Marca by BolognaFiere, the event dedicated to the private label sector in Italy, closed the 16th edition with another great success. The number of exhibitors continues to rise year over year – more than 900 companies were present in 2020 – with double digit growth for the fifth consecutive year. The exhibition space was greater compared to last year (43,000 m2, +13%. The number and variety of organic products, which took up almost a quarter of the exhibition space, was greater than ever.
Among the new initiatives at the trade show, this year saw the debut of Marca Fresh, a space reserved entirely for news and innovations in the compartment of fresh produce and hosted within the event that sees the fruit and vegetable sector take centre stage.
THE MARKET FOR ITALY’S PRIVATE LABEL IS GROWING
In 2019 sales of mass consumer goods grew once more. After a stable 2018 in which the market grew by +0.3%, driven by inflation and trading up, the first 10 months of 2019 have seen a positive performance (+2.0%) in which weak prices have been partly responsible for sustaining demand.
The sector of private labels grew at a faster pace than the rest of the market (+4.7%), its market share rising to 19.9% (+0.6 points). Worth noting that the share of private labels in the last quarter has been constantly above 20%. Forecasts predict 2019 concluding with profits of around €11 billion.
All of the segments of the private label business in Italy have contributed to the positive performance: particularly dynamic are the premium and specialist ranges: Premium (+13,0%), Organic-Ecological (+8,0%), Functional (+8,5%). The segment of large retail groups has confirmed its position as the strongest (72.8%). After many years, the segment of Lowest Price products has begun to grow again (+23.2%), even though its share of sales remains very low.
The positive trend for sales of private label products is supported by the increase in the offer on the shelves that in October reached 1,635 items on average per retail point (+3.6% compared to October 2018) and an assortment share of 14.2% (+0.06% vs. October 2018).
Click here to discover the ITALIAN EXHIBITORS at Marca 2020 on the Italianfood.net platform
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS AT MARCA 2020
Once again, Marca by BolognaFiere organized the International Buyer Program, in order to facilitate B2B meetings between decision makers and influencers involved in the purchasing process and interested in developing business meetings and commercial relationships in the sector of private labels.
In recent years the initiative has assumed an ever-greater importance, attracting growing interest from the international business community, a trend that highlights the demand for ‘made in Italy’ products among consumers all over the world. Moreover, a specific digital platform, including detailed profiles and advanced search filters for examining countries and products, has been created to help matching supply to demand and support both exhibitors and buyers in the organisation of B2B meetings.
