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"
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

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
Metro Inc., Irrésistible, Hot Honey & Bacon Chicken Bites
Nonfood: CVS Pharmacy, CVS Beauty™, Hair Building Fibers, Dark Brown
CVS Pharmacy, CVS Beauty™, Hair Building Fibers, Dark Brown
New Market Data: Five-Month Sales Report
Unifty+

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
CATEGORYPL DOLLAR SALESCHANGE YA %
HAIR COLORING$3,833,261206.5%
PET TREATS$6,466,272184.0%
MAILING SUPPLIES$161,246,300144.5%
PET VEHICLE & TRAVEL$1,999,021125.1%
ELECTRIC SHAVER GROOMER$3,840,46868.6%
LAUNDRY FABRIC CARE ADDITIVES$80,744,71150.1%
HAIR SPRAY/SPRITZ$5,336,73336.8%
PAVEMENT DE-ICING$14,928,84234.0%
SHOE POLISH & ACCESSORIES$49,639,99830.0%
OTHER CLEANING TOOLS$8,331,63129.2%
PET SUPPLEMENTS$31,186,56727.8%
FRAGRANCES - WOMEN'S$117,256,71426.5%
SHOWERHEADS$41,889,91325.6%
OUTDOOR INSECT/RODENT CONTROL CHEM$43,214,00823.3%
AUTO APPEARANCE ACCESSORIES$16,764,98122.9%
DEODORANT$2,198,20321.8%
CAT TREATS$71,478,65019.9%
AUTOMOTIVE AIR FRESHENERS$1,377,60919.3%
FOIL PANS$365,451,38418.9%
SKINCARE$328,619,44616%
Food
CATEGORYPL DOLLAR SALESCHANGE YA %
BEER/ALE/ALCOHOLIC CIDER$2,652,668254.5%
GUM$9,789,00143.0%
CANNED JUICES – SS$45,766,55032.5%
OTHER SNACKS – FZ$7,337,71729.0%
ASEPTIC JUICES$133,561,12426.4%
BAKED GOODS – RFG$415,999,89325.0%
ALL OTHER MILK$22,460,93123.7%
SIDE DISHES – RFG$1,791,704,45723.3%
SEAFOOD – RFG$569,591,17720.6%
SIDES/OTHER – FZ$135,230,07320.4%
PASTA – RFG$173,631,57519.7%
WINE$36,884,35918.6%
COFFEE$2,550,590,37716.4%
DRIED MEAT SNACKS$572,727,97116.2%
OTHER BREAKFAST FOOD – SS$379,97415.2%
JUICES – FZ$138,205,77814.4%
FRANKFURTERS$260,107,43314.4%
DRY FRUIT SNACKS$248,157,51714.3%
MEAT – RFG$6,732,543,68314.1%
CHOCOLATE CANDY$930,220,11513.9%
Attendees Gained ‘World of Ideas’ at PLMA's International Trade Show
World of Ideas

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.”

Store Brand Shoutout: Giant Eagle, Smart & Final

Every month, we highlight 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 opens in June.

Food: Giant Eagle® Vanilla Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes
Giant Eagle® Vanilla Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes
Nonfood: Smart & Final, First Street®, Extra Large 3 Compartment Hinged Container
Smart & Final, First Street®, Extra Large 3 Compartment Hinged Container
Meet the 2026 Private Label Hall of Fame Inductees
Hall of Fame Logo
Private Label Hall of Fame Reaches 136 Honorees
Record 24 Inductees Join Class of 2026

A record number of 24 accomplished executives comprised the Private Label Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 that was inducted at a special ceremony held at PLMA’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference in Bentonville, Arkansas.

New honorees and their categories included:

Private Brand Leadership Champion

  • Brianna Blanton, Head of Product Commercialization, Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores Private Brands
  • Terri Fubio, Vice President of Private Label Sales, DelGrosso Foods, Inc.
  • Brian Hartshorn, Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager – Consumables, Dollar General
  • Seth Malley, Chief Merchandising Officer, Massmart, Walmart Africa
  • Gary Petersen, Senior Vice President of Sales, Red Gold, LLC

Private Brand Leadership Innovator

  • Anthony Bennie, Founder & Chief Nutrition Officer, Clear Conscience Pet, LLC
  • Violeta Bingham, Product Development Manager II in Merchandise, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
  • Josh Jansen, Category Strategy Manager, Frozen Treats and Frozen Meals, Our Brands, The Kroger Co.
  • Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store and Own Brands, Town & Country Markets
  • Michelle Turnbull, CEO, The Barking Bakery Limited
  • Hannah Williams, Senior Sourcing Manager, Baking & Mixes, Walmart Inc.

Private Brand Leadership – Next Gen (40 & Under)

  • Caryn Czapran, Director of Sales, Rodelle, Inc.
  • Haley Harvey, Consumable Private Brands Category Manager, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
  • Laura Smith, Senior Category Strategy Manager, The Kroger Co.
  • Andrew Spiker, Director, Private Brands Procurement, Hy-Vee, Inc.
  • Natalie Tabisz, Senior Category Manager, Topco Associates LLC

Lifetime Achievement

  • Robert Baker, Senior Vice President of Sales, Olam Food Ingredients
  • Steve Corsun, Founder, Premier Brands of America Inc.
  • John Farris, Chairman of American Home Foods, Inc.
  • Keith Hardy, National/Key Account Manager, AJM Packaging Corporation
  • Russell Kidd, Former Director of Product Development (Retired), Circle K Stores
  • Anthony Schelich, Sr. Partner & President, Marketing Concepts Group, Inc.
  • Brad Studer, Senior Director of Our Brands, The Kroger Co.
  • Andrea Zweig Wagner, Director of Private Brands - Brand Management & Design, Ahold Delhaize USA

Click here to read profiles of all the inductees.