Frozen food buyers and sellers are among more than 14,000 visitors from over 110 countries preparing to attend the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s (PLMA) 2018 World of Private Label International Trade Show. The annual event, which is the largest exhibition for own label products on the planet, will be held May 29-30 at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam.
As always, innovative frozen food offerings will be in high profile along with refrigerated items, fresh produce, dry grocery, beverages and non-food SKUs. The show will be open for business from 9 AM to 6:30 PM on Tuesday, the 29th, and from 9 AM to 4:30 PM on Wednesday, the 30th.
This year’s gathering will be bigger than ever, reflecting the growth of retailer brands across Europe and beyond. There will be more than 2,500 exhibiting companies from over 70 countries on the show floor. The total net exhibition surface at the RAI will be 41,500 square meters, a 4% increase over last year. More than 60 national and regional pavilions will be presenting their products, with new pavilions from Thailand, Brazil, Peru, Slovakia and Belarus.
The exhibition area covers 14 exhibit halls in the RAI, divided over three main complexes. RAI’s Europa Complex is devoted to food products, the Holland Complex has exhibitors displaying non-food items, while Park Complex presents both food and non-food products.
Justin King Keynote Speaker
A highlight of the event is the keynote seminar presentation by Justin King, who served as chief executive officer of Sainsbury’s for ten years and held senior management positions at Marks & Spencer and the Asda Group. In another seminar presentation, Tom Pennincks, client business partner at the Nielsen Company, will examine the latest market share data for private label in Europe. Admission to the seminars, which will be held from 2 to 4 PM on May 28, is complimentary to all registered visitors and exhibitors.
A special attraction is PLMA’s Idea Supermarket, where visitors can see displays of the products that won the 2018 International Salute to Excellence Awards for innovation and quality in private label. Trade show visitors can see private label ranges from more than 60 retailers around the world displayed on gondolas at the Idea Supermarket.
Strong Demand in Europe
The popularity of private label keeps growing across Europe. Nielsen data shows that market share for retailer brands has climbed to all-time highs in nine European countries and for the first time stands at 30% or above in 15 of the 20 countries tracked for PLMA’s International Private Label Yearbook.
According to Brian Sharoff, president of PLMA, “This continues a long-term trend which shows that private label’s success isn’t tied to economic cycles but reflects the growing confidence shoppers have in retailer brands.”
The 2017 Yearbook statistics reveal that private label’s market share reached all-time highs in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
The biggest market share increases were posted in Austria, up 2.8 points to 43%, followed by Germany, up 2.1 points to 45%, and Poland, up 1.4 points to 30%. Seven countries now have market shares of 40% or higher: the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
Market share in the United Kingdom stayed above 45% and appears ready to resume growth as supermarkets expand their private label programs to combat the competitive challenge from discounters. In France, private label penetration remained over 30% for the thirteenth consecutive year.
In the northern countries, both Belgium and the Netherlands reached new market share highs. All of the Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Norway and Sweden – posted increases. For the first time, private label penetration for all of the Scandinavian countries stands at 30% or above.
Poland led the way among the Central and East European countries, climbing more than one point to cross over the 30% market share mark. Hungary stayed steady at 34%, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia remained over 30%.
Among the Mediterranean countries, market share in Italy climbed for the fifth consecutive year, posting its biggest increase since 2012. Private label penetration is expected to increase as Aldi enters the market and Lidl looks to add more stores there. Greece and Turkey stayed above 20%.
Meanwhile, all the latest European and global trends and innovations in the private label sector will be front and center at the PLMA’s 2018 World of Private Label International Trade Show in Amsterdam. For more information, contact Leonique White by phoning +31 20 5753032, or visit www.plmainternational.com.
