Across three days in Las Vegas, Groceryshop speakers touched on a slew of top-of-mind topics for the grocery industry, from retail media networks to the evolving state of convenience, but many executives continually returned to a few central themes. Here’s what they were saying.

Evolving retailer-brand relationships

As more grocers and retailers debut new private label brands and products, they’re working to strike a balance with the other national CPGs on their shelves. While Frans Muller, president and CEO of Ahold Delhaize, owner of chains like Hannaford and Stop & Shop, said the company is working to grow its private label offerings, it’s also looking for “collaboration” within grocery categories. Muller said it works with its partners to share data and help them compete on shelf, believing that competition “fosters more ambition for more innovation.”

Keep reading here.—EC

Retail sales in September rose 0.4% to $714.4 billion from August and 1.7% year over year, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday. The sales jump beat analyst expectations, and comes after a 0.1% monthly increase in August.

“While there have been some signs of tightening in consumer spending, September’s numbers show consumers are willing to spend where they see value,” National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement, noting that “conditions for the retail sector remain favorable as we move into the holiday season.”

Consumer prices, meanwhile, were up 0.2% monthly and 2.4% annually in September, per the Consumer Price Index released last week, a slight cooling from the 2.4% annual rise in August but still higher than analysts expected.

Keep reading here.—EC

With Halloween less than two weeks away, Mars is releasing a new crispy, crunchy twist on Skittles. The launch comes as higher cacao prices are pushing brands and consumers away from chocolate and toward gummies. We’ll have to see if trick-or-treaters take kindly to the change.

In earnings: Q3 earnings season is here with some heavy-hitters reporting their results this week. Coca Cola is reporting on Wednesday, as the company faces scrutiny from lawmakers for allegedly engaging in “shrinkflation,” or shrinking package sizes without lowering the price. Some CPG companies are also reporting this week, including Archer Daniels Midland, a food conglomerate, and Colgate-Palmolive, a household product brand.

Amazon will also report on Thursday, and the results could provide a high-level view of consumer demand during the back-to-school period, which could also provide some signals about the holiday season ahead.

Keep reading here.—AV