With the 2023 Annual Private Label Trade Show kickoff only days away, PLMA organizers are in the final stages of preparation to greet more than 10,000 retail and foodservice buyers, other visitors and exhibitors to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. A record number of 1,675 exhibitors, approximately 20% more than last year, will show their products and promote services during the November 12-14 event.
Ranked a Gold 100 Show and the largest of its kind, the annual exhibition provides supermarkets, wholesale clubs, dollar and specialty stores, mass merchandisers, importers and exporters and e-commerce retailers and visitors an exclusive venue to discover the latest food and non-food products, ingredients, flavors, packaging and supplier trends in the private label industry.
With more than $115 billion in sales in the United States, an increase of 32% over the previous year, food and beverages are a growing phenomenon among store brands and a major highlight this year’s PLMA show, which is themed “The Store Brands Phenomenon.”
A series of educational lectures and speeches by industry will be offered at the suburban Chicago venue, including the “Taste of Tomorrow: Forecasting the Future Forces Reshaping Private Label Food” presentation by Kevin Ryan, founder and chief executive officer of Malachite Strategy and Research, a consumer packaged goods, retail and foodservice-focused insights and innovation agency. On Sunday, November 12, he will delve into the dynamic forces that are now and will shape private label in the near future, focusing on emerging trends, consumer preferences, and technological advancements that are influencing the industry.
Ryan has led corporate and brand initiatives to discover new opportunities globally. His experiences include early exploration, brand innovation and go-to-market strategies for the launch of the Yoplait brand in greater China, redesigning the retail and in-shop experience for Haagen-Dazs ice cream across Europe and Asia and leading U.S. new product development innovation efforts on the Pillsbury, Cheerios and Annie’s brands.
Next in the presentation lineup after Ryan will be Dr. Sara Williamson. The consumer psychologist will report on findings from the recent PLMA Gen Z Shopper Survey. This session will shed light on the brand-related perceptions and behaviors among loyal and lukewarm consumers in this emerging generation of young shoppers.
Williamson, an assistant professor of marketing at SUNY Old Westbury, specializes in consumer psychology. Her research investigates how choice, consumption, and disposal of packaged goods can be impacted by contextual cues related to product design, labeling, and retailing. She has more than a decade of industry experience in sales and marketing within both private and public sectors, working with stakeholders along the value chain to foster successful relationships among retailers, restaurants, and food suppliers.
