Inside Scoop On Why PLMA Show Continues To Grow

Early accounts augur well for this year's show to set a new all-time record

NEW YORK - With trade shows continually challenged to prove their relevance to how industries buy and sell products, PLMA's 2003 "Store Brands Confidential" Private Label Trade Show is running against the trend and is well on its way to another year of growth when it opens its doors November 16-18 in Chicago.

According to insiders at PLMA the week prior to the event, booth sales are currently running some 180 units ahead of last year's sales.

Last year's PLMA show presented a record number of exhibit booths from the nation's leading suppliers of store brand products, representing virtually all food & beverage categories, health and beauty aids, OTC drugs, household and kitchen products, and general merchandise.

The 2003 PLMA show floor is projected to offer more than 2,240 exhibit booths, occupying all three exhibit halls at Chicago's Rosemont Convention Center.

The show's expansion in recent years has been driven by a trend toward retailers extending their store brand programs to a greater number of items, categories and departments in the store, say sources at PLMA.

Other factors include growing participation by international companies, increasing exhibitor renewals from previous PLMA shows, and a steady flow of new exhibitors. Since 1998, the association has successfully introduced new sections for private label perishables, gourmet and specialty foods, and wines and spirits.

The increase is also the result of private label's continuing growth. According to statistics from Information Resources, Inc., private label sales in supermarkets grew by 3.4% in the second sales quarter of 2003, versus 2.1% growth for manufacturer brands. Private label market share in supermarkets reached 20.8% in terms of units, up from 20.6% a year ago, while private label dollar market share was 16.3%.

More than 4,000 retailers, wholesalers and others attend the PLMA show each year, including buyers and executives from America's leading supermarkets, drug chains, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, dollar stores and specialty retailers.

For information on exhibiting at or attending PLMA's "Store Brands Confidential" Private Label Trade Show, contact PLMA: 369 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017; or call (212) 972-3131, or fax (212) 983-1382, or visit the PLMA web site at www.plma.com.

Source: www.plma.com