Fresh Retailer: Show&Conference organisers managed to reunite Italian fresh produce operators with some of the main domestic and international retailers in a truly unique location (the East End Studios in Milan).
The event, which includes a convention and an exhibition, aims at being a yearly occasion to analyse how to improve fresh produce supply through the supermarket channel.
The topics were varied: from informing consumers about the benefits of certain foods, fresh produce in particular (journalist Eliana Liotta (in the photo above), author of "La dieta Smartfood"), to new tools for quality measurement (professor Daniele Tirelli (in the photo below), who stressed that "no relation was found between the price and quality of produce in retail").
An interesting overview on the perspective of retail sales in central Europe (especially in countries like Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia) was carried out by the Fresh Food Commercial Director of Tesco Central Europe, Patrik Dojčinovič. The analysis was positive, as consumers have a higher spending availability.
Patrik Dojčinovič
Tesco's supplier policy must also be highlighted. They are not regarded as subordinates who must follow directives, but as strategic partners helping towards customer retention. The typical customer is "Eve", i.e. a married woman with children who likes to try new products and who must be pleasantly surprised every day both in store and at home.
Eve - profiling of a Tesco typical client in central Europe.
A comparison with the bigger European dimension shows how the continent travels at different speeds but, as stressed by the Tesco director himself, Italy still has a very important role to play.
Gerhard Dichgans (in the photo below) then presented the Ifored project for the development of a red flesh apple range.
Click here for the photo gallery.
The following intervened during the second part of the conference:
Click here for the photo gallery.
The following intervened during the second part of the conference:
- Marco Cantoni from Syngenta, with a few Sicilian tomato producers, part of the Sinergie project. They presented their new video and announced the new website www.sigillosinergie.it. The project is perfectly in line with the event's purpose, i.e. to improve relationships within the chain and the performances of the sector. A tribute was also paid to the late Maurizio Pisani, who contributed to the creation of the Sinergie project.
- Claudio Scalise, General Manager for SG Marketing, was the moderator of the first round table with retailers. Claudio Mazzini, fresh produce manager for Coop Italia; Alessandra Manzato, fresh food category at Conad; Gordan Tolevski, sales manager for Eurogroup / Rewe and Roberto Rossi, country manager for Natoora, took part.
- Salvo Garipoli, strategic consultancy and trade marketing manager for SG Marketing, was the moderator of the discussion with Luca Ambrosini, fresh produce manager for Auchan Retail Italia; Angelo Arrigoni, Terre d'Italia and PL brand manager for Carrefour; Giampaolo Ferri, fresh-cut manager for Coop Alleanza 3.0 and Claudio Mazzini, fresh produce manager for Coop Italia.
The best fresh produce suppliers in Italy
After his show, Francesco Rizzuto, Zelig and Colorado comedian, assigned this year's awards:
- Claudio Scalise, General Manager for SG Marketing, was the moderator of the first round table with retailers. Claudio Mazzini, fresh produce manager for Coop Italia; Alessandra Manzato, fresh food category at Conad; Gordan Tolevski, sales manager for Eurogroup / Rewe and Roberto Rossi, country manager for Natoora, took part.
- Salvo Garipoli, strategic consultancy and trade marketing manager for SG Marketing, was the moderator of the discussion with Luca Ambrosini, fresh produce manager for Auchan Retail Italia; Angelo Arrigoni, Terre d'Italia and PL brand manager for Carrefour; Giampaolo Ferri, fresh-cut manager for Coop Alleanza 3.0 and Claudio Mazzini, fresh produce manager for Coop Italia.
The best fresh produce suppliers in Italy
After his show, Francesco Rizzuto, Zelig and Colorado comedian, assigned this year's awards:
- LIDL Italia - most innovative chain
- CARREFOUR Italia - most dynamic chain
- Conad PAC 2000A - best chain in central-southern Italy
- ESSELUNGA - TOP FRESH RETAILER 2017