Trace One for PLM grocery retail

How does Trace One PLM help grocery retailers develop private label products?

Trace One PLM is product lifecycle management (PLM) software for grocery retailers, wholesalers, and the suppliers that make their private label products. It brings product specifications, packaging artwork, approvals, and project tasks into one cloud platform, so retail product, quality, and packaging teams work from the same record as their suppliers. Trace One serves more than 9,000 brands worldwide, including grocery retailers such as Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize and Tesco.

Reported by Trace One customers

  • Up to 30% reduction in time to market
  • Up to 3 months shorter time to market
  • Up to 60% faster specification development
  • 95% better efficiency during crisis management
  • 10% increase in revenue growth

Trusted by retailers and wholesalers including

  • Carrefour
  • Ahold Delhaize USA
  • Tesco
  • Monoprix
  • Franprix
  • Francap
  • UNFI

Key Takeaways

  • Trace One PLM is cloud-based product lifecycle management software for grocery retailers and wholesalers that develop private label (own brand or store brand) products with external suppliers.
  • Trace One PLM covers five phases of private label development: plan, development, packaging, approval, and launch and monitoring.
  • Trace One PLM combines Specification Management, Project and Artwork Management (Trace One Project & Pack), Packaging Management, and Trace One Analytics.
  • In Trace One PLM, suppliers complete the retailer's specification templates, and each specification is validated by both the supplier and the retailer with an electronic signature.
  • AI is built into that work, including automatic guideline checks on specifications and certificate data extracted straight from the uploaded document.
  • UNFI manages more than 5,000 products and more than 500 suppliers in Trace One PLM and has worked with Trace One since 2011.
  • Trace One PLM holds the packaging and labeling data behind UK rules such as HFSS and Natasha's Law and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

In This Guide

Private label PLM

What is private label PLM software?

Private label PLM software manages how a retailer or wholesaler develops the products it sells under its own brand, from the first brief through launch and ongoing product monitoring. Private label is also called own brand (common in the UK and Europe) or store brand (common in the US). The software holds product specifications, recipes, packaging artwork, supplier data, approvals, and project tasks in one system, so the retailer's teams and its suppliers work from the same information. For a general introduction, see what PLM software is.

What do the key private label PLM terms mean?

Term Definition
Private label (own brand, store brand) Products sold under a retailer's or wholesaler's brand and made by a supplier or co-manufacturer.
Product lifecycle management (PLM) Software that manages a product's development data, tasks, and approvals from concept through launch and ongoing product monitoring.
Product specification The structured record agreed between retailer and supplier: recipe, ingredients, nutrition, allergens, claims, storage, preparation, packaging, and label text. See specification management.
Artwork proofing Reviewing and annotating packaging artwork versions online before they are approved for print. See artwork management.
Stock keeping unit (SKU) A unique code for each product variant a retailer sells.
GS1 and GDSN GS1 is the global standards organization for product identification. The Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) is its network for sharing product data between trading partners.
HFSS UK rules that restrict where products high in fat, salt, or sugar can be placed and promoted. See the UK government guidance.
Natasha's Law UK requirement for full ingredient and allergen labeling on food prepacked for direct sale, such as café and deli items. See the Food Standards Agency guidance.
PPWR The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, in force since February 2025 and applying generally since August 12, 2026. It sets requirements on recyclability, packaging minimization, and recycled content for packaging placed on the EU market.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Rules that make producers and retailers responsible for the packaging they put on the market, usually through registration, data reporting, and fees.
Producer responsibility organization (PRO) The body that collects packaging data from producers, sets fees, and runs collection and recycling on their behalf.
CITEO The French organization that runs the packaging EPR scheme and publishes standardized names for packaging components used in eco-declarations.
Nutri-Score A front-of-pack nutrition label, graded A to E, used in France and several other European countries.

How is PLM different from PIM, ERP, and MDM?

