For the first time in history, private label brands are getting some truly special treatment. No longer the ugly ducklings, store brands are starting to rise up, redesigned and reconsidered. And while this means that mass-market shelves are more beautiful than ever before, this movement has serious implications on name brands.

“Long gone are the days of no-frills packaging intended only for those on a tight budget—private labels, also known as store brands, are no longer viewed simply as low-cost alternatives to name brands. They’re increasingly high-quality products that fulfill consumer needs across a variety of price points.” – Nielsen

Once the occasional choice of the cost-savvy shopper, the private label marketplace has undergone an enormous shift in the past 10 years. And while private label performance has always been strongly linked to economic conditions—private label market share generally goes up when the economy is down and down when the economy is up—the impact of private label is growing at an outpaced rate, surging private label success year after year.