Peggy Davies confirmed as Private Label Manufacturers Association president

The board of directors of the New York-based Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) has confirmed the appointment of Peggy Davies as PLMA president, effective June 11. The three-year term will continue Davies’ run as president, which began when she was named acting president in June 2020, after the sudden death of the association’s longtime leader Brian Sharoff. 

“We recognized from day one that Peggy was well prepared to undertake the responsibilities of the position,” said board chairman Clay Dockery, division vice president of corporate brands at Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA. “It has been thanks to her deep experience and understanding of both the industry and the association that Peggy has proven the wisdom of that decision. She succeeded fully in not only honoring the legacy of her predecessor, but also in bringing new ideation and opportunities as well as to develop, promote and carry the association forward.”

Davies is a 40-plus year veteran of the private label industry. Prior to being named acting PLMA president last year, Davies served as PLMA’s vice president of association relations. She also served two terms as PLMA’s board chair.

At Daymon Associates from 1985 to 1989, Davies helped regional grocer Wegmans build its private-brand program. After that, she entered the manufacturing business as vice president of private label sales for Comstock Michigan Fruit-Agrilink-Birds Eye. From 1999 to 2015, Davies served as foodservice general manager for the ingredient business at McCain Foods USA, based in Chicago. Also, in 2012, she founded Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE), a nonprofit professional development organization that promotes diversity and inclusion in the store brand industry.

Related:Former PLMA president Brian Sharoff inducted into Private Label Hall of Fame

Davies (left) said she is honored to lead PLMA and its diverse membership as the association looks ahead to its fifth decade of growth.

“We are now emerging from a most challenging year, and recent events have only served to highlight the association’s value and importance in service to the private label industry,” she said. “I am excited as we begin to lay out new plans to continue working together with manufacturers, retailers and others around the world to make the industry even better.”

In a February video interview with Supermarket News, Davies spoke about the challenges of the pandemic and the past year for the private label segment. “Particularly because so many of private label brands are experimental for consumers, manufacturers continue to evolve and develop those items in different categories,” she said. “And of course the pandemic didn't stop that. So as our retailers want to continue to experiment with new and different trends, I can firmly say our manufacturers, our members are also right with them, working with their R&D departments, their ingredient suppliers to packaging suppliers, to continue to evolve because everything needs to continue on."

Related:PLMA: Private brands uphold market share despite pandemic

PLMA is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to promote store brands and represents more than 4,500 member companies in more than 75 countries.