Global Retail Brands January 2022 Issue

JANUARY 2022

The Shows Must Go On We’re back at

Marca Bologna PLMA Chicago ISM Cologne Biofach Nürnberg Frozen Food Growth 7 Keys to Retail Brand Success The Consumer’s Psyche

SPONSOR

www.globalretailmag.com

www.vertexawards.org

VIEWPOINT

The Shows Must Go On It is my sincerest hope that you are reading this at Marca or PLMA Chicago or Biofach. That would mean we are on the right road and we need to be back on that road. My last visit to a trade fair was at MarcaBologna in 2020. My wife and I flew back to NYC through Milan Malpensa. At that time, there were only whispers of Covid. Once home, we realized that we were at the initial epicenter of the pandemic in Italy. Little did we know how much things were about to change.

We dreaded the idea of having to wait as long as April for life to return to normal. Now, we can’t remember what normal was. April turned to July and July turned into 2021 which we all thought would be a better year. So much for that theory!

While in many ways 2021 was indeed an improvement, especially with the vaccine providing protection for so many.

The Delta variant and recently discovered Omicron variant are startling reminders that we’re not exactly out of the woods yet.

However, with a little common sense and a whole lot of vaccinations and safety protocols, we can go on.

Our industry thrives when in-person exchanges of ideas, inspiration and passion can take place. Zoom and Teams have been invaluable tools for many of us. But I am very much done with them. A flat screen is not an adequate replacement for a live person.

So it is with great enthusiasm that we deliver our latest issue at one of these vital events, especially PLMA Chicago, which, back in 1979, was the catalyst for the modern day private label industry. It will be delightful to return there and we hope you find the time to come by and say hello, we’ll be in Stand F-1907 across from our many good friends in ITA Chicago’s Italian Pavilion.

Be well and stay safe, Phillip Russo Founder / Editor phillip@globalretailmag.com

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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / JANUARY 2022

CONNECT. SOURCE. Grow.

Back on its traditional spring dates, PLMA’s 2022 “World of Private Label” will provide attendees the opportunity, over two days to grow their business, establish new connections and to refresh existing ones.

For more information: Email: info@plma.nl Telephone: +31 20 575 3032. www.plmainternational.com

31 May – 1 June 2022 AMSTERDAM Presented by the Private Label Manufacturers Association International Council

100% natural

CONTENTS G LOB AL RE TAIL BRA N D S I

J A N UA RY 2022 I VO LU M E 9 I NU M B E R 4

50

66

COVER STORY

64 DEPARTMENTS 4 Viewpoint 12 Contributors 14 Events Calendar 16 Notable

58

FEATURE

COLUMNS

SERVICES

50 S trong Growth in Frozen Food Elena Sullivan

61 Seven Keys to the Future of Retail Brands Christopher Durham RBI

73 Global Trade Fairs

RETAIL PROFILES

62 S tore Brand Trends George Puro Puro Research

58 G lobus Hans Kraak

64 The Best Projects of 2021 Maria Dubuc MBD 66 The Consume’s Psyche Perry Seeler Emerge 68 M oving Consumers Toward Sustainability Marcel Verhaaf SGK Amsterdam

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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / JANUARY 2022

82 A dvertiser’s Index Next Issue Highlights

Lansing, Michigan Since Sinc e 1935 1935

Visit us at PLMA!

•

Booth #F2502

Jan. 31- Feb. 1, 2021 Rosemont, IL

paramountroasters.com

Salted caramel

Where Retailers

JANUARY 2022 / VOLUME 9 / NUMBER 4 OF 4

Phillip Russo

EDITOR / PUBLISHER phillip@globalretailmag.com

and

Jacco van Laar

Suppliers Meet

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR jaccovanlaar@globalretailmag.com

Melissa Subatch

CREATIVE DIRECTOR info@melissasubatchdesign.com

Andrew Quinn

DIGITAL DIRECTOR andrew.quinniii@gmail.com

Luisa Colombo

OCTOBER 2021

MAY 2021

Italian Business Development luisa@globalretailmag.com

Sabine Geissler

PICNIC

GREENTASTE.IT Italian Business Development s.geissler@greentaste.it

8TH ANNUAL VERTEX AWARD WINNERS

Low Prices and Fast Delivery of Everyday Groceries

CONTRIBUTORS

Perry Seelert

Emerge perry@emergefromthepack.com

Anuga 2021 An Inconvenient Truth (In Retail) PLMA’s World of Private Label Preview www.globalretailmag.com

BEST OF SHOW

The Giant Company Co-Branded Craft Beers

Whole Foods Market

Christopher Durham

Jumbo Supermarkten PLMA Chicago, Amsterdam, Global Preview

www.vertexawards.org

Maria Dubuc

SPONSORED BY www.globalretailmag.com

Marketing By Design mdubuc@mbdesign.com

www.vertexawards.org

JANUARY 2021/ SUPPLIER GUIDE

JUNE 2020

FUTURE FORCES OF PRIVATE BRAND 2021 Supplier Guide PLMA’s PL Week

Retail Brands Institute cdurham@retailbrandsinstitute.org

Hans Kraak

Kraak Media kraakmedia@gmail.com

Elena Sullivan

BRIAN SHAROFF

sullivan.elena@gmail.com

JANUARY 1, 1943 – MAY 23, 2020

Tom Prendergast

PLMA tprendergast@plma.com

Joe Azzinaro Published, Trademarked and all rights reserved by:

Kent Media

SPONSORED BY

www.globalretailmag.com

www.vertexawards.org

2022 Media Planner

Phillip Russo, Principal 240 Central Park South, Suite 9G New York, NY 10019 USA Tel. +1 917 743 6711 All rights reserved under the Library of Congress. No part of this publication may be r eproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Opinions expressed by contributors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Global Retail Brands is published 4 times a year.

Editorial Submissions phillip@globalretailmag.com Advertising Inquiries – EUROPE luisa@globalretailmag.com Advertising Inquiries – AFRICA, AMERICAS, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, MIDDLE EAST phillip@globalretailmag.com

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Subscription Information phillip@globalretailmag.com www.globalretailmag.com

CONTRIBUTORS

MARIA DUBUC Maria possesses nearly three decades expertise in creative management developing brand strategies, managing highly complex programs and driving business growth. As Marketing

By Design, President, and Big Red Rooster, Vice President, Maria works diligently to ensure our people, projects, and processes drive clients’ successes. In the Retail Brands space she has coordinated the design

CHRISTOPHER DURHAM Christopher Durham is the president of the Retail Brands Institute. Prior to this he founded the groundbreaking site My Private Brand. He is the co-founder of The Vertex Awards. He began his retail career building brands at Food Lion and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Durham has worked with retailers around the world, including Albertsons, Family Dollar, Petco, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Metro Canada.

Durham has published seven definitive books on private brands, including Fifty2: The My Private Brand Project and Vanguard: Vintage Originals.

HANS KRAAK Hans Kraak is educated in biology and journalism and wrote three books about nutrition and health. He worked for the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. As editor in chief he publishes in the Dutch Magazine for Nutrition and Dietetics, as a food and wine writer he published in Meininger’s Wine Business International and reports for PLMA Live EU and PLMA USA.

KARA MIENCIER Kara Miencier, Private Brand Sales Executive for Paramount Roasters, has a passion for store brands and the coffee industry. As a Board of Directors Member for Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence, Kara finds great value in the diversity and inclusion mission of WISE and bridging the experience gap between generations.

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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / JANUARY 2022

GEORGE PURO President of the Puro Research Group, a market intelligence firm specializing in consumer insights, competitive/market intelligence and analysis. Puro’s services are designed to keep you abreast of the latest trends, make you look smart in presentations and help guide decision-making. The company has provided organizations and companies, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, with aha! insights about competitors, customers and industries in a variety of topics and industries, including consumer products; retail; transportation, travel and hospitality; healthcare and health insurance; PERRY SEELERT A retail branding and marketing expert, with a passion for challenging conventional strategy and truths. Perry is the Strategic Partner and Co-founder of Emerge, a strategic marketing consultancy dedicated to helping Retailers, Manufacturers and Services grow exponentially and differentiate with purpose.

ELENA SULLIVAN Elena Sullivan holds a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is a writer, editor, social worker and advocate. With more than 15 years writing and researching the private label industry, Elena was previously the Managing Editor at Private Label Magazine and most recently created content for Private Label Manufacturers Association’s PLMALive! PL Category Trends series. Through her writing, Elena seeks to provide holistic information on Private Labels for all players in the industry.

MARCEL VERHAAF Marcel is the Executive Creative Director of SGK Amsterdam and is responsible for the creative vision and design effectiveness of SGK’s work across brand and packaging design and is the driving force behind SGK’s sustainability innovations and designs executions. With a career spanning 30 years, he has been recognised by the industry with numerous accolades including international awards from The Dieline, Pentawards, Red Dot and ADCN in the Netherlands. Marcel has experience working with both global and local brands including Unilever, Nestlé, Heineken, Danone, Pladis, Ahold, AkzoNobel, Douwe Egberts, Pepsico, Pernod Ricard and Friesland Campina.

BOSTON BO OSTON TON | PHOENIX PH P HOENIX ENIX | SAN AN DIEGO | CHINA | UK

INDUSTRY EVENT UPDATE

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCA BOLOGNA Bologna, Italy 19 – 20 JANUARY 2022

BIOFACH Numberg, Germany 15 – 18 FEBRUARY 2O22

IN PERSON

www.marca.bolognafiere.it

www.biofach.de/en

PLMA CHIGAGO IN PERSON Chicago, IL, USA 30 JANUARY – 1 FEBRUARY 2022 www.plma.com

ISM Cologne, Germany 30 JAN - 2 FEB 2022

IN PERSON

PLMA ROUNDTABLE 23 – 24 FEBRUARY 2022

VIRTUAL

www.plmainternational.com

MARCH IN PERSON

www.ism-cologne.com

COSMO BOLOGNA Bologna, Italy 10 – 14 MARCH 2022

IN PERSON

www.cosmoprof.com/en

FEBRUARY WINTER FANCY FOOD Las Vegas, NV, USA 6 – 8 FEBRUARY 2O22

PLMA GLOBAL 28 – 31 MARCH 2022 www.plma.com IN PERSON

www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/winter-fancy-food-show

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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / JANUARY 2022

VIRTUAL

Connecting Private Label Worldwide

Online Private Label Trade Show PLMA Global will provide a unique opportunity for private label buyers and suppliers to meet new and familiar business partners anywhere in the world, and on their own schedule. For more information, contact PLMA or go to:

WWW.PLMAGLOBAL.COM

28 -31 March 2022 Presented by the Private Label Manufacturers Association

N O TA B L E

Walmart and DroneUp Announce Their First Multi-Site Commercial Drone Delivery Operations On November 22, 2021, Walmart and DroneUp announced their first multi-site commercial drone delivery operations from drone airport “Hubs.” The delivery operations will operate from 8:00 a.m.

– 8:00 p.m., seven days per week, to deliver items to eligible Walmart customers by air in as little as 30 minutes.

According to a June 2021 statement from John Furner, CEO and President, Walmart U.S., “In our ongoing effort to get customers the items they want, and fast, we know it will take a well-coordinated network of delivery solutions that span the streets, sidewalks and skies. Some of these solutions are still emerging, but they’re already showing encouraging results.

Last year, we partnered with DroneUp, a nationwide drone services provider, to launch trial deliveries of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits. The trial demonstrated we could offer customers delivery in minutes versus hours. Now, after safely completing hundreds of drone deliveries from Walmart stores, we’re making an investment in DroneUp to continue our work toward developing a scalable last-mile delivery solution.

