Press Corner

Private labels source of innovation on the grocery shelves

Amsterdam - 30 May 2024  - Drinkable sea water. How does this compare to drinkable vinegar? What about jelly bread spread made from tea, or medical diapers with allowing for urine sampling for sick babies? These and many more remarkable private label items were shown at the PLMA International Private Label Trade Show in Amsterdam. 

“This is the place to be to spot innovation”, PLMA President Peggy Davies comments. “Retailers know shoppers want the very best of quality, innovation, and performance. The exhibitors at PLMA's Annual World of Private Label Trade Show offer products and packaging to support retailers product development plans.”

On May 28 and 29, the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre welcomed more than 17.000 visitors from over 125 countries, who were all keen to find out new trends in products and packaging. PLMA’s International World of Private Label Trade Show was, as it always is, a meeting place for retailers, buyers, category managers and other visitors who walked the 43,500 m2 trade show floor to browse what the almost 3,000 exhibiting companies from 73 countries offered. A challenging task, given the show floor space and the abundance of food and non-food exhibitors which was 10% larger compared to last year. 

“Retail is a highly competitive market, so it’s key to always stay one step ahead with our retail brand”, a category manager said. “The PLMA Trade Show is THE event for inspiration and doing business.”

To guide visitors to identify innovation on the expansive show floor, PLMA’s Idea Supermarket was an area buzzing with trends through hundreds of innovative and newly developed products from retailers and manufacturers around the world.

“For my company this trade show gains relevance year by year”, a manufacturer comments. “The trade show floor is full of retailers that are truly interested in our products and our way of working.”

Among the product trends spotted on the show floor:  

Innovative Beverages 
Sea water and vinegar are unlikely to be someone’s favorite beverage. Still, product developers succeeded in creating refreshing drinks based on these ingredients. 
Functional teas with added zinc to support the immune system, or tea especially for men as it contains herbs to maintain the prostate function. And what about beverage on your bread? Tea is used to create a jelly bread spread, as could be seen in PLMA’s New Product Expo.

Halal and Kosher
A notable number of interesting Halal and Kosher products could be seen, including a Ramadan Calendar for fasting. New items that comply with the requirements of Halal and Kosher are developed to such an extent that they may even allow for special ranges in retailers’ private label architecture.

Functionality in non-food
In non-food private label manufacturers developed functional and surprising unexpected new products, such as a probiotic cleaning cloth, or medical diapers allowing for urine sampling for babies that are sick. The New Product Expo even showed an AI-enabled air fryer that identifies its content and automatically adjusts the cooking time. Similarly remarkable is an aroma therapy product for pets, and in packaging the addition of braille on tampons packaging stands out.

The 2024 International Private Label Trade Show kicked off on Monday May 27 with two workshops addressing the topics of how to build a strategic partnership and the evolution of packaging design in Gen Z era, followed by the seminar programme with presentations from Circana and Euromonitor. Picnic the intriguing and trendsetting online-only retailer gave an insight in its clear vision on the future of retailing in Europe whereas Coop Italia gave a speech on its revolutionary approach to private label.  

AMSTERDAM - 28 May 2024 - It’s once again time to connect, source and grow! More than 28,000 industry professionals from over 120 countries are attending the 2024 edition of PLMA’s annual World of Private Label International Trade Show, which kicked off today and runs through tomorrow at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.

The show floor boasts 2,960 exhibiting companies from 73 countries, good for 44,000 m2 of net exhibit space filling 9 Food halls and 5 Non-Food halls. There are 67 national and regional pavilions, representing 40 countries.

Visitors are seeing a bustling show floor filled with fresh, frozen and refrigerated food, dry groceries and beverages, as well as non-food categories such as cosmetics, health and beauty, household and kitchenware, garden supplies, housewares and much more.

Among the product attributes on the trade show floor:

-  Sustainable Claims - 41% - 1,215 exhibitors 
-  Dietary Needs - 35% - 1,040 exhibitors 
-  Vegan, Plant-Based & Vegetarian - 23% - 680  exhibitors 
-   Organic - 27% - 780 exhibitors  

A highlight of the show is the ‘Idea Supermarket’ innovation and new product development area. This section features private label ranges from over 60 supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, specialty stores and drugstores around the world. Also in this area is the New Product Expo, a showcase of nearly 500 new products and packaging developed by exhibitors. Plus, there is the display of all retail products that won a 2024 International PLMA Salute to Excellence Award for private label innovation.

