PLMA Aims to Drive Consumer Trial of Private Label Products
NEW YORK — The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) is hoping to drive awareness and trial of store brands as 2025 kicks off.
The association is celebrating January as the inaugural Store Brands Month. The monthlong, direct-to-consumer program is a partnership between retailers and manufacturers to promote the quality, value and excellence of store brands to shoppers.
PLMA President Peggy Davies shared highlights of the new industry collaboration at "The Store Brands Phenomenon 2024 — Empowering the Retail Industry" Private Label Trade Show in Chicago in November.
The monthlong campaign will focus attention on the positive attributes and practical factors of store brands — including value, digital convenience, ethical considerations, innovation and budget awareness — across all product categories in brick-and-mortar and online retail formats.
The initiative, which PLMA plans to make an annual event, has drawn support from retailers.
"Store Brands Month provides an amazing opportunity to elevate the conversation around store brands and encourage more shoppers to explore these valuable options," said Pam Ofri, Wakefern Food Corp.'s director of product development and operations, Own Brands.
[Read more: Food Retailers & Manufacturers to Boost Private Brand Investments]
Many large national retailers from coast to coast have also signed on to support Store Brands Month, according to PLMA.
Promotional strategies were developed by participating retailers and will be executed in-store and through a variety of digital and social media platforms. "The time is right to bring greater visibility among consumers to our thriving industry," Davies said. "By coming together with our partners during a monthlong campaign, we have an opportunity to further expand the presence and strength of the largest CPG [consumer packaged goods] brand in the store: private brands."
Annual sales of store brands have risen by 41% over the past five years. PLMA is projecting that sales for 2024 will surpass a quarter trillion dollars, setting a record for annual revenue. One in every four grocery products sold across the United States carries the store's name or brand.
PLMA is a nonprofit 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.