System What it manages When teams use it Relationship to PLM
PLM Product development records: specifications, recipes, artwork, approvals, supplier collaboration From concept through launch approval and later changes Source of the approved product definition
PIM Published product information: marketing copy, images, channel attributes After approval, for sales channels Receives approved attributes from PLM
ERP Transactions: purchasing, inventory, production, finance From launch onward Receives approved product and supplier data
MDM Cross-domain master records: customer, supplier, and product identifiers Enterprise-wide data governance Reconciles product identifiers
Spreadsheets Ad hoc lists and calculations Small ranges and early-stage teams Less suited as the main system for specifications, supplier collaboration, changes, and approvals at scale

Key Takeaway

Private label PLM software manages product development data from brief to launch, while PIM publishes approved product information to sales channels and ERP runs purchasing, inventory, and finance. Approved data typically flows from PLM into PIM and ERP.

Why retailers adopt PLM

Why do grocery retailers use PLM for private label?

Store brands are one of the fastest-growing parts of grocery. US store brand sales reached a record $282.8 billion in 2025, growing 3.3% compared with 1.2% for national brands, according to PLMA's 2026 Private Label Report based on Circana data. Across 17 European markets, private label held a 38.8% share of sales in 2025, according to PLMA International and NielsenIQ. Retailers typically adopt PLM software when product portfolios, supplier collaboration, compliance requirements, and approval workflows become hard to govern through spreadsheets, files, and email.

How does product and channel complexity affect private label teams?

Growing SKU ranges, more sales channels including e-commerce, and consumer expectations on label accuracy, availability, and sustainability claims add workload and change management to every product team.

Why is supplier coordination harder as a private label range grows?

Private label products are often sourced from suppliers in several countries, each with its own formats and standards. Specifications, documents, questions, and approvals need one shared place, or quality teams spend their time chasing information across email threads.

Why can't manual reviews keep up with labeling rules?

Labeling, allergen, and packaging rules change often, and every change has to be checked against each affected specification. UK grocery retailers have had to adapt to HFSS placement rules, Natasha's Law, and deposit return schemes, while packaging rules are tightening across the EU and the US at the same time.

How does the private label workflow change with PLM?

Workflow step Spreadsheet and email process Trace One PLM process
Specification creation Template emailed to the supplier, returned as an attachment, and rekeyed Supplier enters finished product data directly into the retailer's specification template
Change control Versions tracked by file name; latest copy unclear One shared specification with detailed version control and product history
Questions and follow-up Questions scattered across email threads Comments added directly on the specification, visible to every stakeholder
Artwork review PDF markups returned in separate emails Online proofing with annotations and comparison against previous versions
Validation and approval Manual checks; approval implied by an email reply Mandatory fields, allergens, and claims validated, then double validation by supplier and retailer with electronic signature
Launch handoff Data re-entered into downstream systems Approved data shared with downstream systems

Key Takeaway

US store brand sales reached a record $282.8 billion in 2025 (PLMA, Circana). As private label ranges grow to thousands of products from hundreds of suppliers, grocery retailers use PLM to replace spreadsheet and email workflows with one shared specification record.

Product lifecycle management

Which stages of private label development does Trace One PLM cover?

Trace One PLM covers five phases of private label development: plan, development, packaging, approval, and launch and monitoring. Workflows are configured to each retailer's own process, with the tasks, owners, required inputs, milestones, and approvals needed at each stage.

Phase Key tasks Primary users Output
Plan Project design, schedule calculation, task management Project managers Approved project plan and timeline
Development Supplier selection, specification completion with predefined templates, collaboration with suppliers Product and quality managers, suppliers Completed product specification
Packaging Packaging specifications, design and artwork management, online artwork proofing Packaging and marketing managers, artwork and translation agencies Approved artwork and packaging specification
Approval Specification validation and approval, task validation, electronic signature Quality managers and suppliers Signed-off, release-ready product record
Launch and monitor Predefined dashboards, notifications and alerts, data export Product, quality, procurement, CSR, and packaging managers Product data shared downstream; ongoing reporting

Inside Trace One Project & Pack, a typical private label project runs from project planning and the product and design brief, through supplier confirmation and packaging copy, to product launch and a post-launch review. Artwork steps run in the same solution, and specification approval connects to these stages from Specification Management.

Key Takeaway

Trace One PLM covers five phases of private label development (plan, development, packaging, approval, and launch and monitoring), with specification validation and electronic signature at the approval phase.

