Rebounding from a disappointing last few months of 2023, US store brand sales have started off the new year quite well. The products outperformed national brands in both dollars and units over the first quarter of 2024, according to Circana, PLMA’s provider of exclusive sales data in the US.

Private label dollar sales were up 1.8% compared to an increase of 1.2% for national brands. Over the first three months, total store brand sales were about US 60bn, a potential harbinger of another record year, as was the case in 2023 when all-time highs were set in annual sales, at $236 billion, as well as dollar share (18.9%) and unit share (20.7%).

Over the last three months of 2023, store brands were mired in sluggish figures. Dollar sales were, respectively, plus 0.3%, flat, and minus 0.9%; while unit sales were down 0.6%, down 0.5% and down 1.2%.

“It’s very reassuring and gratifying to see our sales numbers have turned positive again,” says Peggy Davies, PLMA president. “After the topsy-turvy, post-pandemic period, we appear to have settled back into store brand’s traditional sales performance of solid, low to mid-single digit gains. More than one of every five food and nonfood grocery items sold in the US is a store brand.”

Looking at the results in the individual product departments for the first quarter of 2024, the leading gainers in store brand dollar sales were Beauty, up 7.9%; followed by General Food, ahead 5.8%, and Beverages, which rose 3.3%. Pet Care was up 2.9%, Home Care 2.7%, Frozen 2.3%, Home 2.2%, and General Merchandise 1.5%. Refrigerated slipped 0.6%.

For complimentary US monthly store brand and national brand sales data, and other actionable statistical information, PLMA members and retailers can sign in at plma.com.