MARCA

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE IS SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON EDITION NUMBER 18

Five halls, almost 900 exhibitors and 18 large retail groups
An international jury will select the exhibiting companies’ best products
A unique opportunity to enter European markets.
Appointment on the 12 and 13 April 2022 at the Bologna Exhibition Centre

Milan, 15 March 2022 – The last edition was in January 2020, just before the pandemic, and now the fair is returning as an in-person event even stronger than before. From 12-13 April 2022, at the Bologna Exhibition centre, the spotlight will be on five halls for the 18th edition of Marca by BolognaFiere, the only Italian trade fair specifically for commercial brands and a major showcase for excellent Italian private label products. The fair is organised by BolognaFiere in collaboration with ADM, the Grocery Retail Association, and is the only event where the Grocery Retail sector has more than one thousand square metres available to showcase its brands and products. A unique opportunity for participants to get down to business, touch products with their own hands and close contracts with quality companies that produce excellent products and large retail groups ready to line their shelves with their own brands.

Marca by BolognaFiere is almost a guarantee of growth: this is one of the reasons it has been able to withstand the toughest phases of the health emergency without stopping for a second. On the strength of the digital-only experience of the 2021 edition, and in spite of the postponement of the traditional January appointment by a few weeks, the exhibition has confirmed a large number of exhibitors (almost 900, a substantial number not to be taken for granted given the compulsory absence of China) and an exhibition space (close to 23,000 square metres) that ensures safety and adequate distancing, while featuring important new developments for Italy and the international market.

The Grocery Retail groups, the exhibitors and the product sectors
The technical-scientific committee for the 2022 edition of Marca by BolognaFiere has grown in number from 15 to 18 large retail groups. In addition to the established members (C3, Carrefour, Conad, Coop, Coralis, Crai, Despar, D.it-Distribuzione Italiana, Italy Discount, Marr, S&C, Selex, Tuodì, Unes, Vegè), this year there will be three new entries: Ard Discount, Lekkerland and Brico Io, which specialises in garden equipment and DIY, among other things, which are new products for Marca by BolognaFiere.

The number of exhibitors to date is almost 900, confirming the exhibition potential of the event, which will be held in 5 halls. Food continues to dominate with 75% of exhibitors representing this category. Non-food is growing especially concerning packaging, household and personal care products (with an increase in detergents and sanitizers also linked to the effects of the pandemic). Also taking place is Marca Fresh, dedicated to fresh and ultra-fresh products and organised by SG Marketing, and the Packaging Lab Area, with workshops, presentations and specialist conferences, in collaboration with IED, the European Design Institute. Furthermore, the Emilia-Romagna section of the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) will be at the exhibition and will be choosing five products for the pre-selection phase of the prestigious biennial Compasso d’Oro award.

Marca by BolognaFiere is increasingly international
The large retail groups’ new products – those launched on the market in 2021 or in the take-off phase in 2022 – can be viewed in the Retail Brand Area at the Service Centre, which this year will host for the first time not only 18 Italian chains but also a foreign retail group from Ecuador. The groups’ new products can also be viewed online on the Marca by BolognaFiere website and on the monitors located in many strategic points around the exhibition.
For the first time, the new products proposed by exhibitors at Marca by BolognaFiere can also take part in the “New Products Selection”, organised in collaboration with IPLC-The Retailer Brand Specialists. Companies whose products make it into the top ten will receive specific advice on entering the European market. The selection will be made by an international jury of private label experts from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus. The selection of products will be shared online on the fair’s website and on the monitors in the halls.
The collaboration with ITA – the Italian Trade Agency, through which the Government promotes the consolidation and economic and commercial development of Italian companies on foreign markets, has been confirmed. The headquarters for foreign buyers is in the Service Centre of the exhibition centre, where the International Buyer Lounge will serve as the venue for business meetings.

The conferences
Private Labels and consumer behaviour are the focus of the opening conference of Marca by BolognaFiere (12 April at 10.30 am) organised by ADM with The European House-Ambrosetti and Ipsos. On 13 April at 10.00 am, the 18th Marca by BolognaFiere Report produced by IRi-Information Resources will be presented with data and trends on the Private Labels in Italy plus a focus on Private Labels in Europe by IPLC-The Retailer Brand Specialists.

Buyers ready to open their agendas: the digital preview is from 4 to 11 April
In 2021, due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Marca by BolognaFiere became an online event that continued to produce excellent results. BolognaFiere has chosen to preserve this aspect by reintroducing the Digital Session to preview contacts between buyers and exhibitors, who can then meet in person at the exhibition centre. The Digital Session is scheduled to take place from 4 to 11 April 2022. Participation is free of charge for buyers and exhibitors.

Solidarity
Marca by BolognaFiere also has social solidarity at its core. In fact, the 2022 edition will see a return of the collaboration with Caritas Diocesana di Bologna. The organization will be the recipient of all the products, both perishable and non-perishable, that exhibiting companies decide to leave behind at the exhibition centre.

