Private label market share remained above 30% last year in all but two of the 18 European countries surveyed by Nielsen for PLMA's latest International Private Label Yearbook.
Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, private label share has remained strong, with nearly half the countries showing store brand market shares above 40%, while the majority showed positive market penetration.
“While taking account of multiple interruptions and ambiguities amidst the pandemic, the statistics for 2020 are an affirmation of consumers’ continuing trust in retailer brands," commented PLMA President Peggy Davies.
Core Markets
In terms of individual markets, private label share stayed well above 40% in Germany and the UK, while France saw private label share rise seven percentage points to 38.5%, due to the inclusion of private label share in Nielsen's data for the first time.
In Belgium, private label share was down slightly, due to a drop in sales of confectionery and snacks, while in the Netherlands, store brand share grew marginally to 37.1%.
Spain and Switzerland both reported approximately 50% private label unit market share, while Portugal saw private label share rise to 45%, sustained by growth of nearly five percentage points since 2016.
Italy reported a 22.6% private label market share, according to Nielsen, with Turkey and Greece both seeing shares above 30%.
Central And Eastern Europe
In Central and Eastern Europe, private label share is also strong, with market shares above 40% in Austria and above 30% in Poland, Czechia and Slovakia, according to the data.
The biggest increase in the region was in Hungary, however, which saw 1.4% growth to achieve 36.2% market share, its highest level to date.
In Scandinavia, meanwhile, private label in Sweden rose by one percentage point to 34%, while Finland remained above 30%.
“Private label succeeds in maintaining its strong position, even in saturated markets, and shows that retailers’ brands remain a primary option in the minds of the consumers," Davies added. "In many countries, private label shoppers continue to choose private label above A-brands.”
Last month, PLMA announced that its annual World of Private Label trade show is set to take place on 14-15 December this year, at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
