It is too simplistic to attribute the growing market share of own-brand products in Europe solely to high food price inflation and increasing price sensitivity amongst consumers, according to analysts at Rabobank. For decades, the rise of own-brand products has been driven by greater consumer acceptance, fierce competition between supermarket chains and the professionalisation of own-brand manufacturers. These structural growth factors remain in place. Consequently, there is still room for growth in the own-brand share of the market.
In the longer term, the average turnover share of own-brand products in mature markets such as the Netherlands is expected to continue growing to 60 per cent, according to the analysts. For branded products, this means increasing pressure, though not necessarily in every product category. Over the past 10 years, various branded product suppliers have demonstrated that market share can still be gained through premiumisation, innovation and strong distribution capabilities.
In 2025, sales of own-brand products in Europe grew twice as fast by volume as sales of premium brands. In the Netherlands, the average market share of own-brand products has also risen significantly since 2021. The extremely high food price inflation of recent years has contributed to this, but that is not the only reason for their rise.
Private-label products must be of a quality that is on a par with, or only slightly inferior to, that of branded products if they are to truly win over consumers. The increase in scale amongst private-label suppliers not only offers lower costs through economies of scale but also provides greater opportunities to invest in innovation and consumer research. This, in turn, can contribute to consumer acceptance.
For the time being, the growth of own-brand products is expected to continue. Market research firm Euromonitor estimates that by 2030, hard discounters will have gained an additional three percentage points of market share in Europe. Mergers and acquisitions could also add around half a percentage point to market share in the coming years. This would mean that the average turnover share of own-brand products in Western Europe would rise from the current 41 per cent to almost 44 per cent by 2030. Specifically for the Netherlands, this would mean an expected turnover share of 48 per cent, compared with the current 46 per cent.
The average turnover share of all private-label brands combined has grown by approximately 7.5 per cent over the past 10 years. However, there were also categories in which premium brands managed to gain market share. For example, brands focusing on functional ingredients have performed well in recent years. There were also major brand players who managed to gain market share in product categories that were relatively new to them, thanks to their distribution and marketing strength.
