On retail shelves everywhere, private brands are making their presence known. In fact, according to a recent study by the Private Label Manufacturers Association, products sold under the label of retailers themselves now account for more than 22 percent of all unit sales. While many of us might think of private labels as the bare-bones, black-and-white boxes of generic products that appeared in the 1970s, private labels have been used by retailers for decades, according to Brian Sharoff, president of the PLMA. He explained that department stores first started using their own brands for clothing and housewares more than 100 years ago. Supermarkets began developing their own brands with the founding of Kroger and A&P at the beginning of the 20th Century.
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