Private Label Manufacturers Association President Brian Sharoff opened the association’s annual meeting Friday with an update on current affairs and a look toward the future – one that directly connects the PLMA with retail consumers.

Sharoff previewed a website expected to launch this summer called Store Brands USA, containing information tying private label products to consumers in recipes, health and wellness plans, and lifestyle trends and holidays. The site also will include a calculator designed to compare a private label basket of goods purchased to a national brand basket of similar products.

Sharoff said PLMA hoped that the site would be live by June.

The association reached a record total of 3,600 members in 2012, including 1,094 active in the U.S. and more than 2,000 international members from overseas, as well as Canada and Mexico. More than 1,000 companies were exhibitors at the PLMA show in Chicago in November, while 2,081 exhibited at the Amsterdam show in May.

On the financial side, PLMA brought in more than $4 million in membership dues in 2012, with $2.2 million in U.S. trade show revenues and $2.3 million internationally.

Sharoff also announced a pair of reports due in the next 60 days, looking at the role of men and women in grocery shopping. The first, on women and shopping, is due in about three weeks. Sharoff said the preliminary takeaway was that women remained the dominant shopper of grocery items in households, but that their time was limited because of other constraints such as work and family obligations.

A report on men and shopping, set for release about a month after the first report, will show that contrary to popular belief, men are not as involved with regular grocery shopping decisions as believed, Sharoff said. He said men’s role hadn’t “changed as much as reported.”

PLMA announced its new board of directors, led by the re-nomination of Greg Baskin of Hormel Foods as chairman. Two staffers were promoted to vice president roles, as well as staff additions in office management and member relations.