This year’s pre-show programme held on 27 May included seminars by Circana, Euromonitor, Picnic and Coop Italia, plus workshops led by industry experts touching relevant topics in a smaller interactive setting. Participation in the seminars and workshops was free of charge to all registered exhibitors and visitors.

For more than 35 years, PLMA’s annual World of Private Label International Trade Show has helped retailers and manufacturers come together to find new products, make new contacts, and discover new ideas that will help their private label programs succeed and grow.

Shoppers can rely on retailers supporting them in healthy and sustainable lifestyles while keeping an eye on their budgets. Trends in the 2024 International PLMA Salute to Excellence Awards are use of recycled materials, attention for origin and optimized quality and affordability. 

AMSTERDAM (27 May 2024) – Consumers are capricious. That’s why private label offerings cater to shoppers who are both health-conscious and keen on magic moments of indulgence. Consumers also care for the planet. That’s why innovative plant-based private label items have been introduced, helping shoppers with diets that are sustainable and healthy. Such excellent new items, along many more, have been rewarded with an International Salute to Excellence Award.

In this year’s edition, over 550 new private label items from 72 retailers in 23 countries were submitted for judgement. An international panel of judges – including former retailers, chefs, marketing professionals, nutritionists, and journalists – evaluated these items in intensive sessions. This resulted in 99 food and non-food winners of the International Salute to Excellence Awards.

“Plant-based increased in quality and diversity”, according to one judge when referring to the Vegan Falafel Veta Bowl from Rewe, adding “This is the way to sell vegan!”. An innovative and healthy approach was praised In the category Granola & Muesli where two products stood out, from Aldi Netherlands with its Granola with Nutri-Score A and from Woolworths South Africa, with its carb clever beetroot & berry granola. “I have seen some great innovations and flavours” one judge said.

99 winners by 43 retailers from 23 countries

These winners were introduced by 43 retailers from 23 countries. Most award winning private labels (19) were introduced last year in Germany, followed by Denmark and Italy with 13 Salute-winners each. Dutch and French retailers gained 7 awards each, while retailers in Spain, Portugal and Ireland were given 6 awards respectively. The other awards were divided between retailers from United Kingdom, Norway, Czech Republic, Poland, Türkiye, Ukraine, China, South Africa and Thailand.

High-quality products at affordable prices remain a focus area for retailers who clearly respond to the needs of today’s consumers. “These retailers have successfully responded to the changing wants and needs of today’s shopper,” said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “They are providing not just quality and affordability but also innovative food and non-food products that reflect current lifestyle trends.”

A closer look at winning retailers learns that the German Rewe Group gained most awards for private labels introduced in its Rewe supermarkets and Penny discount stores. The 9 Salute to Excellence awards for

Rewe  Group clearly demonstrates the retailers’ innovative performance in new product development. Also from Germany is the drugstore chain Rossmann, who gained 6 awards, just like the Irish retailer Musgrave.

The Netherlands hosts 3 retailers who submitted their new private label items for judgement. The Dutch branch of ALDI (Nord) achieved 4 award winners, while drugstore retailers Etos (Ahold Delhaize) and Kruidvat (AS Watson) were honoured in total with 3 awards.

Continente from Portugal, and the Danish retailers REMA 1000 and COOP each walked away with 5 awards.  Auchan and Carrefour Group were honoured with 4 awards each.

Italy had the largest presence of retailers in the competition and divided the 13 awards between COOP Italia, CRAI, Despar and PAM Panorama, MD, Végé Retail and Vega Soc. Coop. In Spain EROSKI Desarrollo de Marcas and Carrefour Spain divided the 6 awards. 
The judges were impressed by the ever increasing level of quality of all new items submitted. 

“Every year suppliers perform better in sustainability and health. Increasing attention to this across the board is really paying off, given the products and packaging that were submitted” , one of the judges said. “More FSC paper packaging, especially in the diaper department, is being used, and many manufacturers use plastic made from recycled material”.