The Trace One PLM platform

Which Trace One PLM modules are available?

Trace One PLM is a cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) platform built from four capabilities: Specification Management, Project and Artwork Management, Packaging Management, and Analytics. All of them work on the same product record, so when a supplier updates a specification, quality and packaging teams see the change without a file transfer.

Capability What it does Main users
Specification Management Supplier selection, specification completion, and specification validation and approval. Standard specification templates by product category, product history, detailed version control, and glossary-based data for brand consistency. Product and quality managers, suppliers
Project and Artwork Management (Trace One Project & Pack) Project design, automated timeline and schedule calculation, task management, and automatic notifications, built on configurable workflow templates. Design and artwork management, online annotation and proofing, specification-to-pack copy integration, and a centralized, searchable asset library. Project, packaging, and marketing managers, artwork and translation agencies
Packaging Management Packaging and logistics specifications, standardized packaging data, recyclability support, and packaging compliance checks. Packaging, CSR, and quality managers
Analytics Role-based collections of predefined dashboards, built on data from Trace One solutions and third-party sources. Quality, product, procurement, CSR, and packaging managers

What does Specification Management do for private label teams?

Specification Management is where retailers and suppliers agree on exactly what goes into each private label product and onto its label. It:

  • Provides standard specification templates by product category, with product history and detailed version control
  • Captures recipe, nutrition, claims, storage, preparation, and commercial text in one specification
  • Uses glossary-based data for brand consistency, consistent search and reporting, and fewer inaccuracies
  • Calculates ingredient ranks, the ingredient declaration, and nutrition
  • Validates mandatory fields, glossary values, allergens against recipes, and claims
  • Secures each specification through double validation by the retailer and the supplier, with an electronic signature
  • Generates validated packaging copy for accurate labeling
  • Handles alternative supply chains and manufacturer or facility differences within one product specification
  • Can be configured by category: pages, sections, glossary lists, and validation rules

Key Takeaway

Trace One PLM's Specification Management calculates ingredient ranks, ingredient declarations, and nutrition, validates allergens against recipes, and secures each specification through double validation by retailer and supplier.

Who uses Trace One PLM in a retail organization?

Trace One PLM is typically chosen by a retailer's private label, quality, purchasing, and IT directors, and, for packaging, by CSR and packaging directors. Day to day, these roles work in it:

Role What they do in Trace One PLM
Project manager Starts and manages projects and workflow timelines
Product manager Manages suppliers and specifications, with commercial responsibility
Quality manager Oversees the legal compliance of products and packaging
Marketing manager Checks packaging against brand standards
Packaging manager Manages the packaging and artwork process
CSR manager Tracks packaging recyclability and sustainability data
Supplier Writes and completes product specifications
Artwork agency Provides designs and artwork
Translation agency Provides translated copy for artwork

Key Takeaway

Trace One PLM is chosen by private label, quality, purchasing, and IT directors and used by project, product, quality, marketing, packaging, and CSR managers together with suppliers, artwork agencies, and translation agencies.

Supplier collaboration

How do suppliers collaborate in Trace One PLM?

In Trace One PLM, suppliers work inside the retailer's platform instead of exchanging files. They enter finished product data into the retailer's specification templates, answer questions through comments on the specification, and follow each task through notifications. Each specification is validated by both the supplier and the retailer, and the electronic signature records the supplier's commitment to the agreed quality. Once validated, suppliers can still view the specification but cannot change it, so the retailer's quality team keeps control of the data. Design agencies, translation services, and laboratories can work in the same platform.

Workflow What the supplier does What the retailer gets
Supplier selection Is selected by the retailer and invited to the product specification Each specification linked to the right supplier
Specification request Completes the retailer's predefined specification template Structured data validated against mandatory fields, glossary lists, allergens, and claims
Questions and follow-up Replies to comments added directly on the specification One visible discussion instead of email threads
Artwork proofing Reviews artwork and responds to annotations Versions compared and feedback resolved in one place
Approval Validates and signs the final specification Double validation by retailer and supplier, with electronic signature; validated data locked against changes

How does a supplier work with several retailers in the same platform?

