During THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026, a new concept event PLX Asia 2027 was introduced through the inaugural PLX Asia Industry Leadership Summit, which brought together more than 200 senior decision-makers in related industries for a high-level, closed-door content and networking programme. The summit marked the first industry introduction of PLX Asia ahead of its inaugural standalone exhibition in September 2027, which will connect retailers, manufacturers, and brand owners across Southeast Asia’s private label and contract manufacturing ecosystem.
AFBR has the opportunity to interview Wendy Lim, General Manager, Food & Food Technology Exhibitions, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, to gain in-depth information on this upcoming event and what will be in-store for both exhibitors and visitors. The following are excerpts from the interview with her:
Can you describe briefly how PLX Asia is going to be unveiled in 2027 – as a full-fledged event or a mixture of exhibition with summit/conferences?
PLX Asia 2027 will launch as Southeast Asia’s first dedicated B2B platform for private label and contract manufacturing. More than an exhibition, it is designed to connect retailers, brand owners, manufacturers and solution providers looking to develop, source and grow private label businesses across the region.
The inaugural edition is expected to welcome around 250 exhibitors and 5000+ trade visitors. Visitors can expect manufacturers across both food and non-food sectors, including food and beverage, beauty and personal care, household products, pet care, packaging, branding and product development.
A key part of the platform features the hosted buyer programme, where we will curate leading retailers, supermarkets, convenience chains, importers, and private label buyers from across Southeast Asia and beyond to attend the show. The objective is to create more focused business conversations and stronger sourcing opportunities between buyers and manufacturers.
Another key feature will be the Day 0 workshop programme ahead of the exhibition. These sessions are designed to help manufacturers better understand retailer expectations around product positioning, packaging, compliance, branding, speed-to-market, and category expectations. The goal is not only to connect buyers and manufacturers, but to help manufacturers become more retail-ready and competitive for Southeast Asia’s growing private label market.
What are the major challenges faced by the industry that PLX Asia seek to address at its first inaugural event?
PLX Asia addresses 3 major challenges facing the private label industry in Southeast Asia.
Firstly, connecting retailers with the right manufacturing partners. Retailers are looking to develop differentiated private label products, while manufacturers are seeking direct access to regional buyers. PLX Asia provides a dedicated platform for both sides to build long-term business partnerships.
Secondly, helping businesses capture growing consumer demand. Today, 71% of Southeast Asian consumers already purchase private label products, yet private label represents only 4.2% of food and beverage sales across the region. This shows that consumer acceptance is already strong, but there is still significant room for retailers and manufacturers to grow together.
Thirdly, strengthening a fragmented regional ecosystem. Unlike Europe, where private label accounts for around 38% of grocery sales, Southeast Asia still lacks a dedicated platform focused on private label and contract manufacturing. PLX Asia brings together retailers, manufacturers, product developers, packaging companies and solution providers to accelerate collaboration, innovation and regional growth.
How does the current unstable political environment and the Gulf War lead to the need to have PLX Asia ? In what way does this event help to address some of these challenges?
What we are seeing globally is a stronger emphasis on sourcing and supply chain diversification. Businesses want access to a wider network of partners and sourcing platforms so they can remain resilient in uncertain conditions. They are actively building broader supplier networks now, reducing concentration risk, and prioritising sourcing relationships in markets perceived as stable, accessible, and trade-ready.
PLX Asia directly supports this response and priority.
Our role as organiser is to maintain a platform that is inclusive, operationally neutral, and commercially useful regardless of where participants are based. We do not take political positions on geopolitical events, but we do respond to where trade demand is moving.
The complexity of the current environment is exactly why platforms like this matter. When trade conditions are unstable, the ability to compare, qualify, and connect with brands and manufacturers in one place, efficiently and at scale, becomes a commercial necessity.
Is Private Label going to be a mainstay (permanent feature) in Southeast Asia, and what do you foresee its future in Southeast Asia?
We believe private label will become a permanent growth strategy rather than simply a value offering. As more local consumers across each Southeast Asia market place more value and trust on local private labels, we see this being a mainstay.
As shared earlier, 71% of Southeast Asian consumers say they already buy private label products, driven by affordability, availability, and wider product choice. Beyond products that are high on quality, affordability and exclusivity, consumers also want these to reflect transparency in traceability. In terms of food categories, there is a rising trend towards those that are natural, clean-label and nutrient-rich.
With this in mind, private label offerings in the region will need to build a robust localised strategy – one that augments product differentiation and balances costs that are passed on to the consumer.
On a bigger, regional level, we see countries here becoming a competitive sourcing hub. The opportunities for Asia’s private label sector are indeed vast and on a strong growth path.
Prior to the official launch of PLX Asia, the Industry Leadership Summit was held and apart from introducing the players who will be exhibiting at the event, what does it seek to achieve or build to form the pillars of this event?
The Industry Leadership Summit was our formal industry introduction. It was designed as a high-level, closed-door content and networking programme with 200 senior decision-makers from retail, manufacturing, product development, packaging, and investment communities across Southeast Asia.
Participants included our Official Knowledge Partner, Daymon, and Official Retail Association Partner, the Thai Retailers Association, with participation from leading regional retailers including CP ALL, GO WHOLESALE, Central Food Retail (Tops), City Mart Holding, DFI Retail Group, GS Retail, eMart and Landers Superstore.
More than an industry introduction, the Summit provided a platform for senior decision-makers to discuss the future of private label in Asia, changing consumer expectations, retailer priorities, manufacturing capabilities and opportunities for stronger regional collaboration. These discussions also helped shape the strategic direction of PLX Asia, identifying the capabilities, partnerships and ecosystem needed to accelerate private label growth across Southeast Asia.
Most importantly, the strong participation and engagement from retailers, manufacturers and industry partners reinforced that there is genuine demand for a dedicated platform focused on private label and contract manufacturing, providing a strong foundation for PLX Asia 2027