DroneUp operates an on-demand drone delivery network that matches their database of more than 10,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified

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pilots to missions nationwide. Since partnering with DroneUp last year, we’ve valued their technological expertise, world-class operations and experienced management team – and their commitment to helping the FAA ensure the highest levels of safety with every delivery. As a well-respected industry innovator, DroneUp was the first operator to use the FAA 107.39 waiver, an operation that allows for delivery flights to be conducted over people and moving vehicles. DroneUp operates commercially throughout the U.S. and is an authorized government drone services provider for 11 U.S. states serving public sector organizations.

Walmart already has a significant part of the infrastructure in place – 4,700 stores stocked with more than 100,000 of the most-purchased items, located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population. This makes us

uniquely positioned to execute drone deliveries, which is why our investment in DroneUp won’t just apply to the skies but also the ground. In the coming months we’ll be beginning our first operation at a store in Bentonville, Arkansas.

In April, we announced a similar investment in Cruise, an all-electric autonomous vehicle company. Through these commitments, we’re learning how these technologies can get customers the items they need.

Conducting drone deliveries at scale is within reach. DroneUp’s expertise, combined with our retail footprint and proven history of logistics innovation, puts us right where we want to be for that day. Because when it comes to the future of drone delivery, we know the sky’s the limit.”

SAVE THE DATES!

PLMA’s Roundtable CONFERENCE

• Online •

23-24 February 2022

The Power of Sustainability Driving a sustainable private label business is a challenge for retailers and manufacturers. It touches every aspect of companies' operations. From sourcing, product composition and transport, to processing, packaging, waste management and store and warehouse design.

What are the drivers and barriers of making sustainable choices? What is the role of the consumer? How can companies turn the cost of change into future success?

PLMA's Online Roundtable Conference gives insight and provokes discussion about these important issues. Don't miss it, save the dates!

For more information: Email: conferences@plma.nl Telephone: +31 20 575 3032 www.plmainternational.com Presented by the Private Label Manufacturers Association International Council

Pour Another Cup for Your Health

Consumers are more aware than ever of the benefits of coffee.

Delivering the right private label portfolio gives you the opportunity to build brand loyalty with your customers. Trust Massimo Zanetti Beverage with the industry insights and product offering to keep your shelf-health strong.

Coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet.

– University of Scranton study

Coffee improves brain function, lifts memory, mood and vigilance, provides energy, improves reaction time, and improves general cognitive functioning.

– American Society for Nutrition

Drinking four or more cups of coffee a day helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

– American Chemical Society

People who drink coffee are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.

– Science Daily

People who drink at least one cup of coffee per day are less likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver.

– Duke University study

A healthy diet includes three to five cups of coffee a day.

– Dietary Guidelines of America

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MARCA TECHNICAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

N O TA B L E

The Growing Case for Transparency in Consumer Labeling Price, taste, and convenience were once the sole drivers of the food market.

Now, consumers are demanding full disclosure. Growing demand for transparency has spurred mandates (FSMA, NFBDS) and voluntary industry standards (GFSI, Organic, and nonGMO) to provide greater visibility into the supply chain and demonstrate the impacts of food on health and sustainability.

The pandemic accelerated these trends, with consumers seeking healthier foods.

As a result, there is increased demand for plant-based foods and products certified organic, verified by the nonGMO Project, and more. Innovative companies up and down the supply chain have realized that failure to adapt to these demands for transparency and healthier, higher-quality food will almost certainly see their bottom line suffer.

Brands providing greater transparency from farm to fork gain consumer trust and a true competitive advantage, driving higher sales and market share.

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This increased consumer and regulatory demand for transparency in labeling has led to more companies carrying USDA Organic and NonGMO Project seals than ever before.

In addition, many companies choose to use both seals as they are widely recognized and complementary.

Recent data from SPINS shows SKUs with multiple seals easily outpaced conventional market sales.

Vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based products have driven the next significant growth trend, with percentage sales growth surpassing Organic and NonGMO. Vegan, vegetarian, and plantbased claims also align well with the Non-GMO Project and Organic for any products marketed as healthy: • V EG grew 11.4% in 2019 (Good Food Institute) • VEG grew 27% in 2020

N O TA B L E

However, as companies pursue more label certifications and verifications to communicate more clearly with their consumers, they face greater challenges with their time and effort.

While several certifiers may offer a number of these certifications, many do not provide their customers tools and systems to make the process of managing supply chain data and certification requirements easy. As a result, working with these companies – or even worse, multiple companies – leads to lots of pain points: • Multiple points of contact • Multiple inspectors • Numerous systems to log into • Duplicative processes and paperwork As a result, a leading company like Foodchain ID employs technological solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness for managing label claims (i.e., Non-GMO Project, Organic, Vegan), making it easy to get transparency into your supply chain.

They then provide expert support to help you face the challenges of understanding and complying with standards and critically assess your products, ingredients, and facilities.

• C ertification Status: Tracks progress as you move through the certification/verification • D ocument Management: Key documents stored for re-use & management over time

These technologies have tremendous potential within the food industry, allowing for decentralization and transparency throughout the supply chain.

For example, FoodChain ID’s SupplyTrak allows customers to gather and manage supply chain data quickly, then seamlessly get an expert assessment of products, ingredients, and facilities for a large number of programs. These include Non-GMO Project Verification, USDA Organic certification, NBFDS compliance, and more in a single platform. This allows for:

As brand owners expand their use of label certifications and verifications to provide transparency to customers, the demand for contract manufacturers to own the relationships – and processes – will increase as well. Hence, streamlining certification systems will save time, money, and pain – it’s an economic imperative.

• S upply Chain Data Management: Easily gather supply chain information and quickly apply it across programs

www.globalretailmag.com

23

N O TA B L E

Frostkrone: Successful Trade Fair Performance at Anuga@home The Frostkrone Food Group presented itself at the digital platform Anuga@ home in October and showcased its newest finger food and snack products. The spotlight was on the Ready-to-eat range, the new snack assortment for the chilled food sector. The Beetroot Tots in this series convinced the expert jury to such an extent that they were chosen as one of the TOP 10 innovations at this year’s Anuga. Once again, the Frostkrone Food Group was able to claim one of the most prestigious awards of the internationally highly regarded trade fair after 2019.

Visitors had the opportunity of getting in touch with the Frostkrone Food Group team at their digital trade fair stand and receiving extra information and indeed tailor-made advice and support every day during the fair. Digital information on the product innovations was also at one’s fingertips at any time. Besides text and image material, videos were also available. These can now be viewed on YouTube. A detailed presentation of the Ready-to-eat range with extensive first-hand information on development, production and the appropriate target group approach, including consumption occasions, can be seen at: frostkrone youtube channel.

Ready-to-eat Crunchy Homies

Alongside the Ready-to-eat range, the Frostkrone Food Group also unveiled the new varieties of its “Crunchy Homies” brand, including “Crunchy Brie Triangles”, “Emmental Sticks”: and “ Crunchy Tomato and Mozzarella Balls ”. Thanks to new technology and the special crispy coating, all products come out of the oven super crispy.

Pizza Pockets

The Pizza Pockets have also had an addition to their range and are now to be found in further varieties, such as “Chicken Red Thai”, “Feta Tomato Basil” and “Salami Jalapeno”. The mouth-watering Pizza Pockets, which are also on sale at the Signal Iduna Park during BVB home games, are not only available for preparation in the microwave, but also as a version for the oven or convection oven.

The new Ready-to-eat range is the practical, ready-to-eat snack variety from the chilled cabinets. Featuring a wide and tasty range of different variants, from vegan and vegetarian to products with chicken meat and various falafel options, it offers consumers plenty of exciting choices and diversity. Each individual coating, created out of delicious spices, seeds and grains, is amazing. Thanks to the special manufacturing process, the products can be eaten immediately without having to be heated up beforehand. www.readytoeat-snacks.de Although they can be enjoyed either hot or cold, heating in the oven is also possible. They are also provided frozen for the food service.

Frostkrone Food Group

The Frostkrone Food Group stands out in sharp relief because of its incredibly wide variety of finger food and snacks.

The Group markets its products in the food retail trade and also in the food service industry. The many-faceted range of products is available worldwide in a great deal of countries including those in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portu¬gal, Great Britain, Switzerland, in the eastern European countries, Asia and in the USA.

www.frostkrone-foodgroup.com 24

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POTATOES

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N O TA B L E

Circular Economy Principles Are Fully Applicable To The Tissue Sector Lucart, a major European manufacturer of thin MG paper for flexible packaging, is a key player in the consumer goods and Away From Home market as a producer and transformer of tissue and airlaid paper.

Their attention to people, sustainable processes and approach to innovation mean that they offer cutting-edge products that meet market challenges and perfectly match the requirements of their customers.

Fiberpack® is their flagship project in this field: it combines advanced technology and environmentally friendly processes, demonstrating that circular economy principles are fully applicable to the tissue sector.

They created this project starting from the idea of using all the elements of beverage cartons according to circular economy principles. The production process relies on an innovative technology that separates the cellulose fibers found in beverage cartons from polyethylene and aluminum by physicalmechanical action. With this technology they don’t use any substances that may be harmful to people or the environment. They produce tissue products with the fibers obtained through this process. They recover the aluminum and polyethylene and convert them into a homogeneous material called Al.Pe.®, which other industries use to produce a variety of items.

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The tons of Fiberpack® paper Lucart has produced from 2013 to 2019 have contributed to the recovery of more than 5.4 billion of beverage cartons, saving more than 2.3 million of trees, and preventing more than 141,000 t of CO2e from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Lucart’s continuous R&D work give rise to many projects aiming to improve and innovate and has led to the development of new packaging solutions, such as the first one entirely made with recycled paper but developed in such a way that the final product fully retains the suite of mechanical and physical characteristics matching the requirements of the packaging sector, no compromises on quality have been made along the way.

Thanks to technological innovations, Lucart recovers waste paper and gives it a new life, integrating into the circular economy. The packaging, as well as being recycled, is also fully biodegradable and compostable, the inks used are biodegradable too.

Lucart is also the only brand in its target market to offer airlaid products with exceptional absorbency and strength performance. The Airlaid technology uses long, highly resistant cellulose fibers that never come into contact with water during the production process (dry paper), so that they remain super absorbent. Fibers treated with this process naturally form a ‘“dam” structure, offering outstanding results: it absorbs 50% more compared to other household paper and, thanks to its exceptional resistance, it can be reused up to 10 times, compared to 1 or 2 of competing products.

Lucart is a company made up of people who choose to use innovative and sustainable processes in development, transformation and manufacturing of paper products, collaborating responsibly for the future of our business and of the planet.

For more information: Dario.Brandi@lucartgroup.com www.lucartgroup.com

For the planet’s needs.

N O TA B L E

LA DORIA S.p.A. At Marca Bologna 2022 La Doria, established in 1954, is an Italian leading corporation in the canned food sector and particularly in the production of tomato-based products, pasta sauces, canned vegetables, fruit juices and beverages.

Today the company is the leading European producer of canned vegetables and tomato-based products (peeled and chopped tomatoes) in the retail segment, the first producer of pasta sauces under private labels and one of the main Italian producers of fruit juices and beverages.

A LEADING POSITION ABROAD The company can also boast leading positions on some demanding foreign markets such as the UK, Australia and Japan. It ranks first on the English market of tomato-based products and baked beans under private labels. La Doria is a major supplier for mass market retailers both in Italy and abroad, and is specialized in the private labels sector, or the supermarket’s brands.