Galliance, the poultry subsidiary of the French cooperative group Terrena, has used Trace One PLM for nearly 20 years to manage product specifications for France's leading retail chains. Because several of its retail customers work in the same platform, Galliance's eight-person central quality team uses one familiar tool across retailers instead of each retailer's own spreadsheet format. That makes it easier to adapt to a new retailer's process.

Trace One is a real time-saver; having a tool shared across multiple retailers, which we know well, greatly simplifies our daily work.

Galliance

Key Takeaway

Galliance, a French poultry producer supplying France's leading retail chains, has used Trace One PLM for nearly 20 years to manage specifications for several retailers in one shared platform.

Compliance and quality

How does Trace One PLM help retailers meet packaging and labeling rules in the UK and the EU?

Labeling and packaging rules in the UK and the EU ask for the same underlying product data: ingredients, allergens, nutrition, packaging materials, weights, and recyclability. Trace One PLM holds that data once, so each rule draws its answer from the same record. Each retailer remains responsible for its own regulatory decisions.

Which UK rules does Trace One PLM support?

A leading British food retailer with more than 5,000 product lines and more than 1,480 stores has used Trace One PLM for almost a decade, including for three UK regulations.

Rule What it requires How the retailer uses Trace One PLM
HFSS rules Restrict the placement and promotion of products high in fat, salt, or sugar HFSS tracking in Trace One PLM categorizes affected products and calculates each HFSS score automatically from nutrition data, for shelf planning
Natasha's Law Full ingredient and allergen labeling on food prepacked for direct sale, such as café and deli items Allergen, ingredient, and nutrition data mastered in Trace One PLM feeds downstream systems and in-store devices, so prepacked café products can be labeled accurately
Deposit return scheme Categorize drinks containers, charge and refund deposits, and run return points Packaging material and recyclability data captured in Trace One PLM identifies eligible products and supports registration

Trace One Analytics then reports on the product and packaging data needed for HFSS and deposit return rules, so the retailer can see which product lines a new rule affects.

Trace One's intuitive user interface and just-in-time updates allowed us to meet new requirements as they arose without friction among teams.

A leading British food retailer

Key Takeaway

A leading British food retailer with more than 5,000 product lines calculates HFSS scores automatically from nutrition data in Trace One PLM and feeds allergen data to in-store devices for Natasha's Law labels.

How does Trace One PLM support EU packaging rules, including PPWR?

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has applied generally since August 12, 2026, and sets requirements on recyclability, packaging minimization, and recycled content. Trace One Packaging Management collects all quality and CSR (corporate social responsibility) data on packaging in one collaborative environment, which is the data those requirements rest on. It helps teams:

  • Standardize and normalize packaging data for analysis and decision-making
  • Link the same packaging to an unlimited number of products, with collaborative data entry, online signing, versioning, and change history
  • Reuse specification data that must appear on the packaging and label
  • Check packaging against food contact, chemical migration, and environmental rules
  • Plan packaging reduction and remove specific substances from packaging
  • Support eco-declarations, for example by calculating the French packaging eco-fee from the standardized component names published by CITEO

Last verified: September 2026.

Key Takeaway

Trace One Packaging Management holds packaging material, weight, recyclability, and substance data in one place, so a retailer can draw on the same data set for UK deposit return and EU PPWR requirements.

Project and artwork management

What does Trace One Project & Pack add for packaging artwork?

Trace One Project & Pack combines project management and packaging artwork management in one solution for retailers and brand owners. It is built for teams whose products have hundreds of artwork versions across languages and regions, and whose projects are still tracked in spreadsheets with approvals by email. With Project & Pack, teams can:

  • Bring approved specification data straight into packaging copy (specification-to-pack copy integration)
  • Plan timelines, assign tasks, and track progress in Gantt charts, calendars, tables, and reports
  • Set fixed deadlines, deadlines relative to dependencies or milestones, or dates that adjust automatically when other parts of the project change
  • Build conditional workflow branches, where the next steps depend on the outcome of the previous one
  • Proof artwork online with annotations (highlight, underline, strikeout, and freehand) and a real-time chat space
  • Compare two versions of the same file, with added, removed, and unchanged elements highlighted
  • Store files in a centralized media library with lifecycle status flags and versioning
  • Invite suppliers, translation agencies, and creative agencies into projects, with permissions by user or group
  • Track project and task performance in built-in dashboards and reports

Key Takeaway

Trace One Project & Pack compares two versions of the same artwork file and highlights added, removed, and unchanged elements, which speeds up validation of private label packaging across languages and regions.