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE 2022, NEW DATES DEFINED: APPOINTMENT IN BOLOGNA ON 12 AND 13 APRIL 2022

Bologna, 7 January 2022 – After the announcement of the postponement determined by the escalation of the pandemic indicators highlighted on a national scale, BolognaFiere announces the new dates of the 18th edition of MarcabyBolognaFiere: the event has been rescheduled to 12 and 13 April 2022.

A postponement of three months, therefore, which will allow the MDD business community to organize the agenda of meetings at the Fair with greater peace of mind and, for international operators, to visit the visit to the event, relying on the normalization of connections.

With over 900 exhibiting companies, the presence of the DMO and national and international buyers MarcabyBolognaFiere 2022 is confirmed as the reference exhibition platform for the protagonists of PL food, non food and, with a supply chain logic, for operators in two strongly connected areas: that of fresh products, to which an exclusive format – MARCA FRESH – is dedicated this year to innovation in the sector and that referring to the sector of intermediate goods for the MDD supply chain (Packaging, Logistics, Raw Materials, Ingredients, Technology and Services) to which the eighth edition of MARCA TECH is dedicated.

MarcabyBolognaFiere is an event organized by BolognaFiere, in collaboration with ADM, the Modern Distribution Association.

The 2022 Technical Scientific Committee sees the presence of: ARD/ERGON, BRICO IO, C3, CARREFOUR, CONAD, COOP, CORALIS, CRAI, DESPAR, D.it – DISTRIBUZIONE ITALIANA, ITALY DISCOUNT, LEKKERLAND, MARR, SELEX, S&C CONSORZIO DISTRIBUZIONE ITALIA, TUODÌ, UNES, GRUPPO VEGÈ.

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE 2022 ALMOST SOLD OUT: THREE NEW RETAIL GROUPS ON THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: ARD/ERGON, BRICO IO AND LEKKERLAND

Exhibition space is almost sold out with only a few square metres still to be assigned at MarcabyBolognaFiere 2022, scheduled to take place in Bologna on 19 and 20 January.

Bologna, November 2021 – The registration campaign for the 18th edition of Europe’s second largest trade fair for the Private Label sector, organised by BolognaFiere in collaboration with ADM (the Italian Grocery Retail Association), is forging ahead.

Following the cancellation of the in-person edition in 2021 due to the health emergency, the event was held in digital form as MARCA DIGITAL SESSION, which enabled the business community to keep their commercial contacts active through an event that involved more than 9000 participants (30% from outside Italy) and 175 buyers from important foreign retail groups. MarcabyBolognaFiere is now set to return in its classic format but with a renewed layout, an exhibition space that has to date registered the planned participation of more than 700 exhibitors. The addition to the Technical Scientific Committee of three new large retail groups: ARD/ERGON, BRICO IO, LEKKERLAND is a further demonstration of the event’s importance to the world of Private Labels.

The exhibition layout will include five pavilions – 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 – with product categories organised into food and non-food as well as areas reserved for the specialist sections MARCA TECH and MARCA FRESH. The event will focus the attention of the entire Private Label business community, which will include the participation of 18 large retail groups that sit on the event’s technical-scientific committee, involved in the definition of the strategic development of the event.

On the international front, the consolidated partnership with ICE-Agenzia has been renewed. Every year ICE-Agenzia brings delegations of operators to Bologna, involving category managers and buyers from the main international chains to promote meetings between exhibiting companies, top retailers and importers from abroad.
In this regard, and to further support internationalisation, MARCA Digital Session has been confirmed to return, from 11 to 18 January, to facilitate participants preparations for the event by enabling contacts with exhibitors in advance, to discover new products and plan an agenda of meetings at the Fair.

MarcabyBolognaFiere 2022 will also see the return of the various opportunities for training and information that will be part of a rich calendar of conferences, debates, seminars and focus sessions on the main trends in modern trade in the Private Label sector.

The 2020 technical-scientific committee: ARD/ERGON, BRICO IO, C3, CARREFOUR, CONAD, COOP, CORALIS, CRAI, DESPAR, D.it – DISTRIBUZIONE ITALIANA, ITALY DISCOUNT, LEKKERLAND, MARR, SELEX, S&C CONSORZIO DISTRIBUZIONE ITALIA, TUODÌ, UNES, GRUPPO VEGÈ.

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE, GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE JANUARY 2022 EVENT

Record numbers of exhibiting companies sign up five months ahead of the event

Bologna, 22nd July 2021 – Five months ahead of the opening of the eighteenth edition of MarcabyBolognaFiere – the main trade event for the Private Label sector, organized by BolognaFiere in partnership with ADM – already a record number of companies have signed up or confirmed their interest to take part.
More than 400 exhibitors have already signed up to attend the event that promises to have an even more complete exhibition offer available to national and international operators that will be in Bologna on 19 and 20 January 2022.
Waiting for them will be a more extensive, updated event with a functional layout to best showcase the exhibition offer and facilitate visits to the Fair.

