Private labels growing across Europe

Last year, sales of private label products increased in the 17 European countries studied by Nielsen-IQ for the annual Private Label Yearbook of the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) to a total of 302 bn euros. Compared with 2021, the value share increased by 1.2 per cent to a record value of 37 per cent of the overall market. European markets are thus among the biggest markets for private labels worldwide.

The countries experiencing the highest growth in the share of private labels are the Czech Republic (+3.5 per cent), Portugal (+2.9 per cent), Spain (+2.2 per cent) and Hungary (+2.2 per cent). Only Switzerland recorded a slight downturn of 0.5 per cent.

Switzerland is also the country with the highest private label share in Europe, however, amounting to an impressive 52 per cent. In second place are the Netherlands with a value share of 44 per cent, followed by Spain and the United Kingdom with 43 per cent, Germany (40 per cent) and Portugal (39 per cent). The share is below thirty per cent in just six of the countries analysed: Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Greece, the Czech Republic and Norway.

“Consumers in Europe are clearly turning to private labels as they recognise their quality, value, taste and performance,” says the PLMA in a press release.