Trace One Analytics

How does Trace One Analytics support private label decisions?

Trace One Analytics (also known as Trace One Insight) is the embedded analytics platform across Trace One solutions. It is designed to remove the data silos common in private label, combining data from Trace One PLM and third-party applications into ready-to-use, role-based dashboards. Teams can see what happened and what is happening now. Alerts can be set against defined KPI thresholds, and dashboards, filters, reports, and exports help teams investigate the underlying product, project, supplier, and packaging data. It includes:

  • Collections of predefined, actionable dashboards for each role, built with Trace One retail consultants
  • Predefined dashboards included with Trace One PLM, plus additional collections by business theme, such as Nutri-Score and plastic reduction
  • Portfolio, specification, and development views with data filters and flexible charts
  • Alerts, notifications, and scheduled reports by email, with export to Microsoft Excel and PDF
  • Supplier scorecarding and product performance monitoring
  • Specific dashboards configured for your teams by Trace One professional services

How do different teams use Trace One Analytics?

Team Goal What the dashboards show
Executive Improve performance Key objectives against plan, including financial, strategy, CSR, and team performance
Quality Mitigate risk Areas of risk related to compliance, legislation, ingredients, and consumers
Development Increase speed Process bottlenecks, resource and capacity planning, and on-time project and product delivery
Packaging Minimize errors Packaging and design processes, to keep artwork information accurate
Sourcing and buying Reduce cost Supplier scorecarding and product performance against key commodity costs, to support negotiation
Marketing Protect the brand Performance against corporate, brand, and consumer objectives, in line with CSR values

Private label teams use these dashboards to find products that contain a substance they want to eliminate, identify which products need reformulation, update product data, and share findings with stakeholders. A typical cycle runs from an alert or scheduled report, to a filtered dashboard that shows the detail, to an exported business case, follow-up tasks assigned to the right owner in Trace One Project & Pack, and ongoing monitoring of the impact.

The British food retailer above uses Trace One Analytics to report on the product and packaging data required for HFSS and deposit return rules, and to track project and product activity for on-time launches. French dairy company Novandie used Trace One Analytics for targeted research across its 900-recipe catalog to reduce errors.

Key Takeaway

Trace One Analytics gives each private label team, from executives and quality to packaging and buying, its own predefined dashboards, and helps retailers find products that contain a substance to eliminate or that need reformulation.

AI-native PLM

How does Trace One use AI in private label product development?

Trace One PLM is AI-native: artificial intelligence works on the product data itself rather than sitting beside it. Trace One Copilot is the intelligence layer across the platform, so the same capabilities are available wherever the work happens rather than inside a single product interface. Two of those capabilities matter most to private label, and both are used by retailers and their suppliers.

How does AI speed up specification review and validation?

AI-powered guideline checks are available to both suppliers and retailers directly within specification management. They run automatically at key steps or on demand, and the results appear in a persistent AI compliance indicator that gives an immediate overview of issues. Users open a results panel that explains what is missing, unclear, or inconsistent, with direct links to the exact fields concerned. Suppliers use that guidance to correct their data before they submit, and retailers review the same feedback instead of checking line by line. Suppliers working with several retailers can align a specification with each customer's guidelines from the start, which reduces rework on both sides.

Trace One measures around 46% fewer modification requests per specification on average, and specification validation delays reduced by half, depending on how mature the specification is.

How does AI handle supplier certificates?

When a supplier uploads a certificate, AI verification is triggered automatically to extract the information from the original document and populate the certificate fields, in 5 to 15 seconds depending on the document. The certificate is then marked "Verified by AI," so retailers can see which data has been checked against its source. If someone edits the certificate afterward, the verified status is removed, a message flags that the certificate is no longer verified, and the change is recorded in the certificate history. Users can rerun verification at any time to restore the verified status.

