Retailers, Wholesalers Share Private Label Insights
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

Retailers, Wholesalers Share Private Label Insights

Hear from Associated Wholesale Grocers, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Misfits Market, Thrive Market

NEW YORK (September 30, 2025) - Executives at several of the country's leading retailers and wholesalers will reveal their store brand philosophies, goals and what they expect to see at PLMA's 2025 Private Label Trade Show, November 16-18 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago.

"Meet the Retailers" and "Meet the Wholesalers" are twinned programs that are part of PLMA's popular PLMA Live! Lunch and Learn online speaker series.

“These four upcoming sessions are geared to food and nonfood suppliers who will exhibit at PLMA's 2025 ‘Store Brands Marketplace’ Private Label Trade Show,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “The insights shared will help them elevate their experiences at the Show.”

The “Meet the Retailers and Wholesalers” schedule:

October 9 - Emily Detwiler, Vice President, Private Brands, Associated Wholesale Grocers

October 16 - Morgan Drummond, Senior Director of Private Label; and Madeline Lubowitz, Product Development Manager, both of Misfits Market

October 30 - Brianna Waldoch, Senior Director of Owned Brand, Thrive Market

November 6 - Mark Gilliand, Senior Director of Our Brands, C&S Wholesale Grocers

Each session begins at 12:30 p.m. ET and runs about 45 minutes. Registration is complimentary.

Click here for more information.

PLMA's annual Private Label Trade Show has been recognized by Trade Show Executive magazine as a Gold 100 honoree for 2024, placing it among the largest shows conducted in the U.S. last year. This marks the 13th time since 2010 that the PLMA Show has been ranked on the prestigious TSE Gold 100 list.

Registration is open. Click here or visit storebrandsmarketplace.com 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 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:

#PLMA

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"
PLMA Hosts International Wine Competition

In Spring 2026, the Private Label Manufacturers Association will once again host its International Salute to Excellence Private Label Wine Awards, a prestigious competition that celebrates the best supermarket private label wines from around the globe.

Held every other year, the event brings together exceptional supermarket private label wines from around the world for a blind tasting. Judged by Masters of Wine, experienced sommeliers, and leading wine journalists, the competition ensures a fair and expert evaluation of every entry.

Reflecting the increasingly international nature of the wine market, the 2026 awards will feature a broad range of categories. From classic Old World appellations to emerging regions and value-friendly formats, the competition captures the diversity of modern supermarket wine portfolios.

This year’s theme, “Wines Around the World,” emphasizes the global reach of private label, while the sub-theme, “Wines for All Moments,” highlights wines that fit seamlessly into everyday life, whether for casual gatherings or special celebrations.

The Salute to Excellence Wine Awards are part of PLMA’s larger International Salute to Excellence Awards competition, which celebrates outstanding private label products across both food and non-food categories. This global competition highlights innovation, quality, and creativity, showcasing the diversity and strength of supermarket private label offerings.

By spotlighting exceptional wines within this broader competition, the awards reinforce that private label is not just a value alternative but a leader in quality, creativity, and excellence in the retail sector worldwide.

PLMA invites retailers worldwide to submit their best private label wines for consideration. Submissions will be carefully assessed during the blind tasting process, with winners selected on excellence.

For full entry guidelines, deadlines, and instructions, retailers can contact PLMA at: PLMASalute@plma.nl
 

All About PLMA’s Private Label Summit: October 28-29, Copenhagen

As private labels continue to gain market share across Europe and beyond, this year’s PLMA Annual Private Label Summit will focus on one crucial question: What does today’s consumer want — and how can private brands deliver? The Summit will take place in Copenhagen, October 28-29.

The schedule includes:

  • A keynote from Kantar on how companies are using AI and customer data to anticipate trends, protect margins, and engage consumers in a fast-changing retail environment.
  • Institut for Kundetyper will offer a unique perspective on emotional drivers in consumer behaviour using academic tools to map unconscious purchasing habits, helping brands align with the latent desires of their audience.
  • Dunnhumby, the customer data science firm behind Tesco’s loyalty strategy, will present real-world case studies on how private brands are boosting customer engagement and resilience in uncertain economic times.
  • Simon-Kucher & Partners will address the shift from operational to commercial excellence, with insights into how pricing strategy, perceived value, and customer understanding can drive growth in private labels.
  • United Nordic, the Nordic region’s leading buying alliance, will demonstrate the benefits of a cross-border private label strategy, showing how cooperation can streamline operations and sustainability efforts.
  • Agristo, a 100% private label supplier, will share their success story, revealing how a company-wide, consumer-first mindset furthers innovation and builds long-term partnerships with retailers.

Click here for more information.

Travel the World at PLMA Show: 50+ International Pavilions

PLMA’s 2025 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show, Nov. 16-18 in Chicago, will feature 50+ country pavilions and 900 international suppliers.

Exhibitors will represent 60+ countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

New pavilions this year include Mexico, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Flanders-Belgium and Jordan.

