Between present and future, the schedule of Retail Plaza by TUTTOFOOD comes into play

These are the emerging mega trends in the value chain of the food sector that directly and indirectly affect all stakeholders in the industry: sustainability of the supply chain, value chain innovation, and consumer’s cultural and purchasing behavior changes.

This will be the common thread of Retail Plaza by TUTTOFOOD, the exclusive format for meetings and discussions among all players in the food & beverage supply chain, with a special focus on food retail and organized distribution, that will return at TUTTOFOOD 2023 – at fieramilano from 8 to 11 May – with the collaboration of Business International, Fiera Milano’s content company, and the support of Retail Institute Italy, the landmark association for Italian retail. Among the topics that will be covered, E-commerce solutions to maximize business in food retail, how the Italian public reacts to foreign formats and how the Italian excellence is increasingly demanded abroad, new business models in the food sector to meet the needs of ‘new consumers’.

Medium and long term trends that will drive the choices

One example will be the event Last-mile-delivery: what are the changes and transformations in Food Retail? , which will look at how the 1920s can be considered as a decade of momentous change for the world of food retail. How should we redesign last mile delivery solutions in terms of service, supply chain and technology platforms? Moderated by Massimo Visconti, Value Chain Innovation Strategist and Partner at Sevendots, the topic will be discussed by Giorgio Santambrogio, CEO of VéGé Group and Deputy Vice President of Federdistribuzione, Albino Russo, Director General of ANCC-National Association of Consumer Cooperatives, and Andrea Sassaroli, National Sales Manager of GEODIS Italia.

“While ‘long term’ used to mean 5-10 years, today the horizon is 3-5 years”, explained Massimo Visconti “and this gives an idea of the complexity of the actual situation, in which continuous change is accompanied by cyclical changes. It’s possible to identify three main trends. Definitely sustainability, which will become increasingly pervasive in the coming years. Then the global spread of a shared food culture, although there will remain some differences at the level of macro-regions, for example between the West and the Far East. Finally, technology and, in particular, the use of data, which is the real factor that will change the approach to how products are designed while keeping in mind consumers’ needs.”

What puts pressure today: prices and promotions vs. quality

Meanwhile, in the short term, organized distribution and retail are facing the effects of the economic downturn. “Distribution reached the maximum threshold up to which it could absorb upstream increases in the value chain”, commented Giorgio Santambrogio, “and this led to inevitable price increases. Consumers managed to resist for a few months, often resorting to the savings accumulated during the lockdowns, but now we are starting to see the effects on the shopping cart. In the coming months, we believe that there will be an increase in promotional pressure in order to balance the situation. Moreover, in line with a long-term trend that we have been witnessing for a while now, when the customer reduces quantity he or she decides to go for quality. This is evidenced, for example, by the numbers of premium retail brands on which firms are increasingly focusing. What consumers certainly do not like is ‘shrinkflation’, the reduction of formats for the same price, so I think this trend will be short-lived.”

Whether it’s the most pressing needs of the moment or outlining the long-term trends that will drive development strategies, Retail Plaza by TUTTOFOOD will be the venue where academics, experts, firms, and manufacturers will meet and discuss in a unique setting.

In order not to miss any of Retail Plaza’s exclusive appointments, buy your ticket now. If you are a business and would like to participate as an exhibitor, find out how to secure one of the last available spaces.