Key Takeaway

Trace One PLM runs AI guideline checks on specifications for both retailers and suppliers, and extracts supplier certificate data from the source document in 5 to 15 seconds, marking it "Verified by AI".

Integrations and APIs

Which systems does Trace One PLM integrate with?

Trace One PLM shares approved product data with the systems that sell, supply, and report on it. Connections use Trace One REST APIs, GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) standards, and data export.

System What Trace One PLM shares Customer example
ERP and other downstream systems Approved product and supplier data UNFI integrated Trace One PLM with its corporate IT environment
In-store devices and label printing Allergen, ingredient, and nutrition data A leading British food retailer, for Natasha's Law labels
GS1 GDSN Standardized product data for trading partners UNFI standardizes product data for GDSN syndication
Third-party applications and data sources Data combined with Trace One data in Analytics dashboards; exports in Excel and PDF Trace One Analytics
Suppliers and agencies Specifications, documents, and artwork Direct access inside the platform

What can developers do with Trace One REST APIs?

Trace One REST APIs let IT teams connect Trace One PLM to internal systems and exchange product data programmatically. The Trace One PLM API white paper covers the approach, and supported objects, authentication, and versioning are documented in the developer reference.

Key Takeaway

UNFI uses Trace One PLM to standardize product data for GS1 GDSN syndication, and Trace One REST APIs connect the platform to ERP and other internal systems.

Customer results

What results have Trace One customers reported?

Trace One customers report up to 30% reduction in time to market, time to market up to 3 months shorter, up to 60% faster specification development, 95% better efficiency during crisis management, and a 10% increase in revenue growth. The retailers and suppliers below show how Trace One PLM works in grocery private label.

Customer Profile How they use Trace One PLM Reported outcome
UNFI North American grocery wholesaler and distributor with 58 distribution centers Supplier startup, new products, maintenance items, packaging, and GDSN syndication, since 2011 5,000+ products and 500+ suppliers managed, up from 600 items; faster speed to market after replacing manual processes and digitizing QA and regulatory approvals
A leading British food retailer 5,000+ product lines, 1,480+ stores, 100+ websites Product and packaging specifications, end-to-end development workflow, HFSS, Natasha's Law, deposit return Manual processes replaced by a single-source database; almost a decade with Trace One
Galliance French poultry producer with 13 production sites Specifications for several French retail chains for nearly 20 years Time saved on data entry, faster approvals, better coordination with retail customers
Novandie French dairy company Trace One Analytics across its 900-recipe catalog Targeted research across the catalog to reduce errors

What does UNFI say about Trace One PLM?

For UNFI brands, Trace One PLM is an essential element of all of our business operations. It's part of our supplier startup. It's part of all of our new product and maintenance items, and development throughout the year. And when we talk about portfolio, we have over 5,000 active SKUs. We have 500+ suppliers that we partner with. Trace One PLM has enabled efficiency and is a real connecting point with all of our cross-functional areas, which makes projects go faster. Lastly, it has truly revolutionized how we do packaging for our brands.

Adam Sinley
UNFI Brands

Which retailers and wholesalers use Trace One?

Retailers and wholesalers using Trace One include Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize, Tesco, Monoprix, Franprix, Francap, and UNFI. Private label suppliers include Galliance and Novandie.

Key Takeaway

UNFI has used Trace One PLM since 2011 and now manages more than 5,000 products and more than 500 suppliers in the platform, up from 600 items.

Evaluation criteria

Is Trace One PLM the right fit for your organization?

The table below sets out who Trace One PLM is designed for, how it is deployed, and what an implementation involves, so retailers can compare PLM options on the same criteria.

