Private Practice

After years of covering the private-label industry, I eagerly await the Food Marketing Institute’s first-ever Private Brands Summit, which kicks off this Sunday at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

The fact that FMI is devoting an entire conference to the subject is further proof that private label is here to stay.

I’ve witnessed first hand how private label has grown and prospered over the years to become a more visible member of the household pantry.

Next week’s Private Brands Summit will include seminars as well as vendor space. Wegmans' CEO Danny Wegman will address this important time for private brands in the first session of the conference.

Wegman is not the only high-level retail executive slated to attend. Linda Severin, Kroger’s vice president; Dave Pullar, Safeway’s vice president, and many others will discuss ways to take private label to the next level.

Suppliers including Ralcorp Holdings will give their perspective, too.

The conference sends a strong message that FMI is placing more emphasis on private label.

“FMI is prepared to lead the way in this defining period in the history of the private brands,” FMI’s president and chief executive officer Leslie Sarasin writes in the conference brochure.

Stay tuned for show coverage.