TO LEARN MORE: LA DORIA S.p.A. Via Nazionale, 320 - 84012 Angri (SA) – Campania - Italy +39.081.5166111 www.gruppoladoria.it

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Visit at MARCA 2022 Bologna - 19th/20th January Hall 26 Stand B52-C53

N O TA B L E

To make it easier

The V-Label Brand:

for consumers purchasing the products, the V-Label

The Ally of Private Labels!

Dozens of distribution chains and hundreds of private label product manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere have already chosen the V-Label brand to identify products suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The V-Label brand’s unique characteristics make it the perfect ally and partner for private label products, retailers and large-scale distributors.

First of all, the V-Label brand is registered in over 70 countries around the world and is distributed worldwide, allowing international distributors and producers to use a single, distinct vegetarian and vegan label independent of where their products are manufactured or distributed.

Despite its widespread use, the V-Label brand continues to maintain the same criteria and testing methods for product designation, and the uniform nature of this process allows for it to be implemented throughout the world without any variation.

The V-Label brand guidelines were established by major European Vegetarian and Vegan Associations in order to provide assurance and guarantee safety for customers and consumers. Checks are performed with the utmost care to ensure quality and compliance with the standards of the V-Label brand, which is synonymous with reliability and safety for the end customer.

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brand comes in three different categories: vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan.

For this reason, self-declarations are not accepted: individual ingredients and manufacturing procedures are inspected in order to be able to stand behind the vegetarian or vegan designation appearing on the labels of the products bearing the brand.

And, while the inspections are indeed strict in order to ensure compliance with quality standards, our product assistance is tailored to the customer.

We know how complex distribution can be and thus our goal is to provide the utmost flexibility to better assist manufacturers and distributors, starting from being on the ground locally to break down language barriers and issues arising from working across different time zones.

We always have expert personnel capable of handling all the technical aspects of product verification and facilitating the necessary procedures.

To make it easier for consumers purchasing the products, the V-Label brand comes in three different categories: vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan. This allows distributors and manufacturers to use the same brand to promote different qualities of the products being offered to the public.

What began back in the 1970s as an institutional symbol of the Italian

Vegetarian Association has grown to become the most recognized vegetarian and vegan symbol in the world: the history of the brand is itself an assurance of excellence in the vegetarian and vegan industry.

Finding a sure way to showcase products and be selected by consumers is a must nowadays. What really makes the difference is what feature is chosen to promote: quality, sensitivity towards sustainability issues, safety, and transparency are among the most important.

That’s why today we are the first choice of thousands of customers: this is what the V-Label conveys every day.

www.vlabel.org segreteria@vlabel.it

N O TA B L E

Organic Spreads, Made In Italy With Love Deanocciola is the brand of Deangelis srl, a family-owned manufacturer located in the Tuscia area of Viterbo (North of Rome), where the De Angelis family has been growing hazelnuts and producing organic spreads for more than 60 years.

In the Nineties, the Family created a product line specifically for people with lactose and gluten intolerance and diabetics. The innovative choice was strategic and Deanocciola became a reference point for the Organic Vegan market over the years.

Today, Deanocciola is a leading Italian manufacturer of Organic Spreads, offering: • H igh quality Hazelnut and Chocolate Spreads with and without Milk • Pure Nut Butters • Pure Oil Seed Butters • Innovative & Healthy recipes Their production plant meets the highest food-safety standards, and their factory is certified: ORGANIC - BRC – IFS – FDA – KOSHER – FAIRTRADE – UTZ and also 100% gluten-free. The various organic spreads are manufactured on the latest-state-of-the-art productions lines, one for each product “family” and completely separated in order to avoid any cross-contamination.

The organic spreads boast claims such as Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Protein. Moreover, the technology consists in manufacturing the spreads at low temperatures and in small batches, so the products are as fresh as possible.

Deangelis welcomes new product development and offers reliability, experience, creativity and flexibility for the creation of organic nut and chocolate spreads for retailers and their store brand production.

Deanocciola specializes in the development of organic spreads for all exigencies, and this year launched: • Vegan Sugar Free Spreads • Protein Spreads To learn more visit: www.deanocciola.com

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ORGANIC SPREADS MADE IN ITALY WITH LOVE

NUTS • PEANUTS • OIL SEEDS DEANGELIS SRL | Loc. La Valle snc 01035 - Gallese (VT) - Italy info@deanocciola.com - www.deanocciola.com

N O TA B L E

Happy Mama – Jams & Compotes Made in Italy Happy Mama is a young and dynamic Italian company that produces natural preserves, jams, compotes, pickles and condiments. They combine the original recipes of the Italian tradition with modern taste, through a special combination of fruits, vegetables and spices.

Giorgia Rinaldi is the owner and the creator of the Happy Mama Collection.

She uses the recipes from her mother and grandmother and combines them with a modern view of taste. Happy Mama utilizes only local natural & organic fruits and vegetables without any artificial flavors, pectin, additives or preservatives, to guarantee the very best quality for the consumers.

Happy Mama preserves and compotes are suitable for any kind of cheese, meat, fish, or for breakfast, cakes, snacks, finger food, dessert and ice creams.

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Happy Mama is specialized in the private label packaging; thanks to the graphic department developed in house that offer a wide range of different sizes, labels, graphics, design.

The main market is in Italy (with more then 3,000 customers as Eataly, Conad, Eismann, Sigma supermarkets, or fine food store as Tamburini in Bologna or Peck in Milan) with a 40% of increase each year. In 2019 Happy Mama entered the international market with great results in France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, USA, and Emirates.

For more information: Export@happymama.it www.happymama.it portable +393661638086

N O TA B L E

Nuova Terra: A New Brand Identity for an Innovative Range The Carapelli and Barbagli families continue to invest in Nuova Terra, a historic brand and one of the most important players in the soup, cereals, legumes and seeds sector.

“For the first time in the fruit and vegetable sector, we are talking about gourmet and ready-made and quick-cooking products: the new 14 soups are prepared and cooked in 15 minutes. “ Thanks to a cutting-edge R&D department and the support of professionals and experts in the marketing and nutrition sector, the Le Bontà company has relaunched the Nuova Terra brand with a completely renewed assortment consisting of 3 new lines:

“I want to feel good”

designed for those who want to follow a varied and balanced diet without giving up the taste and pleasure of good food,

“I want to rediscover”

created for those who love the taste of traditions and the genuine flavors of the past and

“I want gourmet”

dedicated to those who enjoy food as a sensory adventure and loves refined cuisine and experimentation.

No longer just combinations of ingredients but dishes balanced in flavor, appearance and aroma studied by nutritionists and food technologists.

The innovation of Nuova Terra is evident by the restyling of the packaging: a new contemporary and distinctive graphic image capable of telling the different stories of the brand. They provide strength to the new logo that is both modern and traditional and strongly linked to the earth and its elements. This speaks to the evolution of the brand towards ever increasing solutions that fit the needs of today’s consumer. Nuova Terra is close to the consumer but also to the planet and to the theme of sustainability: the new packaging is 100% eco-sustainable with a totally recyclable paper wrapping.

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For more information: www.nuovaterra.net

FULL STEAM AHEAD! We’re moving full steam ahead in the United States’ Farm-to-Fork Capital! This summer the tomatoes turned red, family farmers were busy harvesting their crop, and our cannery worked around the clock to produce quality canned tomato products for enjoyment all year long!

What does it take to produce the tastiest, most nutritious canned tomatoes? A lot of care, hard work, and dedication is first and foremost. However, the below three topics are KEY when moving full steam ahead to can the PERFECT tomato!

Farm to Fork

Location is Key

A Better Tomorrow

California’s Mediterranean climate of cool nights and warm days combined with rich, nutrient dense soil are the ideal conditions for growing world class canning tomatoes.

Over 95% of growers are within a 17-mile radius of our tomato cannery.

This proximity allows us to pack perfectly red, vine-ripened tomatoes in just 5 hours or less for optimal flavor and nutrient content.

Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. From our steam peeling process, to reducing water usage, and utilizing rail networks to reach our customers, to name just a few.

REQUEST STEAM PEELED TOMATOES FOR YOUR STORE BRAND SCAN ME

N O TA B L E

Paramount Roasters, Pleasing Pleasing Coffee Lovers Since 1935 Paramount Roasters is an employee-owned company based in Lansing, MI in their 85th year of business. Founded in 1935, Paramount has a rich heritage of meticulously roasting coffee, exceptional customer service and technical expertise.

Paramount holds a SQF Food Safety Code for Manufacturing certification and is additionally certified in the following programs: USDA Organic, Fair Trade USA, Kosher, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, and Swiss Water Process.

Paramount services all facets of the coffee industry from retail, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, office coffee distributors, and beyond. With capabilities in premium bagged coffee and single serve coffee kcupsParamount Roasters can help to grow your private brand coffee program in this competitive retail market.

Please reach out to Kara Miencier or Lindsay Penberthy for more information.

The Paramount team looks forward to the opportunity to work with you!

To learn more: www.paramountcoffee.com

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THE MOST IMPORTANT BEAUTY TRADE SHOW IN THE WORLD, DEDICATED TO ALL SECTORS OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY COSMOPROF.COM BOLOGNA, ITALY FAIR DISTRICT 10 – 13 MARCH 2022

11 – 14 MARCH 2022

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Milan, Italy P +39 02 796 420 F +39 02 795 036 info@cosmoprof.it

COMPANY OF

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

A NEW WORLD FOR BEAUTY BOLOGNA, HONG KONG, LAS VEGAS, MUMBAI, BANGKOK

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

N O TA B L E

Europe’s Largest Private Label Producer of Rice, Corn, Multi-Grain and Vegatable Cakes

SanoRice is an innovative, reliable and 100% private label manufacturer of cakes & snacks based on a popping process. Market leadership is maintained by offering the largest product range and achieving economies of scale while adhering to the highest international food quality and safety standards.

SanoRice is the largest private label producer of rice, corn and multi-grain and vegetable cakes in Europe, and they aim to be the market leader of cake producers in the world. SanoRice counts actually with 3 factories: SanoRice Netherlands (Veenendaal), SanoRice Belgium (Zottegem) and SanoRice Italia (Borgo Vercelli). In 2022 they expect another factory, SanoRice Poland (Nowa Sol) to be operational.

With more than 25 years of experience, they export to more than 100 business partners around the world in more than

40 countries. Their main markets are Germany, UK, France, Italy, Scandinavia and the Benelux. But from Europe to the Middle East, New Zealand or the USA, their products can be found all over the world.

They work directly with retailers, A-brands and distributors and count among their customers the top 3 retailers in various European countries and the top 10 global A-brands.

Partnership is key to build up mutually beneficial relationships. This can be achieved through combined R&D efforts as well as co-investments.

Their rice, corn and multigrain and vegetable cakes are made from authentic and pure ingredients.

SanoRice has more than 450 recipes available in plain, coated or flavored cakes and a special range dedicated to baby food. Their cakes are suitable for all ages and any moment of the day:

sweet, savory, big, small, round, square, as a healthy snack or as part of a balanced breakfast… and always with a crunchy bite.

SanoRice has a dedicated team of Product Developers for all factories.

Their strength is working together with customers to build their brand.

SanoRice has the highest standards for food safety and hygiene. Some of their claims are organic, gluten free, Fair Trade, UTZ certified, kosher or halal.

As an innovative and future-oriented company they feel the need to contribute to a better world by making high-quality products. In line with their sustainability policy their supply chain is: sustainable for people, sustainable for the environment and sustainable for local economies.

For more information privatelabel@sanorice.com www.sanorice.com

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YOUR PRIVATE LABEL SUPPLIER

SanoRice – Your taste, our nature SanoRice is the largest private label producer of cakes and snacks made of rice, corn, legumes (lentil, chickpea etc.) and other grains (spelt, quinoa, amaranth etc.). We have more than 25 years of experience with customers all around the world.

