Grocers to Discuss Private Label Growth at Packaging Trade Show

Representatives from the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), Supervalu, and Fresh & Easy will talk about the burgeoning growth of private label in the supermarket sector at Pack Expo, a trade show sponsored and produced by The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) and scheduled this year for Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Doug Palmer, VP/own brands at Montvale, N.J.-based A&P, will kick things off with an Oct. 5 keynote address, “The Future of Retailer Packaging and Branding - the A&P Story.”

In an Oct. 6 keynote address titled “Packaging: A Holistic Approach to Winning,” Andrew Abraham, VP, Our Own Brands at Minneapolis-based Supervalu, will explore four key areas of opportunity where the private brand industry and the packaging supply chain can unite for success: Packaging for Retail Efficiency, Packaging for Communication Effectiveness, Packaging for Brand Positioning and Differentiation and Mainstreaming Sustainability.

Abraham will also discuss how private label is currently focusing on strategic design to project brand personality, effectively communicate value, and compete with quality perceptions of national brands, as well as the interest private brands have in realizing sustainability opportunities, especially when they can be linked to innovation and first-to-market initiatives.

Closing the keynote programming on Oct. 7, Steve Ryder, store design and planning director at El Segundo, Calif.-based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, a division of U.K. grocer Tesco, and Kevin O’Donnell, founder of North Hollywood, Calif.-based design firm thread collaborative, will provide an inside view of how the banner has established itself in the United States, as well as talk about its goal of engaging shoppers in new ways.

“A recent study from The NPD Group indicates that in 2008, 24 percent of all food and beverages served in American homes were store brands, up from 18 percent in 1999. Today, 97 percent of all households consume private label foods on a regular basis,” said Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based PMMI. “While the recession has played a role in the growth of this sector, consumers are choosing private label brands due to overall value and quality. To continue to spur consumer interest, industry leaders like Supervalu are turning to their packaging supply chain partners to introduce products that build brand loyalty with high-impact package designs, unique in-store branding opportunities and strong sustainability platforms.”

For more information, visit www.packexpo.com or contact PMMI’s Show Department at 703.243.8555 or [email protected].
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