International PLMA Salute to Excellence Awards – Wines
This balance between affordability and quality is also found at the wine awards. Judges tasted over 130 wines divided in some twenty categories. 14 retailers from 6 countries were honoured with an International Salute to Excellence Award for Best Quality and Best Value in wine.
The private label wine category had its own separate tasting sessions. Under guidance of Master of Wine Cees van Casteren, two panels of wine experts blind-tasted over 130 wines divided in some twenty categories. From sparkling whites and rosés, through classic wines to organic cuvées, judges rolled the wine, smelled it, looked at it, tasted, and also scored it on a variety of criteria such as colour, style, nose, and appellation. 

The judges selected 33 winning wines in the category Best Quality and Best Value. Trendy sparkling, rosé and special grape varieties targeted to millennials and adventurous consumers, were offered in this year wine competition. 

Dutch retailer Albert Heijn introduced six winning wines and Gruppo PAM from Italy five recognized wines, closely followed by Aldi US,  MC SONAE from Portugal and the Danish discounter Rema1000 who each had three wines that received a thumbs up by the judges. 

Catering to adventurous consumers, means sourcing wines from new regions. “Multiple retailers seem to be more open to source wines from non-mainstream origins and grape varieties”, a judge said, mentioning Portugal with Loureiro, Verdelho and Alvarinho as an example.

According to the tasting panels, the quality of the wines versus their price levels exceeded all expectations and received the praise of the judges. When tasing they experienced a much increased consistency in quality.

“I would definitely serve these wines at a dinner with friends without a doubt or reservation” Cees van Casteren said. “Some of the wines that were presented had such a high quality that they can compete with the most expensive wines on the shelves.” 
“Private label seems to become a strategic choice for some producers rather than a Plan B”, one of the judges stated.

And all winners are….
Albert Heijn (The Netherlands); Albertsons (USA); ALDI (The Netherlands); ALDI (Italy); ALDI INC. (USA); AS Watson (The Netherlands); AUCHAN (France); Salling Group (Denmark); Coop Danmark A/S (Denmark); Kremmerhuset (Norway); Vita (Norway); Carrefour (Spain); Carrefour (France); Central Food Retail (Thailand); Circle K (USA); Continente/SONAE MC (Portugal); COOP Italia (Italy); COOP Norge (Norway); COOP Trading (Denmark); CRAI SECOM (Italy); Dagrofa (Denmark); Desarrollo de Marcas (Spain); DESPAR (Italy); Dirk Rossmann (Germany); EDEKA(Germany); EROSKI (Spain); Etos (The Netherlands); EVA (Ukraine); Globus (Germany); Jeronimo Martins Polska S.A (Poland); M Commerce Group (China); Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom); MD S.p.A. (Italy); METRO (Germany); Metro (Türkiye); Migros (Türkiye); Migross (Italy) Musgrave Retail Partners (Ireland);  New Seasons Market (USA); PAM Panorama (Italy); PENNY (Germany); Pingo Doce (Portugal); PLUS Retail B.V. (The Netherlands); REMA 1000 (Denmark); REWE Group (Germany); Rohlik Group (Czech Republic); Shandong Quanfuyuan Commercial  Group (China); Vega Società Cooperativa (Italy); VéGé Retail (Italy); Woolworths (South Africa)

As of May 27 the full list of winners will be available via www.plmasalute.com. 

Take-aways from this year’s competition:

• The trend towards health-conscious eating seems to clash with the highly indulgence snacking offerings. Retailers know that consumers are capricious! Also health-conscious shoppers may reward themselves with a moment of indulgence. Chocolate that is both organic and vegan offers sustainable indulgence.
• The common factor in many categories is sustainable sourcing. Buyers have a keen eye for organic, but also pay attention to social aspects like fair income and wages for farmers. Also protected geographical origin, indicated by IGP or AOP labels, is important, just like the use of upscale ingredients.  
• Sustainability remains a topic of interest, both in raw materials and ingredients as in packaging materials. Packaging is clearly moving from recyclable material to recycled material. 
• Such improvement can also be seen in plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. The days that this innovation was limited to an alternative for burgers are definitely over. New plant-based food clearly takes a higher level of quality and taste, with premium vegan private label items that are now available. 
• In terms of healthy eating, catering to an active lifestyle is a trend as many items claim high levels of protein. It responds to the growing trend of increased protein intake among active and health conscious consumers. Both in food – protein bars – as in personal care – hair care with plant-protein – this is clearly a trend.
• In non-food health and wellness is part of the indulgence trend, given an impressive private label assortment of skin and body care products created with clean ingredients.  In household cleaning products, manufacturers improve their performance in using less packing material to reduce waste, and developing detergents with natural ingredients that allow for washing at lower temperatures.

