The exciting and engaging Show floor provided one-stop-sourcing of new and innovative foods and nonfoods.

Top Trends from the Show Floor:

Collagen - Collagen is used as an ingredient in supplements, foods and beverages to support skin, joint and bone health.

Products on the Show Floor: Coffee Latte with Bioactive Collagen Peptides/Collagen Shots.

Functional Foods - Probiotic popularity has surged due to the reported link between gut health and overall well-being.

Products on the Show Floor: Probiotic Frozen Smoothie Cubes/Snacks.

Greener Cleaners - More sustainable choices are available for laundry cleaning.

Products on the Show Floor: Ultra-Concentrated Laundry Detergent Designed to Be Diluted at Home/Dissolvable Laundry Cleaning Sheets/Compostable Fabric Softener Sheets.

Regeneratively Farmed Products - Regenerative agriculture supports practices that prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem restoration.

Products on the Show Floor: Regeneratively Farmed Rice/Cold-Brew Coffee/Eggs.

Patched Up - Topical patches made with vitamins, antioxidants and other ingredients provide convenience for consumers seeking relaxation, immunity and wellness.

Products on the Show Floor: Sleep Patch/Energy and Focus Patch/Calm and Relaxation Patch.

Lidl’s business philosophy, he noted, is built on differentiation through price, quality, and simplicity. Store brands play a central role, with approximately 80% of its 3,300 core items positioned as private label. These include the Preferred Selection line of premium and globally sourced products and the new Butcher’s Specialty meats line. In addition, 85% of Lidl’s products are sourced in North America.

“We are a private brand company — because it’s the way we can deliver the best price and best quality,” Rampoldt explained.

He added that Lidl’s goal is to be the first choice for business partners, suppliers, team members, and consumers.

“We know that with the curated assortment we offer, our customers will shop at other stores — and that’s fine. But we want to be the place they come first because of the quality, price, and shopping experience.

Watch PLMA Live’s exclusive interview with Rampoldt here:

"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 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.

Click here for more details.

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.

“The winners are a testament to the power of store brands in driving business success in all retail formats,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “They represent the highest level of innovation, ingenuity and achievement.”

Walmart’s winning products include Vibrant Life™ Level 73" Multi-Functional Cat Tree with Condo, Hammock, Scratching Posts; Parent's Choice™ Organic Baby Food Puree Variety Pack; Marketside® Chorizo Breakfast Bowl; bettergoods™ Truffle Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena; and Equate™ Coconut Hibiscus Sugar Scrub.

Here are five trends among the 2025 winners:

Kid Power - Products geared to babies, toddlers and kids from mealtime to bedtime:

• Associated Wholesale Grocers, Best Choice®, Kid-Ventures Trays
• Dollar General, DG™ Health, Kid's Toothbrushes-Barbie™
• Target, Good & Gather™, Teeny Tiny Lunch Bites

Super Bowls - Food bowls offer portion-controlled convenience for breakfast, lunch and dinner:

• Sam's Club, Member's Mark™, Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
• Walmart Inc., Marketside®, Chorizo Breakfast Bowl

Global Flavors - Consumers have a more sophisticated palate and are seeking out ethnic flavors in food, beverages, sauces and confections:

• Albertsons Companies, Signature Select®, Birria Cooking Sauce
• Misfits Market, Odds & Ends, Cacio e Pepe Ravioli
• Yesway, Yesway®, Chamoy Chili Gummi Bears

Bold Beverages - Hot and cold beverages now come in spicy, indulgent and other unique flavors:

• Albertsons Companies, O Organics®, Apple Caramel Crumble Tea
• GoPuff, Basically™ Jalapeno Limeade
• Meijer, Meijer®, Crystal Quenchers® Rocket Pop sparkling water

Fruit-Scented Household Goods - Citrus and other fruity scents can be found in household products ranging from dishwashing liquid to candles:

• Dollar General, True Living®, Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, Fresh Pomegranate Scent
• Whole Foods Market, 365 by Whole Foods Market, Yuzu & Prickly Pear 3 Wick Candle

Click here to see this year’s winners.

Store brand growth has been nearly flawless. In the month of October, store brand dollar sales rose 2.5% vs the same period a year ago, representing a quick and resounding rebound from the September result when dollar sales fell 0.6%, the only negative period for store brand dollar sales so far this year and the only time the products trailed national brands, which were off slightly less, at minus 0.4%

As for market shares, through November 10 store brands checked in at 21% in dollar sales and 23.1% in unit sales.

In results among the eleven food and nonfood product departments Circana tracks for PLMA, for the trailing 52 weeks ending November 2, the Refrigerated section increased the most in store brand dollar sales, rising 9.2%; followed by Beverages, plus 4.4%, Pet Care, ahead 3.4%; Frozen, up 2.5%; Beauty, plus 2.1%, and General Food, up 1.5%.

Looking at total store brand dollar volume for the 52 weeks, Refrigerated led with $62B, then General Food, $53B; General Merchandise, $25B; Frozen, $22B; Health, $18B, and Beverages, $15B.

With respect to store brand unit sales gains, Pet Care was the top performer among departments at plus 5.1%, followed by Beverages, up 2.5%; Frozen and Household Essentials, both ahead 1%, and Refrigerated, up 0.6%. General Food accounted for the most store brand units sold at 20bn, then Refrigerated (15bn); General Merchandise, Beverages and Frozen (5bn each), and Health (2bn).

PLMA's 2026 Private Label Report, a comprehensive compilation of the year in store brand sales results and trends, including in-depth looks at food and nonfood departments and select product categories and subcategories, will be published in late January.

PLMA members and retailers who want to drill into a wide array of current sales figures can log in anytime to Circana’s Unify+ portal at members.plma.com.