From premium and organic lines to “free-from” produce, Marca 2016 has showcased new strategies for store brands, whose task it is to relaunch the sector’s sales following last year’s slight downturn. During the first 9 months in 2015, distributor-brand sales went down by 1.5% in volume, though in monetary terms they rose by 0.1 points to 9,548 million. A poor performance overall, which however does show some signs of vitality, starting from the results of the added-value segments. They should have priority in getting the sector going again. At this international fair organised by BolognaFiere, 21 big retailers will be taking part including Carrefour, Metro and Iper for the first time ever. Last year’s edition was attended by 481 exhibitors and nearly 7 thousand professional operators, and there were 564 meetings for big-chain buyers. These figures are expected to be exceeded this year. The exhibition will therefore also focus on new plans for developing distributor-brand lines in 2016.
One example is Coop Italia, which has declared its intention to concentrate in particular on the health-related area with its Bene.sì range as well as on Vivi Verde, natural-organic line, and Fiorfiore, premium line. Conad, on the other hand, is opting for an increase in the number of products for gluten- and lactose-intolerant consumers, in addition to relaunching its organic brands and a greater focus on fresh produce.