from farms and creating value through processing partners.

CLICK HERE for the full report.

Study: Shoppers Making $5K+ a Month Are Buying More Store Brands

Forty-four percent of shoppers making $5,000+ a month are buying more private label products than they were a year ago, compared to 34% of consumers with lower incomes, according to new study from Simon-Kucher.

Among other results:

Of those consumers, 39% are regularly purchasing premium private label products, while 27% of consumers across income cohorts say they’ve purchased more premium private label products than last year.
Consumer perception of national brands is shifting: 55% believe these brands are overpriced and not competitive on quality; and 28% say brand names don’t play much of a role in their decision-making.

NIQ: 42% of Consumers Use AI to Shop

AI is influencing product discovery, comparison, and selection, according to new data from NielsenIQ.

Key findings from the new research include:

42% of consumers have used at least one AI tool to shop within the past month.
17% have used AI for product recommendations.
10% have used a voice assistant to purchase and/or reorder items.
19% use a subscribe or auto-replenish feature for repeat purchases.
10% have engaged with an AI-powered shopping assistant.
5% have used fully autonomous AI agents to place orders on their behalf.

“AI is not replacing the consumer, but it is dramatically reshaping how choices are made,” said Liz Buchanan, President of North America, NIQ. “The companies that win in this next era will be the ones that understand how to show up in those moments and deliver both value and trust.”

While consumers are increasingly open to AI-assisted shopping, most are not yet ready to fully delegate decisions. Instead, AI is being adopted as a tool to simplify and accelerate choices, according to the report.

Did You Know?

Allegiance Retail Services has relaunched the Pathmark supermarket banner on Long Island, N.Y., with the opening of a small-format concept called Pathmark Daily.

Allegiance purchased the Pathmark banner through the dissolution of the former A&P grocery chain, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015.

Located in East Meadow, Pathmark Daily carries several private label brands from C&S Wholesale Grocers, including Best Yet, Our Family, TopCare and Full Circle.

E-scanner’s Carol Angrisani visited the store and here’s what she found:

Pathmark Daily opened in May in East Meadow, Long Island, N.Y.

Best Yet canned vegetables are featured on a Wall of Values.

The produce department.

In-store signage promotes the Best Yet brand.

The TopCare brand can be found in the OTC medicine section.

Our Family store brand frozen vegetables.

Best Yet and Full Circle Organic dairy products.

Legislative and Regulatory Updates

Stay ahead of the issues that matter. PLMA's PolicyWatch Newsletter covers the latest government, legislative, and regulatory developments affecting the U.S. store brands industry. Read PolicyWatch.

Ideas and Inspiration: Summer Selections at H-E-B, Kroger, Publix

The H-E-B line includes Texas Mesquite Instant Light Charcoal Briquets.
Kroger’s Private Selection® line includes Sweet Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns.
Mango, blackberry and raspberry are among the specialty private label lemonade flavors at Publix.

Trending: Extra-Spicy Salsa

Store brands are turning up the heat with products like “Scorpion Pepper Inferno” salsa from Lunds & Byerlys. The chunky-style salsa is made with some of the hottest peppers available: Trinidad Moruga scorpion and ghost peppers. The salsa is made in Eau Claire, Wis., from locally grown ingredients.

Store Brand Shoutout: CVS, Metro

Every month, E-Scanner highlights two PLMA Salute to Excellence Award® winners for store brand creativity and innovation. Click here to view the full list of winners. The 2026 nomination period is open now for retailer submissions. Click here for more information.
This month’s featured products are:

Food: Metro Inc., Irrésistible, Hot Honey & Bacon Chicken Bites

Nonfood: CVS Pharmacy, CVS Beauty™, Hair Building Fibers, Dark Brown

Notable Quotable: Natalie McConnell, Dollar General

“With simmer & stir, we’re making it possible for customers to refresh their kitchens with tools that look great, perform beautifully and fit their budget.”

- Natalie McConnell - Dollar General’s vice president, division merchandise manager of apparel, holiday and home - said about the launch of the new simmer & stir private-label kitchen brand. The assortment features nearly 30 kitchen tools, including measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, spatulas, spoons, and tongs.

In Case You Missed It: Topco Amplifies Store Brands with Music Partnerships

From Lance Bass of NSYNC to AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, pop music icons have strong connections to Topco Associates’ private brands. Watch our report here:

Reminder: Lunch & Learn Sessions Cover Array of Industry Subjects

PLMA has presented an eclectic series of Lunch & Learn presentations in 2026 focusing on key issues that resonated with members and their organizations.

Topics have ranged from global consumer trends to new federal dietary guidelines, from the importance of flavor in food products to U.S. tariff policy. All the presentations are archived and available as video on demand; see below. And stay tuned, more sessions are planned for the months ahead.

Click here for more info.

Video on demand:

Maria Pearman, Advisory Partner and a Food and Beverage Practice Leader, GHJ
Tariffs in 2026: What’s Changed, What’s Coming, and How Private Label Manufacturers Win

Jocelyn Carter, Senior Strategic Marketing Director, Direct to Retail, Kerry
Finding Your Flavor Edge

Kantha Shelke, PhD, Principal, IFT Fellow, Corvus Blue LLC
Decoding the 2026 Dietary Guidelines for Private Label Success

Jorge Zunigo, Senior Consultant, Sustainability, Euromonitor
Euromonitor International: Top Global Consumer Trends 2026

“With simmer & stir, we’re making it possible for customers to refresh their kitchens with tools that look great, perform beautifully and fit their budget.”

Archive