10 • November / December 2026• abasto.com Special PLMA insert FOR HISPANIC SHOPPERS, PRIVATE LABEL IS BECOMING MORE THAN A VALUE PLAY BY DIANA LEZA SHEEHAN, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, PDG INSIGHTS F or independent gro- cers serving Hispanic communities, private label is emerging as one of the clearest opportunities to convert shopper trust into lasting competitive advantage. New research from PDG Insights points to a me- aningful change in how Hispanic consumers view store brands. Thirty-seven percent now say they ge- nerally prefer private la- bel, up significantly from 28% last year, a nine-per- centage-point gain. Ano- ther 39% see private label and national brands as in- terchangeable. Together, those findings suggest sto- re brands are moving from a budget alternative to a routine, credible choice in the basket. Preference for Private La- bel is Rising Share of Hispanic shoppers who generally prefer private label or store brands Source: PDG Insights 2025: 28% 2026: 37% +9 percentage points VALUE REMAINS AN ENTRY POINT, BUT IT IS NO LONGER THE WHOLE PROPOSITION Nearly 40% of Hispanic shoppers say good value for the money influences their private-label purchases. Yet perceptions of performance are also strong: 64% agree that store brands are as good as national brands in many categories, while 59% believe some private-label products are better quality. For independents, the opportunity is to shift the message from “cheaper” to “worth choosing,” and then consistently deliver on that promise through product quality, packaging and in-store presentation. TRUST IS THE FORCE THAT CAN TURN TRIAL INTO PREFERENCE Nearly two-thirds of His- panic shoppers agree that trusting a retailer makes them more willing to try its private-label products. The assortment can also sha- pe store choice itself: 53% agree that a retailer’s priva- te-label lineup influences where they shop. That gives independent grocers a natural advan- tage. When a store brand reflects the foods, flavors, occasions and needs of the local community, it beco- mes an extension of the retailer relationship, not simply another product on the shelf. Differentiation matters, too. Eighty-three percent say unique or exclusive pri- vate-label products have at least some influences on retailer choice. That creates room to look beyond natio- nal-brand equivalents and develop products shoppers cannot find elsewhere. Private label builds store choice through more than price. Selected attitudes among Hispanic shoppers. • Unique or exclusive pro- ducts influence retailer choice: 83% • Store brands are as good as national brands in many categories: 64% • Some private-label pro- ducts are better quality: 59% • Private-label assortment influences where sho- ppers shop: 53% • Good value influences private-label purchases: nearly 40% Source: PDG Insights. Measures reflect response scales; 83% indicates at least some influence. The momentum is visi- ble in both recent behavior and future intent. For- ty-one percent of Hispanic consumers say they bou- ght more private label this year than last year, and 27% plan to replace more national-brand products with private label next year. The immediate grow- th signal is substantial; the forward-looking figure su- ggests further share could shift as retailers earn con- fidence across more cate- gories. For manufacturers, the implication is equally clear: the opportunity is not sim- ply to produce a lower-pri- ced version of an existing item. Retail partners need products that combine de- pendable quality and value with a distinctive reason to buy, whether that comes from flavor, format, ingre- dients, pack size or cultu- ral relevance. For independents com- peting with larger chains, private label can therefore become more than a mar- gin strategy. Done well, it strengthens trust, diffe- rentiates the assortment and gives Hispanic sho- ppers a reason to choose the store in the first place and to keep coming back.