THE TRADE SECTORS
The exhibition offer at MarcabyBolognaFiere 2022 is divided into seven macro areas: Food; Personal Care Products; Products for the Home and Recreation; Pet Products; Packaging Companies; Service Companies and Technical Press and Associations.

AN INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL EVENT
The internationalization of the event has continued its constant growth, progress that can be attributed to the success of ‘made in Italy’ products but also to the intense activity implemented to increase the number of international incoming operators to the event. BolognaFiere has carried out strategic actions with buyers and international retail groups and these actions have been met with a decisively positive response in terms of participation and the number of meetings organized also as part of Marca Digital Session 2020. MarcabyBolognaFiere 2022 will be a further tool to support Italian producers’ leadership position in the European rankings for the creation of private label products for international groups.
To further reinforce the dialogue with countries considered interesting from a commercial perspective, MarcabyBolognaFiere has organized a network of agents operating in Austria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, France, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey as well as Latin America, North Africa and the Balkans.

THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE 2022
The leading retail groups involved in Grocery Retail are the protagonists of the Technical-Scientific Committee at MarcbyBolognaFiere, a committee that will guide BolognaFiere in developing the strategic direction of the event and the definition of key issues for the sector to develop in the meetings and workshops and in the analysis of the now traditional Report into Commercial Brands that each year illustrates the main trends evolving in the sector at national and international level.

The Technical-Scientific Committee 2022 includes the retail groups: C3, Carrefour, Conad, S&C, Coop, Coralis, Crai, Despar, d.it distribution italiana, D’ITALY, MARR, SELEX, SUN, Tuodì, Unes Supermercati, Gruppo VéGé.
In the short term, the committee is destined to expand further with the inclusion of other large retail groups, some of which have vertical specializations in particular trade sectors.

MEETINGS IN THE RUN-UP TO THE EVENT
Ahead of the fair when exhibitors and the international business community will be able to meet in Bologna on 19 and 20 January 2022, from the autumn the webinars and meetings of the MARCA TRAINING PROGRAMME will recommence.

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE RESCHEDULED FOR 19 AND 20 JANUARY 2022

A JOINT DECISION WITH THE EXHIBITORS TO FOCUS ENERGIES ON THE POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY

Bologna, 19 April 2020 – The continuing pandemic emergency, in spite of the fact that the current vaccination campaign is slowly inverting the contagion curve, has required trade fair organizers to demonstrate the utmost flexibility and to constantly re-evaluate opportunities to reshape the exhibition calendar, with the goal of ensuring the best possible conditions for holding events and meeting the needs of companies working to overcome the effects of the pandemic.

These reflections have also led to discussions between the organizers of MarcabyBolognaFiere – BolognaFiere in collaboration with ADM, the Italian Grocery Retail association – and the exhibitors, to identify the most suitable dates for holding the next edition of the event.

Following the success of MARCA DIGITAL SESSION, the digital platform that facilitated meetings between producers and representatives of the Grocery Retail distribution chain (active from 15 to 25 March 2021) –involving 325 Private Label partner producers, 4000 meetings, 9000 attendees, 175 foreign buyers from important overseas retail groups, the presence of retail groups from Europe, the USA, Canada, South America, Asia and the Middle East and 100 Italian buyers from top retail groups on the MarcabyBolognaFiere committee – it was considered necessary to reassess the opportunity to hold the event on its initially planned dates in June 2021 and to propose holding it at its usual time of year in the month of January, with the aim of resuming the in-person event directly in the year 2022.

The preferred choice of the exhibitors was the option of January 2022, which combines, on one hand, greater certainty due to the consolidated effects of the current vaccination campaign and, on the other, the repositioning of MarcabyBolognaFiere in a period that is more practical for the participating companies for planning their commercial strategies.

“The trade fair system is among the most affected by the pandemic,” explained Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere. “In spite of this, we have responded by proposing new digital formats as business tools to serve as an alternative to in-person events. We consider it essential, in the hope of an eventual return to normality, that every decision regarding holding the events is the result of sharing the objectives with our exhibitors and operators. MarcabyBolognaFiere caters to businesses that have been able to respond to an unpredictable situation and that are the protagonists of a strategic event for the promotion of “made in Italy” products. We are certain that the rescheduling to January 2022 is the best solution to ensure a fully-fledged recovery of business and to support the trend among international operators that are increasingly focused on developing commercial partnerships with Italian businesses, all of whom will have more time to organize their participation at MarcabyBolognaFiere”.

“Rescheduling MarcabyBolognaFiere for January 2022 seemed to us to be the best solution to enable participating companies to concentrate their efforts on managing the emergency that is still under way and to envisage a full revival on that date,” confirms Marco Pedroni, President of ADM (the Italian Grocery Retail association). “We are comforted by the fact that the digital session held in March obtained excellent results in terms of participation from operators, both Private Label partners and distributors: this reinforces the growing importance that Private Labels have on the market and the need to continue working on their innovation and development.”

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