Tough Times

In response to the recession and because of the significant loss of jobs, Zarwan says that consumers have pulled back and changed buying habits. "These changes affect different label converters differently, depending on end use, product category, customers, and type of label," he says.

Gerace points to some of the changes in consumer buying habits that he has observed. "We have seen the most demand erosion in premium beverages and home improvement markets. However, virtually all the markets we support have had some contraction. The private label and lower tier products have definitely faired better," he says.