Body scrub bars from Hema in the Netherlands and monkfish fillets from Musgrave Retail Partners in Ireland are among 91 winners of 2025 PLMA International Salute to Excellence Awards for outstanding private label innovation.

More than 500 new private label items from 65 retailers in 25 countries were nominated. An international panel of expert judges evaluated and selected the winners.

"Top-shelf quality, absolutely delicious.  I want more!" one judge said of Musgrave’s monkfish, sold under the SuperValu Signature Tastes brand. "Tasty and convenient, perfect for any occasion.”

PLMA's 2025 World of Private Label International Trade Show, held May 20-21 in Amsterdam, featured 3,150 exhibitors from 75 countries.  In all, more than 32,000 trade professionals - including retailers, exhibitors and other visitors from 125 countries - attended the event. Judith Kolenburg reports on trends she found in the Idea Supermarket®, a special showcase featuring the latest product and packaging trends from around the globe. Among the products Kolenburg profiles: items for new moms and babies from Boots and dm-drogerie markt; and sports nutrition from Auchan and Aldi.

NIQ has released a report on the five biggest grocery trends that will shape 2025. The first trend is “Private Label Continues to Grow”. Globally, 50% of respondents report that they are purchasing more private label products than ever before. Shifting demographic patterns and consumers’ increasing focus on value-driven shopping is not expected to change.

Second trend is “Sustainability Matters to Consumers”. 95% of consumers say they are trying to take some action to live sustainably. NIQ advises companies to make sustainable attributes of products accessible on product pages and clear on packaging. Trend 3 is “Consumers are Trying to Save”. Inflationary pressures coupled with increased housing costs and broader economic uncertainties are causing consumers to adjust their purchasing habits to navigate a financially challenging landscape. To stay relevant with these shifting consumers, more premium grocery brands may need to do a better job of conveying the true value of their products and position them as purchases worth the extra expense.

Market insights provider Innova has published its annual Top 10 Food and Beverage Trends for 2025. The first trend is “Ingredients and Beyond”. It refers to companies differentiating themselves by including higher quality ingredients in their products, for example, protein, bioavailability and absorption.

Second trend is “Health – Precision Wellness”, with 60% of consumers say that they are proactive about their health. Companies that play into this trend provide easy-to-consume functional items tailored to consumers’ life stage and health needs. Third trend is “Flavors – Wildly Inventive”, referring to unexpected flavours, fusion cuisines, unusual formats and limited editions. Trend 4 is “Gut Health – Flourish from Within” which highlights consumers’ growing interest in digestive health, driven by key ingredients like fibre and probiotics. Trend 5 is “Plant-based – Rethinking Plants” based on the facts that 55% of consumers believe plant-based products should be standalone items rather than meat and dairy alternatives.

The final five trends in the Top Ten for 2025 are: “Sustainability – Climate Adoption”; “Beauty Food – Taste the Glow”; “Food Culture – Tradition Reinvented”; “Mood Food – Mindful Choices”; and “AI – Bytes to Bites”.

In today’s competitive marketplace, private labels have become defining assets for retailers worldwide. But managing private labels effectively requires a specialized skill set—one that’s often overlooked in traditional business training. That’s where PLMA’s Executive Education Programme comes in. Taking place on 5-6 March 2025 at Nyenrode Business University near Amsterdam, this exclusive event offers a deep dive into the strategies and insights you need to excel in the private label industry.

Whether you’re a retailer, manufacturer, or executive involved in private labels, this programme is tailored for you. Here’s what you’ll gain:
•    Comprehensive Expertise: Learn about new product development, retail trends, private label strategy, retailer-manufacturer dynamics, logistics, NPD, sourcing, ESG, and marketing.
•    Actionable Insights: Explore retail case studies and get practical takeaways from experts that you can immediately apply to your business.
•    Collaborative Learning: Engage with like-minded professionals and leading speakers in interactive sessions that foster knowledge-sharing and innovation.

The European Union (EU) has finalized a trade deal with Mercosur, a bloc consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed it as a "historic milestone" in today’s volatile global economy.

If ratified, the agreement will lower tariffs, streamline customs processes, and enhance EU access to raw materials. This could boost trade between the two regions, which currently accounts for nearly € 113 billion annually. EU exports, including cars, machinery, and pharmaceuticals, are expected to rise, while South American exports of minerals like lithium and nickel, as well as agricultural products, will gain smoother entry into European markets. The deal would reduce prices for consumers.

The Mercosur-EU trade bloc encompasses nearly 800 million consumers and 20% of global GDP. EU officials estimate that 60,000 European companies already export to Mercosur, half of which are small businesses. For Germany, facing economic headwinds, the agreement offers an opportunity to reinvigorate its export sector.

Carrefour in France is pioneering geolocated TV advertising to promote non-food products while advancing its strategic goal to phase out paper leaflets. This innovative initiative targets viewers using internet-connected TVs—representing nearly 90% of French households—within Carrefour store catchment areas. Weekly campaigns highlight discounted products.

“We aim to maximize promotion visibility through digital channels while reducing reliance on print,” says Frédéric Preslot, Carrefour’s Operational Marketing Director for France. He adds that this complements the retailer’s existing investments in its mobile app and CRM systems.

To streamline campaign management, Carrefour collaborates with CoSpirit, which has supported its local marketing efforts since 2023. “Connected TV allows us to innovate and fine-tune advertising pressure for each campaign and store,” explains David Scalia, Sales Director at CoSpirit.

Carrefour also leverages Armis' platform to automate and industrialize ad distribution, creating highly targeted campaigns based on postal codes. “This is a first in retail for such detailed, industrialized campaigns,” notes David Baranes, co-founder and co-CEO of Armis.

Dutch retailer Albert Heijn receives the B-Corp certificate, an award for companies that pursue social and environmental impact in addition to profit. According to the company, it is the first supermarket in the world to obtain the certificate. It had been focusing on getting the award since April 2023.

To obtain B-Corp certification, companies undergo an extensive audit. The assessment covers the company's entire operation and measures the positive impact of the company in areas of governance, workers, community, the environment, as well as the product or service the company provides. Candidates must score at least 80 points on the audit, 200 points is the maximum. Albert Heijn scored 97.9 points, and the retailer is happy with the score. Companies must re-certify every three years to retain B Corporation status.

Consumers who use GLP-1 medications for weight loss, like Ozempic, shift their purchasing habits. Users make fewer food and beverage purchases during the first three months of use and return closer to benchmark levels by the end of year one. Spend on groceries can reduce by 6% overall, though purchases of produce, meat, snacks, protein bars and yogurts increase. This is one of the findings of a new report from market information company Circana.

GLP-1 weight-loss users shift their spending on food purchases both in and out of home. At grocery retail, they are spending more on foods that support GLP-1 balance, including vegetables, eggs and nuts. Conversely, they are making fewer purchases of products they’ve been recommended to avoid, including spicy foods, fatty proteins, and beverages with added sugar.

Researchers from German universities have found out that customers are more likely to pick up an individual banana, often left as a result of people tearing others from the bunch, if they are emotionally triggered.

The academics placed a sign in front of orphan bananas (individual bananas left as a result of people tearing others from the bunch) saying “we are sad singles and want to be bought as well”. On average, sales in single bananas went to 3.19 with the sad sign – an increase of 58%.

The researchers carried out the experiment in a major German supermarket chain, observing the purchasing behaviour of 3,810 customers over the course of 192 hours.