From Nov. 13-15 at the Rosemont Convention Center, retailers had the chance to view the latest trends and products in private label.
Retailer’s brands and entire lines of products marketed around ethnic, restaurant quality foods, wellness, convenience and other themes were on view at PLMA’s 2011 Private Label Trade Show.
The show, which took place Nov. 13-15 at the Rosemont Convention Center in the Chicago area, welcomed more than 4,500 visitors, including private label buyers and executives the leading U.S. supermarkets, drug chains, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, convenience and specialty retailers, in addition to wholesalers, brokers, importers, exporters, and suppliers of ingredients, services, research, consulting and more.
The PLMA show presented over 2,100 exhibit booths representing virtually every leading manufacturer of private label goods. The total also includes the addition of more than 200 booths from new companies exhibiting.
The PLMA show has been adding exhibit space at an annual rate of more than 5% each year since 2008, as store brands sales growth has outpaced national brands in consecutive sales quarters stretching back to the start of ‘08. In the most recent quarter for which statistics are available, store brands posted overall sales growth of +5.2%, while national brand sales grew a lackluster +0.7%. Store brands today account for about one in four products sold in U.S. supermarkets.
Exhibiting companies at the PLMA show produce store brands across virtually all food and non-food product categories. In two of the three main halls, the show floor offers every type of food and beverage, including ingredients and prepared foods, snacks, gourmet and specialty items. The main non-foods hall includes health and beauty care, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, vitamins & nutrition, household, kitchen and cleaning products, DIY and general merchandise.
International pavilions and international companies have expanded their participation. Exhibitors from over 35 countries are represented, including Canada, Mexico, Italy, France, Poland, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, China, Taiwan and India.
PLMA’s popular Idea Supermarket, comprising 2,000+ exceptional products, spotlights the latest in product concepts, packaging and program innovations from retailers across the country and around the world, including 7-Eleven’s 7-Select Brand.
New this year was the VIVA LATINO Pavilion in the Rosemont Center lobby and the growing number of trade show exhibitors offering products that reflected Latino and Hispanic traditions, tastes and preferences.
The VIVA LATINO Pavilion gaves attendees the opportunity to see displays of store brand food and non-food products being sold by supermarkets, mass merchandisers and drug chains including Walmart, Target, Publix, Aldi, Winn-Dixie, Smart & Final, Navarro and Fiesta.
Trade Show attendees also learned more about marketing strategies for this fast growing demographic group at the Sunday afternoon seminar session. An expert in the Hispanic and Latino market, Stephen Palacios, executive vice president at Cheskin Added Value, presented suggestions on “Taking Advantage of America’s Big New Market.”
The VIVA LATINO Pavilion and the increase in Hispanic and Latino products on the Trade Show floor reflect the appeal of store brands products for the country’s fastest growing demographic group. The number of Latino or Hispanic origin surpassed 50 million in the latest U.S. census. Roughly 1 out of every 6 Americans today is Latino or Hispanic.