Innovation is an essential part of our strategy. We already have more than 450 recipes available in plain, coated or flavored cakes.

We also have a special range dedicated to baby food.

For more information, visit our website or contact us: privatelabel@sanorice.com

www.sanorice.com NON GMO – Gluten free – Organic – Conventional – High protein – Kosher – Halal – Sugar free

N O TA B L E

Eurofrigo Prepared For Increasing Supply Chain Complexity Logistics service provider Eurofrigo launched the company’s new corporate identity earlier in November. The unveiling took place at the newly built coldstore on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, which Eurofrigo will start using at the end of 2021. “Brexit, the corona pandemic and recent international political developments are having a huge impact on the supply chain,” said managing director Jeroen Tempels during the launch. “The complexity has increased and we show that we embrace the possibilities.”

Eurofrigo is a leading temperaturecontrolled logistics company with a global network, and is part of Nichirei Cooperation, a major player in logistics worldwide. The company has been represented in the port of Rotterdam for decades and established its first inspection point (border inspection post) in 1993, which has been expanded since then. Eurofrigo has employees of several generations, some of whom have been working for almost 50 years. The company has built up a lot of experience in import, export and – in collaboration with the NVWA (Dutch Food Authority) – processing health certificates. In addition to offices in Rotterdam, Eurofrigo also has locations in the south of the Netherlands, including in Venlo and Roermond.

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Prepared For The Future According to Tempels, “Our new corporate identity marks a time in which we cherish the history of Eurofrigo, but at the same time look ahead at how we can use the company’s vast experience in response to the increased dynamics in the supply chain. An example: in the preparation for Brexit, a Eurofrigo team was involved in knowledge sessions in collaboration with the NVWA and customs. What is special is that enormous knowledge and experience was involved from both the government and the business community, and the will to jointly find solutions for Brexit. It shows the possibilities of the knowledge and experience within Eurofrigo and the will to work together with other partners towards solutions. Our role has become much broader. We have become both a supply chain partner and a knowledge partner with regards to the development of innovative solutions for the supply chain.”

Flexibility The new location where the corporate identity was presented underlines the ambitions with which Eurofrigo is tackling the logistical challenges of our time. The new coldstore is sustainably built (BREEAM) and equipped

with all kinds of energy-efficient solutions. Flexible temperature zones, an increased storage capacity and inspection points designed for a faster and more effective flow show that Eurofrigo focuses more specifically on today’s dynamics with the coldstore.

In addition, Eurofrigo also focuses more on full service customers by also offering Value Added Services, for example by preparing products for retail.

Cooperation NVWA One of the main advantages of the new location is the inspection point (border inspection post). Eurofrigo carries out around 30,000 inspections of veterinary and phytosanitary cargo every year and has been working closely with the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) for years.

The inspection point meets the most modern requirements, and the process is designed to guarantee a faster and more effective flow. “With the continuous demand on handling volumes, this is really an investment in the future,” says Tempels. “The volumes in food supply chains is increasing worldwide, and efficient handling is essential.”

N O TA B L E

Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence Welcomes Three New Board Members Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) has elected three new members to its board of directors.

At the group’s annual meeting on November 4, Sheila Dy Juanco, Albertson’s; Lisa Eatherton, John B. Sanfilippo & Son; and Phyllis Johnson, Catalina (top to bottom) were elected to serve a three-year term starting January 1, 2022.

“WISE is thrilled to officially welcome these three amazing women to our board of directors,” quotes Jen Linke, WISE Chair. “Phyllis and Lisa are familiar with our board having been volunteers and integral contributors to the first year of our WISE Junior Board. Sheila’s extensive experience in R&D compliance is going to bring a different, and most welcome, lens to our organization. We look forward to having them directly involved in shaping our vision moving forward.”

These newly elected board members have strong industry experience. Sheila Dy Juanco is the Vice President of Technical Services for Albertson’s. She has more than 20 years of experience in R&D compliance spanning a number industries. In addition to the WISE board, Sheila also devotes time to a MBA Leadership mentorship for budding women in business and is active with the Asian Network ARG across Albertsons Companies. Lisa Eatherton is a Sr. Business Manager for John B. Sanfilippo & Son and has held several positions in sales and marketing for the company. Lisa has volunteered on the WISE Professional Development

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Committee since 2019, and most recently, became a member of the first WISE Junior Board in 2021.

Phyllis Johnson is Sr. Director Own Brands at Catalina. She brings 25 years of Own Brand experience to the Board, and was recently just given the Store Brand 2021 Game Changers Award by StoreBrands magazine.

In her “free time”, Phyllis supports various nonprofit organizations by volunteering her time to teach and mentor young and upcoming business professionals.

The three new members are replacing spots vacated by Nancy Cota, Albertson’s; Laura Fezouti, C.H. Guenther & Son; and Susan Hunsacker, Advantage/Daymon.

“The women leaving our board at the end of the year have contributed so much to our organization,” notes Linke. “Each has left a lasting mark on WISE and is an important reason why we have grown. Nancy, Laura and Susan, thank you so much for being a part of our WISE family.”

WISE is a non-profit professional development organization, founded by women, to champion the power of diversity and inclusion which drives profitable growth within the store brands industry. WISE cultivates diverse collaboration through its programs and provides leadership to empower the industry's continued success.

For more information on WISE and its programs, visit www.wisediversity.org

VISIT US IN BOOTH #200

At Seneca, we're still doing things the way we always have - the right way.

Think globally, grow locally.

99%

of our produce is grown by AMERICAN FARMERS

Please visit www.SenecaFoods.com to learn more about our company, people and products.

N O TA B L E

Designing A Flexible Connected Packaging Solution To Change Consumer Behavior And Reduce Waste SGK, Vrijdag Premium Printing, Generous Minds, Neurensics, Kurz, Merck, Havel and Kiwa have joined forces under the name ‘Packadore Collective’ to design and implement both desirable and sustainable packaging solutions.

Their DeXel innovation is a flexible connected packaging solution to change consumer behavior and reduce waste.

The climate crisis remains one of the most critical challenges facing humanity and food waste is a significant contributor.

Wasted food contributes a whopping 8-10% of total manmade greenhouse gas emissions and approximately onethird of food produced around the world is wasted each year.

We all have a responsibility to play our part in addressing these issues in any way we can.

A high proportion of wood waste comes from our homes and in particular from products required to be refrigerated once opened. ‘Best before’ dates and ‘use by’ dates have very little meaning once a product has been opened and of course we rarely need to use all of the product in one go.

Reaching for the jar of mayonnaise or bottle of ketchup at the back of the fridge, cautiously checking the dates and opening the lid to see if new life has begun growing inside — forced to run the gauntlet between wasting food or giving ourselves an upset stomach, we’ve all been there.

‘DeXel’ conceptual design innovation uses connected technology to transform existing jars and bottles into intelligent packaging. The food saving timer device magnetically attaches to the lids of the packaging, using motion sense technology and an LED light system to help consumers reduce their food waste.

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Prior to opening the jar or bottle, the user scans the QR code on pack with their smartphone, enters the color of the device and the date into the app. The DeXel timer device is then ‘connected’ and can track and advise on the extended use of the product. For example, if the cross is fully lit up in green, the product is safe to use. If the cross shows only one green bar then the product needs to be consumed that day. A red LED indicates that the product is no longer safe to use and needs to be disposed of.

The DeXel app is sponsored by partnership brands who can engage with consumers by providing tips for food preservation in aid of reducing food waste. Data shared by consumers and stored by DeXel can then be used to provide unique consumer insights on the use of their brands.

This innovative concept design seeks to challenge consumer behaviors by empowering users to make more informed choices about the food they waste, to take control of and limit their negative contributions to our current climate crisis.

About Packadore Collective: Packadore Collective work collaboratively to design and implement both desirable and sustainable packaging solutions to help brands create real impact, now and for the future.

They are the innovators in temptainability.

For more information: www.packadore.com

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N O TA B L E

Juan De Paoli to Lead Retail Brands at Kroger A story first reported by RBI (Retail Brands Institute) revealed that, “As of this month, Juan De Paoli is the VP of Our Brands at the nation’s largest traditional grocer Kroger.

De paoli takes the helm of Retail Brands at the grocer after his departure from Ahold Delhaize USA a little more than a year ago.

De Paoli became the SVP of private brands for Retail Business Services the shared services division of Ahold

Delhaize after the merger of the two retailers in 2016. Prior to the merger De Paoli held the role of senior vice president of brand management and own brands at Ahold USA He most recently served as VP of center store program management for Topco Associates. Prior to Topco, he spent 12 years in positions of increasing responsibility for H.EB. beginning as brand development manager and ending as director III,

Foxtrot & The Violet Hour: Exclusive Bourbon Another story first reported by RBI features one of our favorite products – Bourbon. According to their sources, “Foxtrot, a modern evolution of the classic corner store, grows its Retail Brand range with the introduction of this special edition Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Together with the expertise of The Violet Hour cocktail lounge, they selected 10 barrels to fashion their own, unique blend. To help tell the story of this collaborative effort, Foxtrot hired Art Director Jim Kennelly to execute the packaging design. The aim of the packaging is to tell multiple stories focusing on the Chicago-based collaboration, the unique sourcing effort, and the quality of the bourbon. The finished result is an editorial-style design solution that

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puts typography at the forefront and pushes the consumer to understand the product more deeply.

Heavily influenced by a vintage newspaper aesthetic, the private brand design pulls in quirky illustrations containing sketch artist-style characters bellied up at a bar. The idea is to position the collaboration between Foxtrot and The Violet Hour as a friendly meeting of the minds, and an almost spontaneous alliance that resulted in a brilliant product launch.

own brand, branding, product development, packaging, and consumer research. De Paoli has also held positions at Consul-Med/Healthcare Consultants, Oscar Mayer, and Procter & Gamble Latin America.”

With nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states under two dozen banners and annual sales of more than $132.5 billion, Kroger today ranks as one of the world’s largest retailers.

COVER STORY

STRONG STRONG GROWTH GROWTH IN FROZEN IN FROZEN FOOD AISLE FOOD AISLE

by Elena Sullivan

Convience and Innovation are Major Factors The Global Frozen Food market continues to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While people are slowly resuming typical routines, there remains a level of cautiousness and people are still spending more time at home. These trends have contributed to an increase of sales in the Frozen Food market.

According to a recent report by Allied Market Research, titled, “Frozen Food Market

by Product Type and User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020–2027,” the global frozen food market is projected to reach $404.8 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2020 to 2027. Driving this growth is not only pandemic shopping behaviors but changing preferences of shoppers who are looking for convenience, as well as an improved view of frozen food.

The American Frozen Food Institute’s (AFFI) 2021 "Power of Frozen" report notes that frozen food sales are still up from last year. Data shows that over the last 52 weeks ending in May 2021, frozen food sales were up 9.2% compared to the same period a year ago.

Furthermore, during this same time period, frozen foods were still 22.6% above their 2019 pre-pandemic baseline. Frozen ready meals and seafood showed the highest grossing sales, with 6.7% and 13.8% dollar gains, respectively, over the previous year.

Even as consumers have had more time at home, preparing several meals daily can become tedious and time-consuming. Frozen foods help to resolve this issue, providing tasty, nutritious meals, ready in only a few minutes. Frozen foods also have a longer shelf life, which, during recent lockdowns, enabled shoppers to stock up on products and resulted in fewer trips to the market. Aside from pandemic purchasing behaviors, contributing to the increase in sales is the idea that in recent years, consumers have changed their perspective about the quality of frozen foods. Once viewed as bland, color-less foods with less nutrition than their fresh counterparts, frozen foods now are considered equal in taste and nutrition to fresh foods. This is in part due to consumers gaining knowledge of the process of freezing food, improvement in freezing methods, introduction of new, on-trend items and retailers overhauling their packaging to advertise the positive attributes of their products.

