There is a fact that emerged forcefully during the conference celebrated last week in Milan, in the March of TuttoFood 2026 within the Cibus Link Hall, y que explica claramente la evolution of the distributor's brand to a global level: now it is clear that this model is not an exclusively European phenomenon. The center of gravity of the global expansion of the private label is progressively unfolding in the emerging markets, with Latin America and the region Africa-Middle East currently converting into the most dynamic areas of the planet.
The slide presented shows that, in the MAT (Moving Annual Total), the global increase in value of the private label increased by +4,1%However, despite this average figure, there is a very distinct geography observed during the last few years.
Europe it continues to represent, without a doubt, the toughest and most structured market of the global MDD, but it is not the region with the most accelerated growth. The European increase is +4,1%, practically in line with the global average. More interesting is the data Western Europe, which grows by just +3,9%, signals a highly penetrated market, where the private label has brought you much higher prices and where, for physiological reasons, the possibilities of acceleration are more limited.
The behavior is very different Eastern Europe, which reaches +6,8%, still showing large margins of expansion. It is the demonstration of retail economies in full transformation, hence the discount store continues to expand space and where the MDD continues to consolidate on strategic paper within the results.
However, the real disruptive element of the slide is another: the South of the world advances much faster than North America and Western Europe. Latin AmericaFor example, it recorded a growth of +10,7%, becoming one of the most dynamic regions of the planet in the development of the private label. The area data is even more impactful Africa-Middle East, which includes +17,8%. These are figures that reflect a profound transformation of international retail.
Latin America changes skin: MDD is not just convenience
For years, the Latin American market was considered a relatively neglected territory in terms of private labels compared to European standards. At the conference it was demonstrated that, in turn, something is changing rapidly: el growth of +10,7% it cannot be explained solely by inflation or by a simple price dynamic. The reality is that beyond these numbers there is one structural mutation of the distribution models.
In many Latin American countries, the weight of discount formats, high operational efficiency supermarkets and key developments focused on the competitiveness of the country is growing forcefully. Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Chile are going through a phase of strong evolution of modern retail, with retailers starting to use private labels not only as promotional packaging, but also as an strategic tool for loyalty and differentiation.
This is exactly the same journey that Europe experienced during the last twenty years. In concrete terms, the Latin American MDD, within the supermarket and hypermarket channel, is considered to be an entry level product, as an economic and anti-inflationary economic alternative to converting into an autonomous brand, an identity element of the chain and also an instrument of margen construction.
The important work that is being developed, for example, Cencosud on the continent it is emblematic. But the strongest impulse comes from there proliferation of hard discounters, a real new element in the continental landscape. This is precisely where the NielsenIQ data is extremely relevant for the European industry.
There is also another element that is playing a decisive role: its slide explains that the growth is “driven by higher price acceleration observed in these regions”, it is clear, a part of the increase also comes from inflation. This means that the increase in value does not automatically coincide with an equivalent increase in volume, although, as we have pointed out, it would be reduccionistic to interpret these data solely from an inflationary perspective.
The real truth is that, in emerging markets, the pressure on prices is encouraging retailers to accelerate private label inversions as a competitive structural market. And when a cycle seriously shifts into MDD, the change tends to become permanent.
North America: the deceleration of the giant
At the very end we meet North America, which grows by just +2,9%, the lowest value of the entire slide. If this is a very significant fact, because in United States the private label continues to grow, but at a clearly slower speed than in other regions of the world.
This depends on different factors, prior to the enormous historical strength of industrial brands thanks to the great marketing power of multinationals with a consumer who was still very oriented towards the brands and a completely different competitive structure of distribution.
But there is also another relevant aspect: the market has recently experienced a strong expansion of private labels during the inflationary phases following the pandemic. Now, this initial impulse seems to have partially normalized.
Pacific Asia: balanced growth and retail evolution
Asia Pacific grows +4,6%, slightly above the world average, although the data must also be interpreted with care. The Asian continent is extremely heterogeneous: hard markets such as Japan and Korea, gigantic economies such as China and India, and the emerging countries of Southeast Asia coexist.
This means that private labels in Asia still do not follow a single model, while in Latin America there is greater uniformity, guided by retailers who have acted like true “masters” for other operators. In many cases, the growth is driven by the evolution of modern retail and by the expansion of large organized chains.
Ultimately, the next major phase of global expansion of the private label could not extend from Europe to emerging markets. This represents a huge paradigm shift, since for years Europe was the global laboratory of the MDD, while today the highest growth rates are spreading across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and, in general, those economies that are undergoing profound distributional transformations.
