Store brands hit a record 23.8% unit market share in the first half of 2026, as the share of shoppers who buy only national brands collapsed from 21% to 10% in under a year. The data, from Circana and consumer research firm Zappi, shows private label outperformed national brands in unit sales in five of six monthly reporting periods so far this year.
National brand unit sales dipped 0.5%, while private label rose 0.2%.
Nearly 70% of consumers told Zappi they would accept fewer product options in exchange for lower prices.
The shift comes as consumer goods prices accelerate.
Numerator’s Consumer Goods Price Index shows everyday household purchases rose 0.70% in June alone, following a 0.51% increase in May and 0.44% in April. Year-over-year, prices are up 3.4%, the highest annual rate in nearly three years. Low-income households have seen everyday prices rise 35.7% since January 2018, well above the 33.8% national average.
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Private Label Manufacturers Association president Peggy Davies said unit sales remain the best measure of consumer choice, and that the midyear results point to the continued strength of private label. The strategic problem for national brand manufacturers is that this is not a loyalty gap that promotional pricing can close, since the Zappi data shows shoppers are actively redefining what value means to them.
The United States is imposing 25% tariffs on a range of Brazilian imports beginning July 22, following a yearlong USTR investigation into unfair trade practices. The order exempts some goods that officials say would disrupt supply chains, including coffee, beef, oranges, and orange juice.
The tariffs are being levied under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a different legal basis than the IEEPA tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February.
General Mills is simultaneously undertaking a supply chain overhaul that will touch its entire network. On its July 1 earnings call, COO Dana McNabb said the company’s current supply chain was built for a lower-volume era and needs to be rebuilt for faster innovation and packaging flexibility. The overhaul is part of a $3 billion cumulative cost-cutting effort through 2030. About $1 billion of that target comes from improved business processes and new operating models; the company expects $750 million in savings in the fiscal year that started May 26.
PFAS packaging ban returns to Congress for fourth time
Congress reintroduced a bipartisan bill to ban intentionally added PFAS from food packaging for the fourth time, as state-level bans spread and a new PMMI survey finds only 7% of CPG companies report no trade-offs when shifting to sustainable materials.
