Private label sales hit a record $283 billion in 2025

Private label sales in the US climbed $9 billion in 2025 to reach $282.8 billion across all retailers year over year, according to new Circana data released by the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA).

Store brand annual dollar sales jumped 30% from 2021 to 2025, with dollar share and unit share up about two percentage points.

These brands’ growth is notably surpassing that of their national competitors: Private labels saw 3.3% sales growth and a 0.6% unit volume boost, while national brands’ sales notched up just 1.2% and unit sales dropped by 0.6%.

Segments that saw a rise in dollar sales included refrigerated products (6.1%), beverages (4.8%), pet care (3.7%), beauty (2.8%), frozen (2.4%), general food (1.6%) and general merchandise (0.9%). For private label unit sales, pet care rose 5.4%; liquor, 4.4%; beverage, 2.3%; frozen, 0.9%; refrigerated, 0.7%; and general food, 0.2%.

The growth indicates “a shift in consumer priorities, as retailer-owned brands increasingly compete—and win—on value, quality, health, and sustainability, not just price,” PLMA President Peggy Davies said in a statement.

As value-conscious shoppers seek cheaper alternatives, retailers have doubled down on their private label offerings. According to data released this week by Numerator, Aldi (which just conducted a comprehensive private label refresh) and Target have been recent winners in the private label space. Target’s Gigglescape toy brand is the fastest growing private label brand, Numerator found, while CVS’s Well Market, Walmart’s Bettergoods, Target’s Dealworthy, and Aldi’s Natures Nectar round out the top five, with three other Aldi entries making the top 10.

Many premium-positioned private labels have become indistinguishable from national brands for a majority of consumers, a survey from First Insight found last year, which could lead to more lawsuits like Mondelez’s case against Aldi.