Private label unit sales in the US, on the heels of a strong finish in Q4 of 2025, carried the momentum into the new year with a solid 2.3% gain for the period ending January 25, per Circana's first 2026 report to PLMA. National brands advanced by 2.4%. 

After a subpar start to 2025, the final three months were much improved for retailer brand unit sales as they increased an aggregate of 4.6% over the same period a year ago. 

Own brand dollar sales for the month of January 2026 were also positive, up by 2.3%; national brands were ahead 4.6%.

PLMA’s 2026 US Private Label Report, "Store Brands: A Bright Beacon In U.S. Retail Landscape," which documents the unprecedented levels of market penetration achieved by the store brands industry last year, is available online at www.plma.com.

Too many marketing decisions are still driven by what the company likes or wants—rather than by what its customer actually values. While many organisations proudly claim to be customer-centric, the reality often tells a different story. In marketing and sales, this disconnect can be a costly business mistake.

Ask a consumer why they buy a particular product and you are unlikely to get a reliable answer. Often, people simply don’t know—or they rationalise their choice after the fact. In truth, purchasing decisions are largely driven by emotion. This is where effective marketing and sales succeed: by understanding and triggering the emotions that influence consumer choice.

On 25 March, from 12:30 to 13:30 CET, Sanne Dollerup of Buylogic will host an online webinar exploring emotional customer segmentation and the emotional drivers behind purchasing decisions.

The session is part of PLMA’s Lunch & Learn series and is free for PLMA members and retailers. To request a registration link, click here.

Private labels are emerging as a key strategic lever for retailers, particularly in non-food categories, according to a joint analysis by Boston Consulting Group and Inverto. The research finds that well-developed retailer brands can deliver higher margins, broaden customer reach and strengthen differentiation in increasingly competitive markets.

Consumer perceptions continue to shift in favour of private labels. In Germany, 66% of shoppers now choose retailer brands for their value for money, with independent product tests in some non-food categories rating private labels on par with, or ahead of, leading manufacturer brands. Younger consumers are proving especially receptive, driven in part by social media trends such as “dupe” content, which has normalised alternatives to premium brands.

BCG partner Marcus Kroth highlights a clear change in both retail strategy and consumer behaviour. Leading retailers are managing private labels as full brands, supported by data-led assortment planning, emotional brand positioning and consistent visibility across physical and digital channels.

Inverto identifies procurement and supply chain excellence as critical success factors. Retailers using AI-driven demand forecasting report planning accuracy improvements of 10–20%, supporting availability, reducing markdown risk and reinforcing the long-term profitability of non-food private labels.

Private label products now account for 54% of consumer goods spending in Spain, positioning the market among Europe’s most advanced in retailer brand penetration, according to a new report from EAE Business School. The study, co-authored by Professor Alejandro Alegret, highlights a clear shift in consumer perception, with private labels increasingly viewed as smart, trusted purchasing choices rather than low-price alternatives.

The research shows strong acceptance: 70% of Spanish consumers report satisfaction with private labels, while more than three-quarters cite strong value for money. On average, store brands are perceived to be 22% cheaper than manufacturer brands, reinforcing their appeal amid inflationary pressure and tighter household budgets.

Private labels are particularly dominant in everyday categories such as dairy, packaged food and household cleaning, while manufacturer brands retain strength in beverages. Trust, innovation and sustainability now underpin private label growth, with retailers investing in premium, organic and functional ranges.

Spain’s experience illustrates a mature private label model, where scale, brand consistency and local relevance are reshaping competitive dynamics across European FMCG retail.

Private label products are increasingly dominating French shopping baskets, challenging major brands across most FMCG categories, according to an exclusive survey conducted by Appinio for LSA magazine. Emilie Dumas, research lead at Appinio, highlights that private labels have strengthened their position in the context of price pressure and constrained purchasing power.

The survey, conducted in late 2025 with a representative sample of 1,000 French consumers, shows private labels now account for 36% of FMCG sales by value and 47% by volume. Over 80% of respondents regularly buy private label food products, 70% household items, and 52% beauty products. Three-quarters report being familiar with private label ranges, while 86% say these products are easy to identify in stores.

Greek shoppers are increasingly choosing private label products for value while maintaining trust in “Made in Greece” items for quality, according to Professor Georgios Baltas of the Athens University of Economics and Business.

The January 2026 survey reports private label now accounts for nearly 40% of household purchases, with high satisfaction and perceived quality. Most items are produced locally, reinforcing supermarket ranges and supporting domestic manufacturers. Professor Baltas highlights that this trend contributes to economic growth and employment.

The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy is a sugar tax on pre-packaged soft drinks that came into force in April 2018. It was designed to reduce sugar consumption in beverages and improve public health by encouraging manufacturers to reformulate products with lower sugar content. 

Official outcomes to date show that the levy has been effective at reducing sugar content: average sugar in taxed beverages has fallen by nearly half since the introduction, leading to reductions in calories consumed and associated improvements in children’s health, among others, lower rates of tooth decay and obesity-related problems. Consumer acceptance has remained strong, and overall soft drink sales volumes have grown, reflecting demand for lower-sugar alternatives.

The UK government has now announced that the sugar tax will be extended to more high-sugar products, including pre-packaged milk-based drinks and milk alternatives with added sugar, and to lower the sugar threshold from 5 g to 4.5 g per 100 ml. These changes will take effect on 1 January 2028, giving manufacturers time to reformulate products to avoid the levy.

In a bold move, Lidl Netherlands has announced it will end multi-buy and bulk discount promotions on food products, such as “buy one get one free” or stacked deals that require buying several items to unlock a reduced price. The retailer says this change is intended to make unit pricing more transparent and prevent customers from being misled by seemingly attractive offers that obscure the real cost of an item. Lidl argues that these volume promotions often inflate regular prices and encourage unnecessary purchases.

This decision is significant in the Dutch grocery market, which is traditionally dominated by aggressive promotional mechanics. Dutch supermarkets, including Albert Heijn and Jumbo, routinely run thousands of bulk deals annually to drive footfall and sales. Consumer organisations like the Consumentenbond and Questionmark, have been critical of such promotions, linking them to overconsumption, food waste and less transparent pricing.