All winners of the PLMA 2024 International Salute to Excellence Awards will be displayed on May 28 and 29 at the Idea Supermarket section during the 2024 World of Private Label International Trade Show in Amsterdam. 

AMSTERDAM (22 April 2024) - More than 2,950 exhibitors from more than 73 countries will fill over 43,500 m2 of exhibit space at PLMA’s 2024 World of Private Label International Trade Show, May 28 and 29 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.

The show floor will span 14 halls, including nine for food and five for non-food. It will feature 67 national and regional pavilions.

“Our high-impact global event provides a dynamic two-day platform for more than 28,000 private label professionals from 120 countries to connect, source and grow,”said PLMA President Peggy Davies. “The innovation unveiled for food and non-food products and packaging on the show floor and in Idea Supermarket will strengthen the already booming private label industry.”

Products on display will include fresh, frozen, refrigerated food, dry groceries and beverages, as well as non-food categories, including cosmetics, health and beauty, household and kitchen, garden supplies, housewares and more.

Among the product trends on show floor: 

• Sustainable Claims – 39% or 1,150+ exhibitors
• Dietary Needs – 31% or 900+ exhibitors 
• Vegan, Plant-Based & Vegetarian – 22% or 650+ exhibitors 
• Organic – 26% or 750+ exhibitors 

A popular part of the trade show is the innovation and new product development area known as the Idea Supermarket. This section features private label ranges from 64 supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, specialty stores and drugstores around the world. Also in this area is the New Product Expo, which will feature 500+ new products developed by exhibitors. Plus, there will be a display of winning products from retailers that won a 2024 International PLMA Salute to Excellence Award for private label innovation.

The pre-show seminar programme on Monday 27 May will include workshops led by industry experts on relevant topics. Participation in the seminars and workshops is free to all registered retailers, exhibitors, visitors, and industry professionals. 

13.00 – 14.00 WORKSHOPS (by pre-registration only)

• Getting to Yes: Strategic Partnership & Creating Mutual Value
  Speaker: Erik Aapkes, Managing Partner, Blueprint Europe

• Unboxing the Future: The Evolution of Packaging Design
  Speakers: Loe Limpens & Sabine Louet Feisser, Yellow Dress Retail

14.00 – 16.00 SEMINAR PROGRAMME ((open to all registrants with a 2024 Trade Show badge))

• Private Labels: Transformation for Growth
  Speaker: Ananda Roy, SVP Thought Leadership Europe, Circana

• Top Global Consumer Trends Report 2024
  Speaker: Ana Tique, Client and Insight Consultant, Euromonitor

Retailer Insight   

• PICNIC - “The Story of Picnic’s Own Brand”.

An insight look in Europe’s fastest growing and trendsetting online supermarket
Speakers: Vibeke van der Bilt, Business Lead Private Label, and Fleur Randag, Business Lead Private Label, Picnic

• COOP ITALIA - "Coop and its Revolutionary Approach to Private Label"

Learn about its dynamic exploration of real-world success, grounded in practical insights as one of the largest established retailers in Italy. 

Speaker: Paolo Bonsignore, COO, Coop Italian Food

• During the pre-show seminar programme, the winners of 2024 International PLMA Salute to Excellence Awards will be announced. 

CLICK HERE for more information.

AMSTERDAM, March 2024 – PLMA’s 2024 World of Private Label International Trade Show, which is scheduled on 28 and 29 May at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, is the premier gathering for the private label industry for sourcing and business opportunities. 

With a record-breaking 2,850 exhibitors representing over 70 countries, this year's trade show promises to be larger and more dynamic than ever. An additional exhibit hall will be used to accommodate the strong demand for exhibit space. 