Trends within the Frozen Food market tend to be similar to fresh food. Consumers continue to look for products that are healthier, all natural, organic, free from added preservatives, and specialty such as vegan, gluten or dairy free. Additionally, as many consumers were in their homes longer than usual in the past year, snacking increased and shoppers continue to be drawn to items in snack sized portions. A desire to support local businesses and community, also spurred interest in items that are made with locally sourced ingredients.

Retailers across Europe and the US have taken note of Frozen Food’s increase in sales and are updating and expanding their private label offerings to cater to consumer trends. Retail powerhouses such as Aldi and Edeka in Germany; Tesco and Sainsbury’s in the UK; Carrefour and Casino in France; Conad and Coop in Italy; and H-E-B and Kroger in the US, all offer on-trend store brand Frozen Food items.

Below is just a taste of the private label options at these retailers and supports the notion that the future is bright for frozen food, especially private labels.

www.globalretailmag.com

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COVER STORY

GERMANY Edeka

The Edeka Group, with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, is the largest German supermarket corporation, holding 20.3% of the market share. Founded in 1898, the group currently consists of several cooperatives of independent supermarkets ranging from small markets to hypermarkets. According to reports, during the past year, the group’s sales rose by 9.5% to 61 billion euros. Under the name Edeka, there are approximately 3600 independent stores that showcase a strong private label program. Edeka’s private labels include Gut & Gunstig, Edeka Bio, Edeka Bio+Vegan, Edeka Selection and Edeka Wines.

Edeka is constantly innovating with its store brand portfolio. In 2020, the retailer joined the meat alternative trend and rolled out a new range of private label vegan burger patties and mince under the brand No Meat. The retailer noted that the patties are made of plant-based ingredients and imitate meat in taste, texture and flavor. The patties are available deep-frozen and fresh.

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Edeka also announced in August 2021, the rollout of a new private label brand of premium products that are marketed for festive occasions under the name 'Genussmomente'. Edeka’s goal with this new line is to provide customers with a festive experience through food. The line will showcase about 70 specialty products, which also includes frozen items such as a frozen dessert, an apple crumble ice cream which is geared towards the Christmas season.

The dessert is made with vanilla ice cream in biscuit flavour, apple fruit ice cream with a subtle note of cinnamon, delicate caramel sauce, fine biscuits and pieces of semi-candied apple.

Keeping up with innovation and trends, Edeka Bio brand enables consumers to choose from organic and natural options such as Edeka Bio Vegetable Pizza.

Consumers continue to snack and frozen food products available in snack sizes are convenient with a longer shelf life, providing shoppers with convenience and value. Edeka stocks its freezer aisles with an assortment of snack sized private label frozen foods. Options include:Gut & Gunstig chicken spring rolls, Gut & Gunstig meatballs in a caper cream sauce, and Gut & Gunstig mozzarella sticks, just to name a few.

Private label frozen fish fared well in sales over the past year, and Edeka provides shoppers with a plethora of selections including sustainable options such as Gut & Gunstig MSC Alaska breaded fillet, Gut & Gunstig MSC Redfish fillet, and Gut & Gunstig MSC Arctic prawns.

COVER STORY

Founded in 1869, Sainsbury’s is headquartered in London and is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the UK. The pandemic shopping trends have helped Sainsbury’s growth, and according to reports, in the year ending March 2021, Sainsbury’s sales grew by 7.3 % to hold 15.3% market share. With over 1400 grocery retail locations in the UK, Sainsbury’s boasts a multitude of private labels under names such as: Taste the Difference, So Organic, My Goodness, Sainsuby’s Be Good to Yourself, Deliciously Free From, Sainsbury’s Basics and bySainsbury’s.

Sainsbury’s appeals to consumers by stocking its shelves with trending items at quality prices. In the past couple of years, Sainsbury’s launched several new meat alternatives as well as redeveloped 20 meatfree options including seven new Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg! ready meals and four redeveloped Sainsbury’s’ favourites which are now vegan. Shoppers can find frozen options such as Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg! Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Lentil Burger, and Sainsbury's Love Your Veg! Indian Inspired Lentil Quarter Pounders.

For consumers sticking to healthy eating or need diet-specific foods, Sainsbury’s offers frozen items such as Sainsbury's Deliciously Free From Vanilla Iced Dessert, which is a coconut oil-based alternative to vanilla ice cream, Sainsbury’s Deliciously Free From Minced beef and tomato ragu layered between sheets of FreeFrom pasta and topped with béchamel sauce, Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself Tomato & Basil Pasta-Penne pasta with tomato and basil sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, which is low in fat and low in calories, and Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself Cottage Pie, which also is low in fat and calories.

In the past couple of years, Sainsbury’s launched several new meat alternatives as well as redeveloped 20 meat-free options

To satisfy snackers, the retailer’s options do not disappoint. Shoppers can choose from frozen snacks such as: Sainsbury's Indian Inspired Mini Selection, with 6 Vegetable samosas, 6 Onion bhajis and 6 Vegetable pakoras, and Sainsbury's Vegan Sweet Chilli Cauliflower Bites, just to name a couple.

www.globalretailmag.com

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COVER STORY

FRANCE Carrefour

Carrefour SA, with headquarters in Paris, was founded over 60 years ago. Carrefour SA is one of the world’s largest retailers and operates stores under more than two dozen names. The Carrefour umbrella consists of convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets. Carrefour is one of Europe’s largest grocery chains with over 2000 supermarkets and more than 700 hypermarkets. As of April 2021, Carrefour holds about 20% of the market share. Its private label program is a driver of its sales, providing shoppers with a multitude of quality options at value prices. Its ownbrands include names such as Carrefour Market, Carrefour Bio, Carrefour Extra, Carrefour Original, Carrefour Classic.

Carrefour does not disappoint when it comes to its on-trend frozen items. In its portfolio it includes Organic options, ready meals, meat alternatives, snacks and health-focus products. Customers can find organic items such as: Carrefour Bio Frozen Atlantic salmon steaks from organic farming, Carrefour Bio pure beef ground steak which is sourced in France and is 100% organic beef, Carrefour Bio ratatouille, Carrefour Bio mini vegetable gratins, just to name a few.

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Carrefour caters to shoppers from a wide variety of countries and its frozen ready meals portray this diversity. Under the Carrefour brand, shoppers can find ready meals originating from many different cultures including: Carrefour Sensation couscous with vegetables, Carrefour moussaka, Carrefour Seared Thai with chicken and Carrefour halal Cheeseburgers.

As consumers slowly get back to going to a physical workplace, they may be looking for quick ready meals and Carrefour has them covered with its Plat Minut selections ready in only several minutes, with options such as Carrefour Plat Minut Creamed Rice and Fish, Carrefour Plat Minut Spaghetti Bolognese and Carrefour Plat Minut Tagliatelles carbonara.

Meat alternatives also grace Carrefour’s shelves with products including but not limited to: Carrefour Veggie Steak, Carrefour Veggie Lasagna Bolognese, and Carrefour Veggie Chili without meat.

As of April 2021, Carrefour holds about 20% of the market share. Its private label program is a driver of its sales

COVER STORY

Coop, headquartered in Casalecchio di Reno, a Province of Bologna, Italy, was founded in 1854. Coop is a system of Italian Consumers’ Cooperatives that operates retailers of various sizes, including Coop, a leading supermarket chain in Italy.

According to the company, Coop with 2120 locations, holds 13% of the market share with a turnover of 14.3 billion euros.

Its private label program is also strong, with 4823 SKUS, a 26.7% market share and a turnover of 2.7 billion euros. Coop’s private labels include Coop brand, Vivi Verde, fiorfiore, Solidal, Bene-Si, Origine, Crescendo, Amici Speciali, Casa, d’Osa, and io.

Coop’s products highlight the company’s values. For example, shoppers can find an assortment of private label frozen foods that are organic, locally sourced, and catering towards healthier lifestyles with meat alternative products and items that are free from harmful ingredients.

Consumers can find healthier items under its Viviverde line and Bene Si line. For example, its Viviverde line provides an assortment of organic meat alternative products including: Frozen organic vegetable lasagna, Frozen soy dumplings with organic grilled vegetables, Frozen organic soy schnitzels, Frozen organic soy stew with peas and Frozen organic soy croquettes.

Shoppers can also find a healthier frozen pizza made from Kamut Khorasan wheat flour under the Viviverde line. Choices include, Frozen organic “Margherita” Kamut® pizza and Frozen organic grilled vegetables Kamut® pizza.

Coop’s Bene Si line also offers options that also have healthy or special diet attributes such as gluten and lactose free, as well as functional foods that help consumers take care of themselves. Selections include items such as Soy ice cream made with vegetable ingredients, including 100% Italian GMO-free soy. Varieties include, Sweet milk with sour cherry swirls, Sweet milk with cocoa swirls, Cacao with Bittersweet chocolate swirls, and Chocolate and Hazelnut Ice cream, which is made with vegetable ingredients and lupine seeds, that are naturally lactose free.

Furthermore, consumers who cannot tolerate gluten can choose from Frozen Gluten Free ready meals under the Bene Si line, with varieties such as: Lasagne Bolognese with béchamel, Ricotta and spinach ravioli with tomato and basil sauce, and Tortellini with ham filling and cheese sauce. Other gluten free products include items such as: Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Fillets, Gluten Free Mozzarella-stuffed Potato Croquettes, just to name a couple.

While Coop produces organic, Fairtrade and sustainable private label products, the company is dedicated to holistic sustainable behaviors. As witness, Coop recently announced that it would be joining the EU Commission’s code of conduct responsible for the food sector, illustrating its commitment towards sustainability. Coop is the only company in the Italian largescale distribution. The responsibility of the companies involved in the code of conduct “is to strengthen the transition towards sustainable food systems, also assuming voluntary quantitative objectives for environmental and social sustainability along the entire supply chain. A further step in the EU Farm to Fork strategy adopted in May 2020.”

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COVER STORY

UNITED STATES Kroger

The Kroger Group, which operates the United States’ largest supermarket was founded in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The group includes retail formats such as hypermarkets, supermarkets, superstores, department stores, and jewelry stores.

Kroger’s supermarket format has maintained a growth in sales, During the fiscal year 2020, Kroger added $10 billion to its top line. Sales totaled $132.5 billion, rising 8.4% from $122.29 billion in 2019. This year, its shares are up about 50%. Kroger holds about 10% of the food-at-home market share.

Kroger has a strong private brand portfolio which includes over 10,000 items under the names: Private selection, Kroger Brand, Hemisfares, Heritage Farm, Simple Truth, Simple Truth Organic, Comforts just to name a few. In recent news, Kroger continues its path towards sustainability.

According to the retailer, it is “the first retailer in the world to offer a FREE and easy flexible plastic packaging recycling program for all of Our Brands.”The Kroger Co. is expanding its Simple Truth Recycling Program to include all private-label brands, including Private Selection, Kroger Brand, Comforts, Luvsome, Abound and more. The Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program encourages customers to mail in flexible plastic Our Brands packaging, including potato chip and snack bags, shredded cheese bags, frozen food bags, pouches, deli meat and cheese bags, grain and bean bags, as well as flexible plastic pet food packages. The list of eligible products can be viewed at Kroger.com. The program was developed in partnership with TerraCycle. Kroger claims that the Our Brands Recycling Program is the first program of its kind.