"This year is a new record for PLMA in terms of the international scope and influence in the industry,” said Enriketa Beluli, PLMA’s Manager of Global Pavilions.

Among the Country Pavilions for 2025: two Belgium Pavilions (Flanders and Wallonia), Italy, France, Spain, U.K., three pavilions from Greece, Denmark, Poland, Georgia, Morocco, Turkey and Serbia.

Other pavilions this year include Brazil, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Canadian suppliers will be represented by three official pavilions.

Additional pavilions include Australia and New Zealand, as well as several pavilions from China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

These exhibitors will showcase a wide array of international products. Among them:

  • Organic snacks for dogs and cats from Belgium
  • Organic and conventional baby food from Chile
  • Authentic fresh brioche and macarons from France
  • Yuca and cassava from Costa Rica
  • Natural juices from Georgia
  • Medicinal herbs from Morocco
  • Coconut drinks from Vietnam
  • Hearts of palm from Ecuador
  • Neapolitan pizza and Italian gelato

The Self-Care & Wellness section will feature skincare, beauty and wellness products from 50 manufacturers from different countries, including Colombia, Turkey and South Korea.

The annual Private Label Trade Show has been recognized by Trade Show Executive magazine as a Gold 100 honoree for 2024, placing it among the largest shows conducted in the U.S. last year. This marks the 13th time since 2010 that the PLMA Show has been ranked on the prestigious TSE Gold 100 list.

Registration is open, click here to register.

October Online Speakers: Associated Wholesale Grocers, C&S, Misfits Market, Thrive
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Executives at several of the country's leading retailers and wholesalers will reveal their store brand philosophies, goals and what they expect to see at PLMA's 2025 Private Label Trade Show, November 16-18, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago.

"Meet the Retailers and Wholesalers" is part of PLMA's popular PLMA Live! Lunch and Learn online speaker series.

Four sessions are geared to food and nonfood suppliers who will exhibit at PLMA's 2025 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show.

The schedule:

October 9 - Emily Detwiler, Vice President, Private Brands, Associated Wholesale Grocers

October 16 - Morgan Drummond, Senior Director of Private Label; and Madeline Lubowitz, Product Development Manager, both of Misfits Market.

October 30 - Brianna Waldoch, Senior Director of Owned Brand, Thrive Market

November 6 - Mark Gilliand, Senior Director of Our Brands, C&S Wholesale Grocers

Click here for more information.

New Global Pavilions Added to 2025 Private Label Trade Show
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@plma.com

New Global Pavilions Added to
2025 Private Label Trade Show

NEW YORK (September 16, 2025) - PLMA’s 2025 “Store Brands Marketplace” Private Label Trade Show, Nov. 16-18 in Chicago, will feature new global pavilions, including Mexico, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Flanders-Belgium and Jordan.

In total, the show will have 50+ country pavilions and 900 international suppliers. Exhibitors will represent 63 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

"This year is a new record for PLMA in terms of the international scope and influence in the industry,” said Enriketa Beluli, PLMA’s Manager of Global Pavilions.

Exhibit space has grown nearly 30% in the past three years, and a significant portion of that demand is coming from outside the United States. This is a strong signal of the global confidence in private label and in the PLMA trade show.

Added Beluli: "In terms of political and economic developments, yes, the global landscape has shifted. We’ve seen that impact and, interestingly, it’s driven even more interest in PLMA.”

Among the Country Pavilions for 2025: two Belgium Pavilions (Flanders and Wallonia), Italy, France, Spain, U.K., three pavilions from Greece, Denmark, Poland, Georgia, Morocco, Turkey and Serbia.

Other pavilions this year include Brazil, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Canadian suppliers will be represented by three official pavilions.

Additional pavilions include Australia and New Zealand, as well as several pavilions from China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

These exhibitors will showcase a wide array of international products. Among them:

  • Organic snacks for dogs and cats from Belgium
  • Organic and conventional baby food from Chile
  • Authentic fresh brioche and macarons from France
  • Yuca and cassava from Costa Rica
  • Natural juices from Georgia
  • Medicinal herbs from Morocco
  • Coconut drinks from Vietnam
  • Hearts of palm from Ecuador
  • Authentic Neapolitan pizza and Italian gelato

The Self-Care & Wellness section will feature skincare, beauty and wellness products from 50 manufacturers from different countries, including Colombia, Turkey and South Korea.

After a record-breaking show last year, PLMA has added an additional 100 booths in the “World of Private Label” section, which has been expanded this year from the North Hall to an upgraded location in the Main Hall of the Show floor.

In total, the Show will feature more than 35,000 food and nonfood products, 3,100 booths, and 2,000 exhibitors.

The annual Private Label Trade Show has been recognized by Trade Show Executive magazine as a Gold 100 honoree for 2024, placing it among the largest shows conducted in the U.S. last year. This marks the 13th time since 2010 that the PLMA Show has been ranked on the prestigious TSE Gold 100 list.

Registration is open. Click here or visit storebrandsmarketplace.com for details. 

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:

#PLMA