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Believe it or not, there are some winners when the economy turns south. Some of those winners are store brands. According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), private label products grabbed an even bigger slice of the consumer’s spending in 2009. Among supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, private label’s dollar share reached an all-time high of 17%, and unit share approached 22%. Over a three-year period, private label sales have increased by 14% to $86.4 billion in all retail outlets, according to PLMA’s 2010 Private Label Yearbook, which is based on data from The Nielsen Company.

If you’re looking for a manufacturer for your private label line, you’ve grabbed the right issue of Happi. Our annual Contract Manufacturing/Private Label Directory includes detailed information on more than 300 companies in the U.S. and around the world. Whether you’re interested in rolling out a color cosmetics collection, a new skin care line or an environmentally preferable household cleaner, you’re sure to find a good partner within the following pages. Be sure to visit Happi.com throughout the year to get updates on the directory as well as follow useful links to leading manufacturers of household and personal care products.

This edition of Happi also includes in-depth reports on a variety of topics. For example, associate editor Melissa Meisel looks at the latest trends in ethnic skin care (p. 77). Marketers in the category continue to roll out products that address the unique needs of this fast-growing consumer group. Also this month, we provide coverage of the household and personal care wipe segment (p. 70). Although the gains have slowed in recent years, marketers are still launching new products at a fast clip.

Once any new product concept gains traction, marketers must test it for efficacy and safety, which is why our annual look at testing services (p. 52) is so important. Associate editor Christine Esposito spoke with leading testing houses to find out the biggest causes of concern in testing these days.

We hope that you enjoy this edition of Happi, and as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

tomb@rodpub.com