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Kroger continues to push innovation across its company and when it comes to product innovation and changes, Kroger indicates that it looks to which brands lead the way in sales to direct its attention. For example, in 2020, Kroger saw significant growth for its Simple Truth line which included organic and natural foods. Following this lead, the company expanded its offerings, launching 53 new items in 2020, including frozen foods.

Kroger’s private label frozen food options illustrates why its sales continue to climb.

Shoppers can enjoy a variety of meat alternative products under its Simple Truth line, including items such as: Simple Truth™ Plant Based Jackfruit Enchiladas, Simple Truth™ Plant Based Korean Style Meatless Meatballs, Simple Truth™ Tofu Pad Thai Frozen Meal, Simple Truth™ Meatless Crispy Tenders, and Simple Truth™ Meatless Breakfast Patties, just to name a few.

New to shelves are creative items such as a selection of Roman style pizzas including options: Private Selection Eggplant & Buffalo Mozzarella Rustic Pinsa Romana Frozen Pizza, Private Selection Focaccia Style Rustic Pinsa Romana Frozen Pizza, Private Selection® Goat Cheese & Crispy Bacon Rustic Pinsa Romana Pizza

Although summer is over, consumers can still indulge specialty ice creams at Kroger, including: Private Selection® Strawberry Champagne Ice Cream, which has a glittering champagne ribbon and rosé fizzing rocks swirled with pink strawberry ice cream for a truly divine indulgence, Private Selection® Cannoli Ice Cream, Private Selection Orange Blossom Olive Oil Ice Cream.

Kroger also enables consumers who want milk alternative options to enjoy frozen desserts with options under its Simple Truth line, including: Simple Truth™ Maple Pecan Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, Simple Truth™ Strawberry Graham Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, Simple Truth™ Sea Salt Caramel Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert.

H-E-B

COVER STORY

H-E-B

H-E-B Grocery Company, based in San Antonio, Texas, was founded over 100 years ago. The retailer has more than 340 stores throughout Texas and northeast Mexico and is a market leader in Texas.

According to reports from Forbes, at the end of 2019, H-E-B’s revenue was $31.2 billion dollars. Additionally, H-E-B was named Grocer of the Year in 2020 by industry publication Grocery Dive. H-E-B is committed to sustainable practices and employs various initiatives to help protect the environment, especially in Texas. The company aims to source locally and invest in its community. H-E-B’s private label portfolio exhibits this commitment and shoppers can find many items with locally sourced ingredients and have flavors that appeal to Texans. Store brands include: H‑E‑B Brand Products, H‑E‑B Select Ingredients, H‑E‑B Organics™ Products, Hill Country Fare Products, H‑E‑Buddy Products, Central Market Products, Cocinaware, and H‑E‑B Kitchen & Table.

H-E-B’s private label portfolio is expansive and diverse and caters to current trends.

Its frozen food selections showcase its reach. Fulfilling the needs of busy consumers, the retailer provides an assortment of ready meals, from hearty meals to healthier lighter options. For example, shoppers can find ready meals such as: H‑E‑B Select Ingredients Texas Ranch Style Chicken Casserole, H‑E‑B Select Ingredients Smoked Brisket Tacos, H‑E‑B Select Ingredients Vegetable Lasagna, H‑E‑B Chicken Pot Stickers, among others.

Customers wanting organic or natural frozen foods can find several varieties of frozen meats at H-E-B, including: H‑E‑B Select Ingredients Fully Cooked Original Beef Burgers, H‑E‑B Fully Cooked Natural Southern Style Breaded Chicken Nuggets, H‑E‑B Fully Cooked Natural Buffalo Style Chicken Tenders, and H‑E‑B Frozen Natural Whole Young Turkey 16‑20 lb, among others.

For those who are adverse to Gluten, H-E-B offers an alternative with its H-E-B Veggie MightyCrust Pizza, which is a thin and crispy crust made with real cauliflower, a rich and robust pizza sauce, top quality cheese and topped with peppers, onions and olives or its H-E-B Pepperoni MightyCrust Pizza, which features a thin and crispy crust made with real cauliflower, a rich and robust pizza sauce, top quality cheese and topped with uncured pepperoni. Also available are gluten free meat items such as: H‑E‑B Fully Cooked Natural Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks.

Breakfast options abound as well, making mornings more convenient. Options include, H‑E‑B Select Ingredients Flautas For Breakfast Sausage Egg & Cheese, H‑E‑B Fully Cooked Sausage Egg & Cheese Biscuits, Central Market Organics Mini Homestyle Waffles, just to name a few.

H-E-B maintains a focus on locally sourced foods and offers several frozen seafood items that are sourced from the Gulf. For example, shoppers can find items such as: H‑E‑B Raw Head, Tail and Shell‑On Texas Raised Large Shrimp, 31‑40ct /lb, H‑E‑B Raw Wild Gulf Large Shrimp, 31‑40ct /lb.

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE

While the world still grapples with the Covid 19 pandemic, shoppers' habits don’t seem to be changing. This fares well for the frozen food market and it would behoove retailers to continue innovating and expanding their private label selections. If the above snapshot is an indicator of how retailers across Europe and the US are focusing on their private label frozen food programs, we are sure to continue to be able to enjoy on-trend, convenient, quality, price conscious frozen products.

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PROFILE BY HANS KRAAK Kraak Media Productions

A Family Business Growing and Thriving Since 1828 Because, according to Matthias Bruch:

“It’s all about our customers”

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At Globus the customer is key, which is also translated into the private label products. Example is the poultry butchery for the Czech public, but also the making of own Pelmeni in Russia. Globus also provides different products for high and low incomes. The first for example can find Azerbaijani tomatoes in the grocery isles. “As my father said, the work we do, is all about the satisfaction of our customers”, states Matthias Bruch, managing director of the Globus Holding.

“The Czech Republic is a poultry country”, explaines Jochen Baab, responsible for the management of the Globus Hypermakets of the group. “Per capita Czechs consume almost 24 kilos of poultry meat per year. That’s almost ten kilos more than in Germany.”

Reason enough for Globus to open a special poultry butchery in 2020. “We still consider the Globus butcher's shops as a growth market and see the new poultry butchery as a promise for further development.”

It seems Czechs love poultry. They know this At Globus Group. In their supermarket in Cerný Most near Prague the company opened a special butchery for poultry. It paves the way for further development in the fresh segment, not only in the Globus markets in the Czech Republic, but also in Russia and home base country Germany.

But it’s not only in the Czech Republic, in all markets where the Globus Group is present, fresh, healthy and sustainable food gets more attention from their customers. According to the latest annual sales report over the period July 1th 2020 to June 30th 2021, presented in October by the Globus board, corona worked as a catalyst for this trend.

GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / JANUARY 2022

JOCHEN BAAB

“We record strong growth in the areas of organic and special nutrition, in regional products and in fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables”, confirms Baab. “We have fresh in-house production on our sites where we work with a large number of local suppliers.”

To emphasize the importance of innovative and sustainable products in 2020 Globus also introduced the new private label ‘Einfach Wertvoll’ or ‘Simply valuable’. It was immediately popular with their customers. The range of the Einfach Wertvoll department goes from organic, gluten, lactose and fructose free to vegetarian and vegan foods. The new product line already contributes to the company’s growth. The current assortment of Globus supermarkets contains around 4.200 vegan foods, 4.500 certified organic products of which 450 are Demeter certified which is a standard for bio dynamic foods.

Russia, digital innovation driver Despite the corona pandemic, Globus’s sales for the 2020/2021 financial year rose slightly by 2.4 percent to 7.76 billion euros and recorded a stable increase in operating profit of 6.1 percent (EBIT 301.3 million euros) compared to the previous year. One of the drivers of this growth was the rapid expansion of the online business and significant investments into digital transformation. “Especially in Russia, where the pandemic had a deep impact on purchasing power and buying behavior, new analog and digital developments contributed to a stronger market position”, states Volker Schaar, spokesman for Globus Russia management.

they came they bought more. And they bought increasingly online. All 18 Russian locations Globus offer online services like Click & Collect. Eight supermarkets developed their own online shops. The number of orders within a year rose from an average of 26,000 to 57,000 orders per month. E-commerce sales doubled itself from 119 to 281 million rubles per month.

In the Czech Republic and in Germany, lockdowns, shop and restaurant closings affected the turnover. "The corona pandemic has not thrown us off track, but has shown that we can use the challenges that lie ahead of us to develop significantly,” says Matthias Bruch, managing director of the Globus Holding. "As a company, we are on the move with a lot of tailwind and are experiencing great development."

Globus saw a change in the Shopping habits during the pandemic: customers were coming less often to the shops, but when

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PROFILE

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

MATTHIAS BRUCH THOMAS BRUCH

Though steadily growing bigger and bigger, Globus strives to maintain its origin as a family business (see frame^). Not only with the presence of Matthias Bruch as managing director, but also by becoming one of Germany’s best rated supermarket by customers on many points. The human touch of the employees causes German customers to choose the company for many years now as the most popular hypermarket, including 2021. The rating is done by the German Customer monitor for the most popular grocer in Germany. Globus hardware stores also end up high in the consumer ranking. Customers like the specialist advice, kindness, attention and availability of the staff.

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Real Shops The growth story of Globus is set to continue. At the end of 2020, the company received approval from the competition authorities to take over 16 German Real stores. The Globus board spoke of this as the “chance of the century” in the past financial year. It means the company, including its own location developments,

will grow by more than a third in the coming years. The investments of the Globus Group in the past financial year are correspondingly high: they invested 336.6 million euros in the development of new locations such as the construction of the hypermarkets in Eschborn and Neunkirchen, the conversion of the former real locations in Braunschweig, Krefeld and Essen, and the modernization of several specialist store locations. "We are experiencing a sustained, very nice economic development, which the extended closings of our catering areas in the spring could not slow down", explains Jochen Baab.

"Proof that many developments, such as the introduction of Payback and joining the RTG (Retail Trade Group) purchasing group, which we initiated last year, are already bearing fruit."

photo credit: Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding GmbH & Co

Matthias Bruch, who took over the general management of the Globus Holding from his father Thomas in june 2020, is descendant of Franz Bruch – his greatgreat-great-grandfather - who founded the Globus as a grocery store in 1828. The main offices are now based in St. Wendel in the German Saarland. In 190 years Globus developed to the present Globus Group which unites Globus SB-Warenhaus Deutschland, Globus specialist stores (hard ware/DIY), Globus Russia and Globus Czech Republic. At present around 46,000 people work in the Globus Group, of which around 19,400 in German hypermarkets and around 9,550 in specialist stores. In Russia and Czech Republic Globus employs 17,000.

Last Year, in order to involve customers in the Globus family, the company adapted to the customer loyalty program Payback, which gives consumers the possibility to collect points (for money) they can spend at diverse shops. The Payback program comes next to the existing Mein Globus loyalty card. Both cards can be combined and give, for example, a reduction in the Globus petrol stations.

CHRISTOPHER DURHAM President

COLUMN

RETAIL BRANDS INSTITUTE

On September 22nd, we launched the Retail Brands Institute and committed to changing the private label industry.

The change begins with language.

Words are powerful; they impact how our industry is perceived and how we invest in our brands and future. It is time to change the language. The phrase private label is associated with the cheap products of the 1970s, and the term Private Brand evokes the copycat mentality of the 1990s. Today retailers own and manage Brands.

The definition of retail has dramatically evolved over the last decade from bricks and mortar stores to online, popups, mobile, and more.

We embrace a broader definition of retail that includes all those who sell regardless of category or channel.

So, we are the Retail Brands Institute.

This game-changing shift will radically transform the private label industry to become RETAIL BRANDCENTRIC & CONSUMER FOCUSED. The transformation will set up the industry for dramatic and unparalleled brand and SKU expansion as well as increase brand loyalty, basket share, and repeat purchase.

