After a difficult few years, the Private Label has finally begun to see a recovery despite the lacklustre performance of the consumer goods sector in general. Although food consumption remains weak and promotional pressure shows no signs of easing, the Private Label sector has posted growth of 1.8% in value and 0.9% in volume to reach a market share of 18.6%.

According to data supplied by IRI, in the 12 months to last July, sales of Private Label products in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector totalled 9.7 billion euros, corresponding to savings of 1.7 million euros for consumers.

The merit for this recovery certainly goes to the premium lines, which have experienced double-digit growth (+11.6%), and organic produce (+9.5%). On the other hand, sales of low-price Private Label products have fallen (-8.3%) demonstrating that consumers are increasingly keen to purchase high-quality, certified, healthy and sustainable products. While these trends have been under way for several years, in 2016 the effects have become particularly evident and are having a marked impact on the market.