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"
In Case You Missed It: Takeaways from PLMA’s recent Leadership Conference

Michael Sansolo shares a recap of PLMA’s 2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference, held April 2-4 in Scottsdale:

PLMA Announces Re-Election of Board Chairperson, Welcomes New Directors
PLMA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

PLMA Announces Re-Election of Board Chairperson, Welcomes New Directors


NEW YORK (April 8, 2025) - Kristal Sevcik - Vice President of Business Development at AmeriQual Group, LLC - has been re-elected chairperson of PLMA’s Board of Directors.

Sevcik was first elected to the position in 2024 and now will serve a second one-year term. Through a show of hands, the members of the association accepted the slate proposed by the Nominating Committee - Jeanine Antiporek of Refresco North America and Andy Russick of Pacific Coast Producers - at PLMA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference, held April 2-4 in Scottsdale.

Sevcik said that through resilience, innovation and collaboration, the private label manufacturing industry has earned the trust of consumers, driving significant growth in almost every category.

“This success has been made possible through the strong partnership between retailers and manufacturers, working together to meet evolving demands,” Sevcik said. “As we continue to adapt to changing consumer preferences and sustainability goals, we are setting the stage for an even brighter and more prosperous future ahead."

Also at the meeting, two executive officers were re-elected for second one-year terms:

  • Mark Cheney, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc., as First Vice Chairperson
  • Anthony Biggers, Simmons Pet Foods, as Second Vice Chairperson

Additionally, seven new Directors were elected for three-year terms, from 2025-2028:

  • Tarick Gamay, DreamPak LLC
  • Thomas Kennedy, Rema Foods Inc.
  • Jennifer Mills, Garcoa, Inc.
  • Sue Predmore, Red Gold
  • Josh Sowell, SunTree Snack Foods, LLC
  • Jason Gucwa, Private Brands Sales & Marketing, Inc., as the broker member
  • Erik Gosh, Döhler, as the supplier member

Doug Bausch, of LNK International, Inc., continues to serve as Ex-Officio.

All the appointments were effective as of April 3.
Click here for the full listing of the PLMA Board of Directors. 

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 4,500 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and its World of Private Label International Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides annual conferences, executive education and professional development opportunities. Follow PLMA on plma.com, plmainternational.com, and on social media:

Twitter#PLMA

Trend Alert: Mushroom Tea

Kroger has introduced Simple Truth Organic Instant Mushroom Tea in two blends — Black and Chai. Mushrooms are known for their adaptogenic properties and potential to support wellness.

Ideas and Inspiration – Fresh Market, H-E-B, Kroger

Retailers are responding to consumer demands for grab-and-go foods and quick-and-easy meals for the home. Among the store brand examples:

-Fresh Market’s” Little Big Meals,” meal kit-style bundle that includes pre-portioned protein, veggies, sides and store brand products.
-Meal Simple by H E B, a prepared foods line that includes selections like Spinach and Parmesan-Stuffed Salmon.
- Kroger® Chef Salad Kits for One

5 Things to Know About the 2025 PLMA Show

PLMA’s 2025 Annual Private Label Trade Show will be held Nov. 16-18 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago. Here are five things to know about this year’s event:

The “Store Brands Marketplace”

The 2025 Show is aptly themed the “Store Brands Marketplace.” That’s because the exhibit floor will be filled with thousands of new and trending products under one roof.

This includes a wide array of foods, beverages, wine and spirits, ingredients, authentic international foods and nonfoods, refrigerated and frozen foods, foodservice items, sustainable packaging, snack foods, beauty and cosmetic products, pet products, self-care, baby care, health and wellness, household goods, kitchenware, general merchandise, convenience foods and grab-and-go items and much more.

Multi-Channel Engagement

The Show provides all formats -- supermarkets, supercenters, drug chains, wholesale clubs, dollar and specialty stores, mass merchandisers, importers and exporters and e-commerce retailers and visitors – with an exclusive venue to learn, taste and discover.

Top-tier manufacturers showcase products with multi-generational appeal, such as sustainable packaging for Gen Z, functional beverages for Baby Boomers, ethnic-inspired offerings, as well as vegan, organic, and specialty products.

Well-Organized Show Floor

Exhibit booths are segmented into the North, South and Sky Halls to complement the consolidation, specialization, and expansion of all formats. Special interest is given to a wide range of food and nonfood categories, including organic, vegan, enhanced flavors and ingredients, age-specific health and wellness products, beauty and cosmetics, unique snacks and beverages, foodservice, sustainability, pet care and wine and spirits, among many others.

A Global Event

Aisles upon aisles of the Show floor will be filled with international suppliers exhibiting food and non-food product offerings throughout the North, South and Sky Halls. Gourmet and specialty food, ethnic products, authentic flavors and unique ingredients from their origin country will be displayed for buyers seeking to satisfy the changing wants, needs and tastes of today’s global consumer.

Last year, the sold-out Show was filled with 1,821 exhibitors from 60 countries, including 700 first-time exhibitors. In all, some 14,000 retailers, visitors, exhibitors, and others from the store brand and retail industries attended the event.

There were more than 60 national and regional pavilions from North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Education Sessions and On-Site Displays

Attendees will have access to valuable insights through opening seminars, a keynote breakfast on both show days, networking events, and informational on-site displays, including:

  • PLMA’s Idea Supermarket®, featuring the latest product and packaging trends from around the globe.
  • New Product Expo, a showcase of select product and packaging innovations from companies exhibiting at the show.
  • PLMA 2025 Salute to Excellence Awards®, a display of retailer food and non-food product innovations chosen best private label product in their categories by industry and consumer judges.

Click here for registration information.

Meet the Newest Private Label Hall of Fame Inductees

The Private Label Hall of Fame induction ceremony was conducted April 2 at PLMA's 2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference in Scottsdale.

The Class of 2025 consists of nine men and women who were honored in one of three categories:

Private Brand Champion:

  • Thomas Becker, who most recently served as Director of Proprietary Brands, Circle K
  • John Yannuzzi, Vice President of Corporate Brands,  Powermax USA
  • Carolyn Boege, Private Brands Category Development Manager, Ahold Delhaize USA

Private Brand Innovator:

  • Jeannine Buscher, Co-Founder and EVP of Innovation, FedUp Foods
  • Michelle Helena Denk, Director, Retail Division, Affinity Group

Lifetime Achievement:

  • Judy Albazi, President/CEO, Chase Products Co.
  • Juan De Paoli, who most recently served as Vice President of Our Brands, The Kroger Co.
  • Ross Purdy, Vice President, Center Store Operations, K-VA-T Food Stores
  • Robert Snyder, former CEO, Sinco (Retired)

“Our nine-member Class of 2025 represents the best-of-the-best thought leaders and changemakers,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “Their commitment and dedication to private label is an inspiration to all.”

Presented by PLMA and Store Brands, the Private Label Hall of Fame was created in 2006 to recognize those who have made significant contributions in their own organizations, as well as those who have set standards of excellence and accomplishment throughout the industry.

Profiles on the new inductees will be featured on StoreBrands.com and posted in the Hall of Fame section of plma.com.