The World of Private Label welcomes more than 60 national and regional pavilions. Among the new pavilions are: Dubai, Egypt, Georgia, Germany (Thuringia), Italy (Organic), Poland, South Korea, Thailand and the Netherlands.

The latest trends in food and non-food - including organic, plant-based and sustainable products and packaging - will be on display on the trade show floor.

The trade show is expected to attract more than 16,000 professionals; retail buyers from supermarkets, discounters, hypermarkets, convenience stores and specialty stores and more, from over 120 countries from all continents. 
The show is appropriately themed “Connect. Source. Grow.”

One retail executive said the show provides the ideal opportunity to source new products and strengthen business relationships. 

“World of Private Label is a must-go and a recurrent happening for our company on our calendars. We return every year,” the retailer said.

One of the popular parts of the trade show is the innovation and new product development area known as the Idea Supermarket. This section features private label ranges from 64 supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, specialty stores and drugstores around the world. Also in this area is the New Product Expo, which will feature 500+ new products developed by exhibitors. Plus, there will be a display of winning products from retailers that earned an award in International PLMA Salute to Excellence Awards for best private label product of 2024.  

This year’s pre-show seminar programme will be enhanced by concurrent workshops that will be led by industry experts touching relevant topics in a smaller interactive setting. Participation in the seminars and workshops is free of charge to all registered retailers, exhibitors, visitors, and industry professionals. 

At PLMA, connections are made, ideas are shared and success stories are written. Join us for an unparalleled journey into the world of private label excellence. 

PLMA International Council reports that private label share across 17 countries in Europe continues to grow according to an update on the latest data of NielsenIQ commissioned by PLMA. The share grew to 38.1% based on MAT W28 2023 (+1.7%pnt versus MAT W28 2022). 

NielsenIQ surveyed 17 markets for PLMA’s 2023 International Private Label Yearbook update and noticed an increase for retail brands in 16 out of the 17 countries, the only exception is Switzerland where the private label share slightly declined. European markets remain some of the biggest Private Label markets globally, 11 markets sustained their market share position above 30%, and 6 markets are now above 40% of Private Label share.

Peggy Davies, president of PLMA says: The growing market shares in the findings of NielsenIQ confirms that private label continues to be on the right track. In the 17 countries tracked for this update, but which is also true for US and other continents, more consumers turn to private label products as part of their daily shopping basket recognizing quality and affordability that meet their demands. 

The highest growth countries in private label share are Portugal (+4.4%pnt), Germany (+2.9%pnt), The Czech Republic (+2.8%pnt) and Spain (+2.2%pnt). While Switzerland is the only country showing a decline in private label share, it is still the country with the highest share across the 17 countries tracked. The share of Switzerland is in 2023 51.8% (-0.1%pnt vs last year), Switzerland remains the only country with a share higher than 50%

Europe’s largest markets, Germany, United Kingdom and France, have a collective Private Label share 39.6% 2023, this share grew 1.9%pnt vs last year. The highest share growth for the largest markets is visible in Pet Food, Ambient Food and Frozen Food, all categories grew over 2%pnt in share. 

Spain and Portugal Private Label gained share with +2.5%pnt, the highest share growth is visible in non-alcoholic beverages which grew with +3.4%pnt. In Spain and Portugal there is only 1 group with a decline in share which is Healthcare.

In Belgium (38.9%) and The Netherlands (44.9%) the private label share grew with +1.5%pnt, the highest growth for the 2 countries is visible in paper products, home care and ambient food. All categories grew over 2%pnt in share.

Also the Scandinavian countries, Denmark (35.1%), Sweden (27.9%), and Norway (21.9%), show growth in Private label share, together the countries grew +1.7%pnt in share. Growth of private label share is visible in all categories. The highest share growth is visible in paper products (+4.0%pnt). 

Also in Eastern Europe, Czech Republic (23.2%), Hungary (29.1%) and Poland (32.7%), the private label share is showing a continued and steady growth. The highest growth in private label share is visible in perishable food and pet food.

According to NielsenIQ’s data, perishable & frozen foods, paper products, and ambient food are the top 3 categories of Private Label value share with an average of 51.3% representing in total 230 billion in Euros across the 17 European countries tracked.  

The private label sales grew with 43 billion euros across the 17 European countries tracked. Perishable and ambient food have the highest contribution to this growth.