100 launches inside one curated holiday report is not a merchandising flourish; it is an assortment decision that lands weeks before the shelf resets. President's Choice published its 2026 Holiday Insiders Report on November 5, and as of November 9, 2026, the count stands at more than 100 new items plus 20 designated must-try products across three themes. The programme runs through the PC Optimum app and banner sites as well as stores, which is why the launch reads as an ecommerce discovery test as much as a shelf event. For a category manager, the number that matters is not the launch total but how many of those items hold a listing into next winter.
What the report releases
The headline items are the ones built for the season rather than for the pantry: a buttermilk brined young turkey, a butter tart pie, beef wellington bites, a gochujang caramel popcorn and a Roman style flatbread. Grocery CPG read the release as a planogram event, noting that a launch of this size forces resets, end cap allocation and slotting decisions into the fourth quarter rather than leaving them to the annual range review.
The company frames the collection around discovery, and the framing is doing commercial work. A curated report gives shoppers a reason to walk into categories they would not otherwise browse, which is how an item without national brand advertising gets a first trial. It also gives the banner a single moment to test novelty against velocity before committing permanent space.
Own-brand depth is the real number
Store brands have been taking dollar and unit share as shoppers trade down, and the premium tier is where that shift is easiest to see. A hundred item seasonal drop is a statement about pipeline as much as about range: it implies suppliers, packaging development and a quality assurance queue that can absorb a compressed launch window. For a buyer, the useful question is which of those hundred items needed new tooling and which are line extensions dressed for the season.
Where the three themes put the shelf pressure
The themes are not decorative. New Spark carries the items that need a story and a demo, Winter Well carries comfort food that competes on repeat purchase, and Ready Reset points at the January resolution window with protein, yogurt and meal prep. Each one lands in a different part of the store, and each one asks for a different kind of support, from a sampling table to a secondary display to a search placement in the app.
| Theme | What it asks of the shelf | Where the fight happens | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Spark | Story, demo, secondary display | Seasonal end caps and front of store | Trial rate versus repeat |
| Winter Well | Depth on comfort staples | Centre store and frozen | Repeat purchase within four weeks |
| Ready Reset | Placement near health and meal prep | Protein, yogurt, kitchen tools | January sell through after the peak |
Slotting is where the three collide. A hundred items cannot all take a permanent facing, and the ones that survive are usually those that hold velocity after the display comes down, which is a different measure from launch week sales. That is why the report is best treated as a portfolio test rather than a product announcement, with each theme carrying its own success measure.
What survives the January reset
The holiday window flatters a launch. Seasonal facings are borrowed space, often paid for with display support, and the sales rate inside that window says more about the display than about the product. The honest test starts in January, when the item either earns a permanent slot on velocity or returns as a seasonal line next year, and the two outcomes imply very different supply commitments.
There is a supply chain question hidden in the calendar too. A hundred item drop at the start of November compresses procurement, packaging and quality checks into a window that has no slack, and a missed item is more visible in a curated report than in an ordinary range refresh. That constraint explains why the report is published as a programme rather than a list, and why the launch date sits where it does.
The number that matters is repeat rate
A must-try designation buys one trial. Repeat rate decides whether the item becomes a line, and it is the measure most exposed to the gap between a good story and a product that fits a weekly shop. For a private label programme at this scale, the portfolio view is the only honest one: a handful of items will carry the season, and the rest are the cost of finding them.
FAQ
How many new products is President's Choice launching for the holiday season?
More than 100 new items, plus 20 designated must-try products, released on November 5, 2026 across three themes tied to entertaining, winter meals and the January reset.
Why does a grocery retailer publish a curated report instead of a catalogue?
It generates trial in categories a shopper would not browse on their own, and it gives the banner one moment to test novelty against velocity before committing permanent shelf space.
What does a launch of this size do to the planogram?
It forces resets, end cap allocation and slotting decisions into the fourth quarter, with seasonal space borrowed from core items and returned in January.
Which metric decides whether an item stays listed?
Post display velocity and repeat rate. Launch week sales mostly measure the display, so the useful number is what the item sells once the feature comes down.
