Private label continues to grow in Europe

The private label industry has reached an all-time high in Europe, as record market shares for the industry are revealed in the latest survey conducted by market researcher Nielsen for the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s (PLMA) 2019 International Private Label Yearbook.

According to the data, 17 European countries market share for private label stands at 30% or more. Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom lead the way with the highest market shares at or above 50% of the 20 countries researched by Nielsen.

In Europe’s largest economy, Germany, private label market share stayed above 44% for the third consecutive year. In the UK, where supermarkets are investing in their private label programs to meet competition from discounters that rely heavily on private label, market share is near 47%. Private label’s share has remained above 40% in the UK ever since Nielsen began compiling data for PLMA in 1997.

“The latest Nielsen statistics reveal clearly that the popularity among consumers of private label across Europe remain enormous,” said Brian Sharoff, president of PLMA. “In 17 countries researched at least every third product sold is a private label product. In the lead are Spain and Switzerland where every second product sold is a retailer brand.”

To read the PLMA article, click here.