PLM - COVER STORY
High value-added
private labels driving innovation
How retail brands went from simple commodities to premium references, often anticipating trends. The effects on the industry. In 2020, PL food product sales in Italy recorded a growth of +9.3%, thus reaching a 20% market share (+0.5% compared to the previous year) and a turnover of 11.8 billion euros (10.8 billion euros in 2019). According to Distribuzione Moderna, the supply chain of these products is a value generator, and a lever for the economic development and consequent revamp of the Country. «Distribuzione Moderna Alimentare - explained Marco Pedroni, President of ADM, Associazione Distribuzione Moderna - has an economic and social influence on the country. As a matter of fact, in 2020 it generated a turnover of 143 billion euros and it’s currently employing 425,000 people. It’s also Italian families’ number one channel for grocery shopping. Although difficult, 2020 represented a positive year for PL, as it grew by threefold compared to the products of the food industry.» Innovation, quality research, greater attention to Made in Italy and sustainability criteria is what characterizes the latest generation of PL products, which generate value for the whole industry. «PL has driven 78% of the national food industry growth in the last 17 years - adds Valerio De Molli, Managing Partner & CEO of The European House-Ambrosetti.- If they want to continue growing, innovation, research and engagement should therefore be PL brands’ watchwords.»
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