The Store Brands Spotlight

Amazon’s Prime Day has become the summer sale event that attracts millions of consumers, and in recent years, has also led competitor retailers to develop overlapping promotional events.While the promotions in the near term help boost sales, do Prime Day and other summer sale events also offer indicators into how retailers and consumers will behave as attention turns to the all-important fourth quarter?Catherine Frame, retail industry director at UiPath, discusses how retailers can use technology such as AI to identify trends and use that knowledge to make adjustments heading into Q4.

Sales of private label products continue to grow across a variety of categories at retail, driven by a confluence of consumers seeking better value for their dollar and continued new product development.
As retailers look to keep sales of own brand products growing, the question now being asked by some is what steps retailers need to take to further raise the profile of their own brand assortments. And the answer to that question may be right in front of them. Jessica Wagner, managing partner of Digital Product at Fueled, a web and app development agency, shares her thoughts on how retailers should be using their apps and websites to market private label products more effectively to consumers.
As she has noted, private label is often associated with value, but the digital experience can help retailers tell a more complete story around quality, relevance, convenience, discovery, and repeat purchase.

As more Americans turn to GLP-1s to address various health issues, the drug’s high cost is reducing consumers’ disposable income levels and impacting what they buy at the grocery store.But this fiscal challenge is also an opportunity for grocers to offer shoppers money-saving options across the store, which could include expansion of private label assortments.Beth Johnson, a grocery expert with RRD, a global company that provides marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain solutions discusses the impact the high cost of GLP-1s is having in the grocery store. She will also share thoughts on how retailers can help offset the drug’s high cost, what products are in demand, and the opportunities for retailers to raise the profile of their private label products.

Elizabeth J. Rest, an intellectual property attorney and co-founder of San Francisco–based Crown, LLP Elizabeth will discuss legal protections for food packaging and product presentation under trade dress law; when private label packaging may cross the line into infringement on another brand’s “look and feel,” and share best practices for grocery retailers and CPG brands alike to safeguard their brand equity and minimize legal exposure.

Wellness is on the minds of consumers across all key demographics, and new research from Circana reveals some major shifts in how shoppers view the topic. Today, consumers are taking a more holistic approach to wellness, which encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and functional needs.And this evolution is reshaping purchasing decisions across all age groups, challenging retailers to adapt their strategies to meet distinct generational priorities.Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana, will take a deep dive into Circana’s new data on the consumer mindset around wellness and discuss how retailers need to adapt to meet current-day needs.

The private label industry continues to grow, and retailers are looking to expand their assortments in an effort to add to their selections and provide shoppers with products that offer quality and value.In Episode 39 of Store Brands Spotlight, Celeste Costa, head of Sales and Marketing at Wyda Packaging USA, discusses how private label growth has impacted Wyda, current trends in the marketplace, and where the conversation around sustainability stands currently.

Sales of private brand products continue to grow, and retailers are not dialing back their product development efforts as they work to meet continued consumer demand for quality products that offer good value.But are retailers doing enough to connect their expanding private brand assortments with the digital shopping tools that are now in the hands of consumers?Tom Cosgrove, director of Industry Relations with FMI - The Food Industry Association, and Chris Costagli, vice president of Thought Leadership with Nielsen IQ, discuss the findings of FMI’s new report, Private Brands At The Digital Crossroads, A Call To Lead In Omnichannel Grocery Retail.

Lizette Gomez, director of Marketing at Vallarta Supermarkets, discusses the grocer’s ongoing sustainability efforts, touching on initiatives currently in place and what’s ahead in 2026 and beyond.

Michelle Beck, director of Own Brands Merchandising with The Fresh Market, and Michael Duffy, senior vice president with Equator Design, discuss the effort by The Fresh Market to overhaul the packaging designs of its private label assortment, the motivating factors behind the change, and the impact the new designs have had on sales.

Renee Caceras, head of Retail Media at StackAdapt, shared her expertise on how holiday campaigns need to evolve beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to meet the needs of today’s shoppers.