MARCA

Press Release

MARCA BY BOLOGNAFIERE, 21ST EDITION IN THE PIPELINE

The Private Label business community will meet on January 15th and 16th, 2025.

Over 20.000 trade visitors, 1.100 exhibiting companies, 22 Retailer chains, 7 halls and more than 250 hosted buyers from 30 countries: the numbers of the last edition project the event towards further satisfaction in 2025.

Bologna, April 2024 – Marca by BolognaFiere builds on the unprecedented success of last January and lays the foundations for renewed development in 2025. Organised in cooperation with ADM – Associazione Distribuzione Moderna, the exhibition closed its last edition with growth beyond all expectations, in terms of quantity and quality: crowded stands and aisles with the best of Made in Italy, both food and non food; high-profile conferences and observatories, authoritative institutional presences and a clear drive towards internationalisation, an essential element for an effective and strategic forward projection.

Based on these premises and in a sector that is constantly growing – private label sales reached a record turnover of 25.8 billion euros in 2023 (exceeding 30% of the turnover of packaged consumer goods in modern distribution), with a significant increase in value (+15.4%) and volume (+4.7%) – the 2025 edition of Marca by BolognaFiere is set to begin.

Among the innovations already defined is the introduction of an extra day, Tuesday January 14th, in addition to the two already scheduled for Wednesday January 15th and Thursday January 16th: a day exclusively dedicated to B2B meetings between exhibiting companies and international buyers.

Also confirmed is the general layout of the event with its two main exhibition areas, Food and Non Food. The Food segment will, as always, feature companies specialising in different merchandise categories: from leavened and bakery products to dairy, meat, cold cuts, poultry and fish products, as well as oil, vinegar and condiments; ready-made sauces and gravies, confectionery products, jams and snacks; frozen food; coffee, beverages, etc. On the other hand, the Non Food segment will focus on home and personal care and DIY / brico products, with particular attention to efficiency and sustainability issues.

The thematic formats, Marca Fresh and Marca Tech, will also return. Building on the excellent results achieved, the 5th edition of Marca Fresh will once again highlight the fresh produce sector – fruit and vegetables first and foremost – engaging in dialogue with the large-scale distribution under the banner of an increasingly felt and widespread economic, social, and environmental responsibility. Packaging, logistics, raw materials, ingredients, technology and services: at its 11th edition Marca Tech will showcase intermediate goods for the Private Label supply chain, offering an opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to discover the latest trends for innovation and sustainable operations.

The concrete evidence of Marca by BolognaFiere’s increasingly distinctive position within the international exhibition schedule is primarily reflected in the numbers of 2024: 22 Retailer chains that are members of the Technical-Scientific Committee and exhibiting at the event; 7 halls for over 26.000 square metres of net area (+26% compared to 2023); over 1.100 exhibiting companies and more than 20.000 visitors (+18% compared to 2023). Every year the conference program is confirmed to be of great appeal for operators and professionals, with conferences and focuses on the most current market data, workshops and in-depth studies covering every aspect related to the Private Label.

The meetings dedicated respectively to the presentation of the Position Paper by The European House-Ambrosetti, promoted by ADM and Marca, and the XXI Marca by BolognaFiere Report, the annual snapshot of the Private Label’s role by Circana, were joined in 2024 by the first edition of the conference held by GS1 Italy for an all-round exploration of the Non Food sector’s performance.

NEXT STOP, MARCA CHINA
In addition to the preview on January 14th, BolognaFiere has implemented several actions aimed at further boosting the internationalisation of the event, thereby ensuring the presence of an increasing number of international chains – with 250 hosted buyers arriving from 30 countries in 2024 – while facilitating the entry of Italian companies into foreign markets, initiating collaborations between manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers, and fostering the broader development of the private label industry.

The 3rd edition of Marca China will kick off at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (Futian) from June 26th to 28th, 2024. With an exhibition area of 20.000 square metres, the event will bring together 400 exhibiting companies and is set to host about 20 forums and events, welcoming over 10.000 buyers and trade visitors. Focusing on key sectors for Private Label, the exhibition will give wide space to the latest consumer trends such as health, organic and packaging design. A significant innovation of this edition will be the presence of a dedicated area for the pet sector, aimed at providing new stimuli to the market.

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