Criterion Trace One PLM
Primary buyer Retailers and distributors with private label ranges: grocery retail, specialist retail, and foodservice distributors, plus the manufacturers that supply them. Typical decision-makers are private label, quality, purchasing, and IT directors.
Strongest category fit Recipe-based products: food and beverage, personal care, and household products
Designed for scale Private label ranges of thousands of products from hundreds of suppliers (UNFI: 5,000+ products, 500+ suppliers)
Not designed for Apparel and discrete assembled goods that need bill-of-materials and sizing workflows
Deployment model Cloud-based software as a service (SaaS), used by internal teams and suppliers with role-based permissions
AI AI-native, with Trace One Copilot as the intelligence layer across the platform
Implementation services Consulting and project management, implementation and integration, a turnkey approach, supplier onboarding and data migration, change management, and user training
What implementation depends on Product data migration, specification template standardization, supplier onboarding, integration scope, and user governance
Core integrations ERP and downstream systems, GS1 GDSN, REST APIs, data export
Support and training Customer journey management, change management and solution adoption support, multilingual support, standard or personalized training, virtual classrooms, and webinars

Tell us about your private label program

In a guided demo, the Trace One team walks through Trace One PLM using your categories, suppliers, and systems, and shows which modules fit your private label program.

Key Takeaway

Trace One PLM is designed for grocery retailers and wholesalers running private label ranges of thousands of products and hundreds of suppliers. It is not designed for apparel or discrete assembled goods.

Frequently Asked Questions about Private Label

What is the best PLM software for private label retailers?

The right PLM system depends on product category and supplier model. Retailers developing recipe-based products, such as food, beverages, personal care, and household products, need specification management, labeling data validation, and supplier collaboration in one system. Trace One PLM is designed for that model. Retailers developing apparel or discrete assembled goods should evaluate systems built for bill-of-materials and sizing workflows instead.

Does Trace One PLM work for wholesalers and foodservice distributors?

Yes. Trace One designed its platform for brand owners, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors. UNFI, a North American grocery wholesaler with 58 distribution centers, develops its private label products in Trace One PLM.

Can suppliers access Trace One PLM?

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Does Trace One PLM use AI?

Yes. Trace One PLM is AI-native, with Trace One Copilot as the intelligence layer across the platform. AI guideline checks review specifications for both retailers and suppliers and explain what is missing, unclear, or inconsistent, and AI verification extracts supplier certificate data from the source document and marks it "Verified by AI". 

Can Trace One PLM calculate HFSS scores?

Yes. A leading British food retailer set up HFSS tracking in Trace One PLM that categorizes affected products and calculates each product's HFSS score automatically from its nutrition data. 

Does Trace One PLM help with PPWR, EPR, and recyclability?

Yes. Trace One Packaging Management collects quality and CSR data on packaging, checks packaging against food contact, chemical migration, and environmental rules, supports packaging reduction plans, and helps calculate eco-declarations such as the French CITEO eco-fee. The same data set supports EU PPWR requirements. 

How does Trace One PLM help reduce labeling errors?

Trace One PLM uses glossary-based data, validates allergens against recipes and checks claims, and generates validated packaging copy from the approved specification. Trace One Project & Pack then compares each artwork version against the previous one before approval. 

What implementation services does Trace One provide?

Trace One provides consulting and project management, implementation and integration, a turnkey approach, supplier onboarding and data migration, change management and solution adoption, customer journey management, multilingual support, and user training through standard or personalized sessions, virtual classrooms, and webinars. 

Who is Trace One?

Trace One is a global provider of AI-native Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and regulatory compliance software for the food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care, and specialty chemical industries. With more than 30 years of industry expertise, the company helps over 9,000 brands worldwide develop, launch, and manage remarkable products faster. Purpose-built for formula-based product development, its platform connects the entire product lifecycle from ideation to launch, with integrated regulatory intelligence spanning 170+ countries. 

Related Trace One solutions

Link What it covers
Specification management Structured product and packaging specifications with predefined templates and validation rules.
Artwork management Online artwork proofing, version comparison, and approval.
Trace One Project & Pack Project management and packaging artwork in one solution.
AI in PLM How AI works across Trace One PLM.
PPWR packaging compliance What the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation requires and how to prepare.
PLM for food and beverage How food and beverage brands use Trace One PLM.
What is PLM software? A general introduction to product lifecycle management.
Trace One PLM The full Trace One PLM platform.

How can a retailer evaluate Trace One PLM?

A guided demo walks through Trace One PLM using your own private label scenario. To get the most from it, bring your product categories, approximate SKU count, number of suppliers, current systems, and the markets you sell into. The Trace One team then maps your requirements to the relevant Trace One PLM modules.