The last two years of covid and the last five years of digital change will dramatically accelerate the industry’s potential. The retailers, manufacturers, agencies, software companies, and solution partners who lean into that potential will lead the future of Retail Brands.

1. Excellence:

Although National Brand Equivalents (NBE) will always be a foundational element of Retail Brands, best-in-class retailers will choose when and where to win. They will embrace a differentiation strategy that chooses excellence and work diligently to win the hearts and minds of shoppers.

2. Transparency:

For the last 50 years, generic and then private labels have held secrets close to their vests. They guarded who manufactured products as state secrets. That day is now dead; the internet, blockchain, and smartphones have ushered in a new age of information democracy, and Retail Brands must embrace that. Our industry must leverage our manufacturers, products, and ingredients as engaging marketing stories.

3. Innovation:

5. Diversity:

The Retail Brands of tomorrow will embrace changing demographics and migration. The result will be new brands and products that recognize and embrace evolving shoppers. International flavors, fashions, and home trends will shape a new breed of Retail Brands that celebrates the uniqueness of humanity.

6. Sustainability:

Retail Brands account for between 20 and 90% of virtually every category in every channel. Their reach and depth create an unprecedented opportunity for our industry to impact sustainability. We must own sustainability, and we must engage our customers in our sustainability journey.

7. Design:

The Vertex Awards have demonstrated that Retail Brands have dramaticalThe future of Retail Brands is strong if ly improved their brand and package retailers tap into the deeper needs of cusdesign over the last eight years. Over tomers. Private Brand has the potential to the next ten years, Retail Brands degrow exponentially year over year. We must sign will take center stage as the leaddevelop products that are customer-led and er and trendsetter of design. Design focused on unmet needs. The industry must will be the key to bringing Excellence, explore and create new ways to build and Transparency, Innovation, Agility, design innovations and discover exciting Diversity, and Sustainability to life. products worldwide. The battle between procurement and partnership must give way The future is Retail Brands that to the needs of the customer. consumers know and love.

4. Agility:

The days of the behemoth slow-moving retailer or manufacturer are gone. The Retail Brands of the future will move fast, learn fast, pivot fast.

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SUSTAINABILITY AND INFLATION TOP RETAILER STORE BRAND TRENDS

Our latest review of store brand innovations and trends uncovered several themes, including inflation, plant-based foods, reusable packaging, green toothbrushes and retail collaborations.

Countering Inflation

Kroger’s private label sales achieved its best year ever in 2020, totaling $26.2 billion in sales, up 13.6% over 2019. In fact, the company says that its private label sales – which it calls Our Brands – is a business eight times larger than the sales of the largest CPG company selling in its stores. Yet, Kroger is always looking for ways to innovate and expand this pie. Kroger said it would introduce 660 new private label items in 2021.

Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen told Wall Street analysts in September that Kroger’s private label brand activity positions the company well should consumers trade over to private label because of inflationary prices from national brands. But what McMullen is especially proud of is Our Brands innovation. “The business we're gaining right now is really being created because of the innovation in our product and the quality of the product and it's really standing on its own.”

And while retailers like Kroger contemplate price freezes for their private label products as a tactic to capitalize on inflation-induced price hikes in national brands, the tactic is already in play in some countries.

Grupo Carrefour Brasil, which is Carrefour’s biggest market outside of France, announced in November that it would institute a freeze on private label prices until January 10, 2022.

The company said that in Brazil in the third quarter of 2021, the company added 660 SKUs compared to the same period last year, and sales make up about 18% of total food sales.

According to Grupo Carrefour Brasil:

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“The increased relevance of private label items demonstrates the quality of our products and their relevance in client baskets, especially in a continued inflationary and volatile environment.”

Store Brands Stay In the Loop

Addressing packaging issues continues to be a consistent priority for retailers. Tesco is no exception.

Tesco jumped into reusable packaging in September 2021 by partnering with Loop, a reusable packaging platform developed by Terracycle. The Tesco program launched with 88 products, including 35 of its own brands.

Customers in 10 Tesco stores in the east of England can buy specially marked products, use them at home, and then return the empty containers to the Loop fixture in the store, where they will receive a container deposit back. The containers will then be cleaned and redistributed for use by the manufacturers.

In France, Carrefour’s partnership with Loop dates back to 2019, when Carrefour said it would trial the system with about 200 products, including about 30 of its own private label brands. Carrefour moved to an in-store model for Loop in December 2020.

The Loop system started as a home delivery vehicle almost akin to how milk was once delivered and picked up. For retailers like Loblaw’s in Canada, the experience started solely online, with consumers ordering products participating in the Loop program, including national brands and private labels such as Loblaw’s President’s Choice brand. Consumers could then schedule a date for free pickup or return their used packaging through FedEx locations.

The online phase of the trial is winding down, however, and several retailers are instead embarking on in-store trials, including Kroger’s Fred Meyers chain, which is testing it with a six-month trial in separate Loop aisles in 25 Oregon stores. The Fred Meyers test will include about 20 products initially, including national brands and Kroger’s own brands such as Simple Truth soap. Other retailers trialing the system include AEON (Japan) and Woolworths (Australia), as well as foodservice chains such as McDonald’s (U.K.), Burger King (U.S.) and Tim Hortons (Canada).

GEORGE PURO President PURO RESEARCH

Eat Your Greens

Tesco has focused on making plantbased eating more affordable. It launched the Plant Chef brand in 2019, led by Tesco’s Director of Plant-Based Innovation Derek Sarno. Sarno had previously debuted the Wicked Kitchen plant-based brands at Tesco in the U.K. and this summer, in the U.S. In an announcement on Twitter that coincided with the United Nations Climate Change Conference, popularly known as COP26, Tesco said it was dropping prices on Plant Chef products – calling it “good for your pocket, even better for the planet.”

In September, Loblaw’s added to its range of 80 plant-based options in its PC Plant Based line up with such offerings as PC Plant Based Cultured Oat Yogurt Alternative, PC® Plant Based Brownie Baking Mix and PC Plant Based Butter Alternative – Salted.

Green Teeth

One recent innovative entry from Carrefour into sustainable products are toothbrushes with interchangeable heads. The Carrefour Soft line introduced two types – a “classic” range with medium heads and a “sensitive” range with soft heads. To further reduce the environmental impact, the line is packaged in 100% recyclable cardboard instead of blister packs often used for toothbrush packaging.

Retail Collaborations

One recent Kroger innovation is through a creative collaboration. In November 2021, Kroger announced a partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond, in which Kroger would sell Bed Bath & Beyond products – both national brands and BB&B’s own brands – in categories such as bedding, storage, baby furniture and gear. Products will be sold online only initially, but will be piloted in-store in early 2022.

Lofty Goals

Kroger also announced sustainability goals for its Our Brands portfolio, targeting 100% recyclable, compostable and reusable packaging by 2030.

Beating that, retailers such as Carrefour, Aldi and Ahold all plan to change over their private label packaging to sustainable materials by 2025.

George Puro is President of the Puro Research Group, a market intelligence firm specializing in consumer insights, competitive/ market intelligence and analysis. Puro’s services are designed to keep you abreast of the latest trends, make you look smart in presentations and help guide decision-making.

The company has provided organizations and companies, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, with aha! insights about competitors, customers and industries in a variety of topics and industries, including consumer products; retail; transportation, travel and hospitality; healthcare and health insurance; financial services and investment banking; traditional marketing, as well as digital and social media marketing.

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,

Dear Reader

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Sprouts Plant-Based Pasta Sauces & Salad Dressings Many consumers are interested in plant-based meat alternatives, but don’t want to give up their favorite types of food. Enter Sprouts plant-based pasta sauces and salad dressings, which are delicious alternatives to a traditional meat sauce and dairy-based dressings that still gives the experience of eating the real thing. With different flavor options, shoppers are still able to have a variety of tastes with their plant-based options. And the garnish on top is that these products are Vegan too so anyone can enjoy!

Maria Dubuc

Sprouts Mexican Global Cuisine Line

PetSmart Authority Everyday Health As a leader in veterinarian-recommended pet food, Authority Everyday Health products offer superior formulas that keep pets’ health top of mind.

Focusing on ingredients, this design lets each pet owner know the exact makeup of their pet’s food. With the benefits of each formulation called out with graphics that support the claim, customers can easily pick the product that best suits their furry friend.

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The Mexican Global Cuisine line is among the first fully integrated global lines for Sprouts’ retail brand. The product line spans across four categories, which include taquera and enchilada sauce, fire roasted salsa and refried beans. The design across all 17 SKUs lends themselves to the authentic Mexican ingredients each product features. Each category exhibits an authentic and vibrant design, helping them stand out on shelf and create a cohesive look for the product line, building a foundation for future global lines.

MARIA DUBUC President MARKETING BY DESIGN

Sprouts Health and Beauty Products (shampoo/conditioner, body wash, lotion, hand wash, body soap, hand sanitizer) With consumers’ increased attention to what’s put into their health and beauty products, Sprouts new line of HBA products convey an artisanal design that mirrors the simple ingredients in their products. A Kraft-inspired label nods to handmade products that were once wrapped in paper before sold at the local fam stand. Using an etching-inspired technique, each bottle has an elegant outline of a plant, flower, fruit or nut that conveys the fragrance found in each item.

PriceSmart Scent Boosters PriceSmart launched two varieties of Members Selection Scent Boosters to complement their comprehensive laundry line.

To grab members’ attention, the artwork highlights the longlasting quality of the product, noting that the scents last weeks longer than detergent alone. The contemporary, vibrant design visibly communicates the high quality of the product and that the Member’s Selection item is a smarter alternative to the national brand.

BJ’s Berkley Jensen Premium Holistic Nutrition Dog Food BJ’s Wholesale Club’s exclusive brand, Berkley Jensen, includes a wide assortment of premium dog food has been a huge hit with members and the retail industry alike. The bags feature ingredient imagery and photos of the product itself, so members know exactly what they’re feeding their beloved canine family members. Clear, prominent callouts show the benefits of the different Berkley Jensen varieties, and clear color coding across the product line make choosing the right food for your dog easier than ever. The products and design were so successful that Berkley Jensen Premium Holistic Nutrition Dog Food was the only retail brand product to receive a NielsenIQ Global Pack Design Impact Award for 2021.

PriceSmart Organic White Quinoa PriceSmart’s Member’s Selection Organic White Quinoa is part of a continually expanding product line of organic and health food options for members under the Member’s Selection brand. The packaging was designed to emphasize the wholesome taste and nutritious qualities of quinoa, an alternative to starchy grains. On shelf, the quinoa stands out in the aisle with a large product window on the bag, and a striking tray that incorporates a split image of a bowl of quinoa that is completed when the trays are palletized.

Sun Harvest Coconut Water MBD used eye-catching imagery to capture consumers’ attention and highlight the natural and refreshing ingredients while focusing on the fact that this product is an 100% natural way to hydrate and replenish nutrients. Callouts such as “All Natural”, “No Sugar Added” and “100% Pure” further substantiate the product’s appeal on shelf.

Maria Dubuc Maria possesses nearly three decades expertise in creative management developing brand strategies, managing highly complex programs and driving business growth. As Marketing

By Design, President, and Big Red Rooster, Vice President, Maria works diligently to ensure our people, projects, and processes drive clients’ successes. In the Retail Brands space she has coordinated the design and deployment of new and rebranded programs for a diverse set of retailers globally.

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COLUMN

THE CONSUMER’S PSYCHE

The Cumulative Effect of all Channels and Retailers on own Brand Perception A consumer’s psyche is a weird thing.

