President's Choice has released its 2026 PC® Holiday Insiders Report™, the brand's annual seasonal product showcase, spotlighting more than 100 new private-label launches alongside 20 editorially curated must-try items. The report underscores Loblaw Companies' continued strategy of using the PC banner to drive own-brand velocity and basket-building during the highest-stakes retail period of the year.
Private Label at Peak Season
The holiday window represents the single most competitive promotional period in grocery, and for store-brand programs, it is a critical moment to demonstrate range, quality, and differentiation against national brands. President's Choice, one of North America's most recognized own-brand programs, has historically used its Insiders Report format to generate consumer anticipation and in-store traffic — functioning as both a merchandising tool and a brand-equity play. A catalog of 100-plus new SKUs signals meaningful investment in product development and supplier pipeline ahead of the fourth-quarter push.
For category managers and retail buyers, a launch of this scale has direct implications for planogram resets, end-cap allocation, and slotting priorities heading into Q4. Private-label programs that concentrate seasonal innovation in a single curated release can generate outsized TDP gains relative to the shelf space committed, particularly when supported by in-store display, TPR events, and digital circulars. The PC Insiders Report has historically functioned as a demand-generation vehicle that pulls shoppers into new categories they might not have otherwise explored — a key velocity driver for items without the national-brand advertising support.
Context: Private Label's Momentum
The timing aligns with broader private-label momentum across North American grocery. Store brands have continued to capture dollar and unit share as value-seeking behavior persists among shoppers, with syndicated data from Circana and Nielsen consistently showing own-brand penetration gains across center store, deli, and seasonal food categories. For a program the scale of President's Choice, a 100-plus SKU holiday launch is a signal to the trade that the banner is competing aggressively for the seasonal occasion — from entertaining and gifting formats to premium food and beverage indulgences that rival national-brand positioning.
Retailers with robust private-label programs have increasingly leaned on seasonal exclusivity to drive loyalty and reduce price comparison. When a shopper cannot find the PC equivalent at a competing banner, the item itself becomes a destination purchase — a dynamic that grocery operators across the store-brands category have worked to replicate with varying success.
With the full product lineup and must-try selections now available through the official Insiders Report, buyers, brokers, and category analysts will be watching scan data closely in November and December to assess which of the 100-plus new launches achieve the velocity thresholds required for permanent shelf placement in 2027.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many new SKUs is PC actually launching in this year's Holiday Insiders Report?
President's Choice is dropping 100-plus new private-label SKUs, plus 20 editorially curated must-try items. That's a significant development pipeline—this scale of seasonal concentration signals real category expansion, not just reformulation noise.
Why does Loblaw use the PC Insiders Report format instead of just listing products?
The Report functions as a dual-play: it generates consumer anticipation and in-store traffic while serving as a merchandising tool and brand-equity builder. This curated approach historically drives outsized TDP gains relative to shelf space committed, especially when paired with end-caps and digital circulars.
What's the category-manager implication of a 100-SKU launch?
You're looking at mandatory planogram resets, end-cap allocation battles, and slotting prioritization heading into Q4. A launch this size demands immediate space negotiations and forecasting adjustments—this isn't a quiet refresh.
How does PC's holiday strategy compete against national brands without the ad spend?
The Insiders Report pulls shoppers into new categories they wouldn't explore otherwise by concentrating innovation in a single curated moment. That demand-generation vehicle compensates for the lack of national-brand TV support and creates a destination moment in-store.
When should retailers lock in planogram changes for PC's holiday push?
Now. With 100+ SKUs launching and Q4 being grocery's highest-stakes promotional window, category managers need slotting finalized before August resets. Delay means missing peak seasonal velocity and ceding shelf real estate to competing national brands.