What seeps in through the environment, reputation and media takes a long time to reverse. People’s perceptions don’t often change in an instant (unless it is sports, where athletes can go from goat-to-hero in the span of a couple games). Nope, changing consumers’ brand perceptions takes a while, and earning credibility, building equity, establishing trust and gaining apostles takes a lot of nurturing.

With brands it is important to point out that the fall is usually quicker than the rise. Look to the Tylenol scare of 1982 or more recently, the E-Coli outbreaks at Chipotle restaurants, and you will see brands that descended sharply, with lots of perceptual damage that lingered. The fall is sudden, trust is ruptured, and it takes time and tangible changed brand behaviors to earn it all back.

The rise of a brand, from “lowly” to “revered” is not quick at all, it is much more deliberate, and for many, impossible. Hyundai was introduced from Korea to the U.S. in 1986 (the subcompact, low budget Excel model), and after deliberate product improvement, quality manufacturing investment, extended warranties and persistent marketing they have created a Korean luxury car segment where their Genesis G90 now sells for $75,000+. From sub-compact economy cars to competing with Lexus and Audi, you bet, though it took over 30 years.

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The Pathway To Trust For Private Brands Like Hyundai, it has been the rise of private brands that has been remarkable, steady and earned every step of the way. The steady growth has been marked by three eras that I describe as such: The Age Of Value, Economy and NoFrills – this was the era where quality was fragile and unpredictable, and where price was the driver in every purchase. Packaging was barely a consideration and clumsy at best.

The Age Of Emulation And Quaility By Tier – this was an era where national brand quality was imitated, down to the spec, and comparisons were made abundantly clear. Tiering was stringently executed. Packaging and branding were being realized as drivers by some.

The Age Of Innovation – the era we are currently in, a time where retailers are trying to out-do each other on signature products that are uniquely designed and don’t live on the premise of pure emulation. Branding and product development (and the teams behind these missions) are the current drivers.

The Cumulative Effect Across Channels There is a cumulative, positive effect of retailers across many channels that has changed consumers’ psyche, attitude and impression of Private Brands. Outliers like Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, HEB, and Sainsbury’s are still highly regarded and noticed for their exceptional own brands, but the “catching up” that other retailers have done, especially in alternate channels, is stunning and oddly helpful to the mission.

Best Buy & Technology Best Buy is the largest electronics retailer in the U.S. (next to Walmart) and what they are doing in appliances, tv’s and home theater, and accessories is phenomenal with their own brand, Insignia. It is not some pallid imitator, no, it is a key media-forward part of their mission and is highly credible.

PERRY SEELERT Strategic Partner and Co-founder EMERGE

Williams-Sonoma, Innovation & Language The premier cooking and culinary retailer, Williams Sonoma, has flirted with own brands over the years, but has recently taken their innovation to a new level. Throughout their cookware, bakeware, specialty foods, utensils and more there is a prominence, tech edge and credibility in their Willams Sonoma brand. In some cases like bakeware (and in advance of the holiday season) it is marketed in a dominant way, clearly explained and with innovation that is trademarked.

Williams-Sonoma Bakeware Comparison Chart

The Lessons

Recreation Equipment Incorporated (REI) & Outdoor Sports REI is one of the premier outdoor sporting retailers, and they have a special set of Editor’s Choice awards every year, where products (all brands) are rigorously tested by category. In 2021 their REI trekking poles were rated the best, and in 2020 their Kingdom 6 tent also received an Editor’s Choice award. It is an objective test, it awards many established brands overall, but when an REI brand rises to the top, it creates real believability in their portfolio.

One great retailer is not creating the perceptual improvement and rise in a consumer’s psyche anymore, neither is one stand-out product, but it is the cumulative effect of retailers across many channels that has changed the psyche. Our psyche now treats private brands as credible, often innovative and far beyond anything that strictly lived in the Age Of Value, Economy & No-Frills (even though there are products that still linger from this era).

As we said, the consumer’s psyche is a weird thing, and in the case of private brands, the rise has been remarkable.

There are a few lessons in all of this that I think we can, as an industry, take to heart. The first is that what happens across channels matters and it can ironically have a positive effect on what you are trying to accomplish.

Even though you may be in the grocery channel, what happens in Electronics, Culinary or Outdoor Sports retailing affects you. You can still be differentiated and shine in own brands versus your competitors, but how the consumer overall feels about them has a positive influence.

The second call to action is that at least once (and maybe twice) a year, you should take stock of what is happening in private brands through alternative channels. Create a one-day learning session, bring in an outside agency to conduct it for you, and brainstorm about the possibilities. There are cross-learnings from these other retailers and how they are approaching product and brand.

Finally, ensure that you are getting “credit” for the brands you market and create, whether it is literally through your retailer name (and packaging your own brands as such), or it is through the way you exclusively market them. But, to not get credit for your own brands today is a sin, and if they are hidden or are agnostic intentionally, like I see in some fashion and ecomm offerings, be careful. Private brands have seeped into the consumer’s psyche, it is not a relationship you need to hide, but rather be proud and take credit for the innovations and signatures you are creating.

Pery Seelert is a retail branding and marketing expert, with a passion for challenging conventional strategy and truths.

He is the Strategic Partner and Co-founder of Emerge, a strategic marketing consultancy dedicated to helping Retailers, Manufacturers and Services grow exponentially and differentiate with purpose. Please contact Perry at perry@emergefromthepack.com

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4 PACKAGING DESIGN STRATEGIES THAT WILL MOVE CONSUMERS TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY even many experts are not aligned Sustainable packaging options can take many different forms. From more efficient workflows and packaging reductions, to using greener materials, inks, and substrates. There are so many innovations happening for sustainable packing, it’s becoming essential for brands to closely consider all avenues.

But what about consumers? Studies have found that globally, consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging. In China, it was 8 out of 10 respondents; in Italy, South America, United Kingdom, and Germany, it averaged 70%. These results are significant and indicate that consumers are the most powerful driving force for brands to pursue more sustainable packaging.

Which means that if a brand’s packaging speaks, consumers will listen—they just need to hear the right notes. We examine four design strategies brands can implement to motivate consumers to connect with more sustainable packaging long-term.

Simplify Visual Indicators

We know brands are committed to sustainable packaging. We also know that consumers are willing to pay more. But sustainability is viewed as a huge topic, one that can be overwhelming for consumers, designers, and brands. Additionally,

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on what is sustainable and what isn’t. This creates a significant barrier for consumers to understand how to identify which packaging is more sustainable, preventing those pursuits altogether. Even 35% of US consumers say that would buy more sustainably packaged products if they were better labeled.

Brands design teams must help consumers navigate the challenges around clarity. Rather than allowing consumers to struggle for answers while browsing the shelf, brands should make sustainability solutions as clear as possible through visual cues in the form of structure, graphics, or colors. Green is the most common indicator of environmental friendliness, but brands should be open to using other visual characteristics such as package size, shape, and graphics, as well the product itself to imply sustainable packaging.

One example is the redesign for Seepje liquid laundry detergent. The brand is already known for using environmentally friendly ingredients, so their packaging needed to further reflect that position. Designers focused on circularity with a refillable bottle cap, optimized material reduction, and compostable materials. These features retained the original design features but amplified its sustainability, creating simplified visual cues for the consumer, and making their choice for sustainability easier.

Enhance Digital Communication

Studies found that if consumers had clearer labeling and communications on packaging about sustainability, they would buy green products more often.

Consumers only have a few seconds to see a package and determine if it’s sustainable, so from a design perspective, brands must evolve their packaging to clearly communicate sustainable credentials and make it easier for consumers to spot at the point of sale.

The challenge designers often have is that is so much content must be communicated on a pack, prioritizing details like benefits, descriptions, and ingredients. Unlike label standards, there is no consistent way to communicate sustainability. This is where amplifying digital solutions is key to improving transparency with consumers.

The pandemic saw an increase in consumers scanning QR codes, so if brands have a sustainability story to share, they should lean into this valuable technology. QR codes provide brands with flexibility in their communication strategy around sustainability. Not only can brands tailor the content to suit the legal requirements in specific markets, but they can make their sustainability content more engaging, educational, and inspiring through various formats of branded media.

Mars recently launched a QR code for its Galaxy® Chocolate brand so they could communicate their sustainability journey and social responsibility with consumers. The QR code appears onpack and in-store, and links directly to the page that details their various global initiatives.

MARCEL VERHAAF Executive Creative Director SGK AMSTERDAM

Amplify Appeal

Some eco-friendly materials can be unappealing to the point that consumers will select a more attractive, less sustainable product.

For example, brown cardboard is a common indicator that a package is better for the environment. But while consumers recognize it to be sustainable, they also find it unattractive. There is so much onshelf competition that the only way to overcome this challenge is for package designers to strategically combine sustainability with desirability.

Creating desirable packaging is equally as important as communicating its sustainability, so the two should be addressed in unison. A brand’s pack could use the most sustainable materials, but if it’s not picked up by consumers because of its design, then sustainability won’t be viewed as competitive in the market. Sustainable packaging should not mean lower quality—it should mean a higher standard of competition and unlimited possibilities for the brand.

The Packadore Collective has created a Temptainability Matrix to ensure each design is both circular and desirable. The designs must meet at least one of the circularity benchmarks (Recyle, Renew, Reduce, Reuse, Rethink) for at least one of the consumer touchpoints (In-store, Online, Unpacking, In-use). By applying this methodology, brand packaging designers can ensure that sustainability messaging is retained, and desirability is amplified.

In this moment, consumers expect brands to pursue bold commitments toward a better and more sustainable future. They want packaging that syncs sustainability with desirability, where the two work symbolically and are treated equally. So, as brands address their design challenges, it’s important to keep these two pillars at the center of their briefings, while putting in the time, knowledge, and investment to getting their packaging on its most sustainable path.

Think Outside the Box

Consumers are used to designs that grab them with flashy features and bright colors because it’s considered more effective for grabbing their attention to the shelf. But those flashy designs are not always the most sustainable, and sometimes consumers need innovative packaging to direct them toward more sustainable choices.

One great example of innovative sustainable packaging design is for OMO’s laundry detergent. Ink reductions and specific ink selections are one of the easiest ways to make a pack more sustainable, so designers chose to experiment with inkless packaging that relied on easy-to-read embossing to communicate with the consumer. During the research process, designers found that the white box served as shortcut for the brain—from clean beautiful white box to clean, beautiful white laundry—without the use of any inks or substrates, making it desirable, engaging, and highly sustainable.

What is especially exciting about OMO’s design is that the brand holds a significant place in the sector, so if they can successfully transition to more sustainable packaging design without the risk of alienating existing consumers, then they could lead real change throughout the market.

Marcel Verhaaf Marcel is responsible for the creative vision and design effectiveness of SGK’s work across brand and packaging design and is the driving force behind SGK’s sustainability innovations and designs executions. With a career spanning 30 years, he has been recognised by the industry with numerous accolades including international awards from The Dieline, Pentawards, Red Dot and ADCN in the Netherlands. Marcel has experience working with both global and local brands including Unilever, Nestlé, Heineken, Danone, Pladis, Ahold, AkzoNobel, Douwe Egberts, Pepsico, Pernod Ricard and Friesland Campina.

Arthur Brandenburg van den Gronden Arthur is responsible for the brand and design strategies behind our sustainable and creative design executions, as well as for the growth and development of SGK’s Amsterdam studio.

Having managed the Unilever account for 30 years across Europe, Arthur has a proclivity for solving large complex portfolio challenges including brand architecture and range navigation. Arthur’s strategic vision and leadership has contributed to the success of many FMCG brands including Knorr, Cup-aSoup, Unox and Conimex.

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ENCORE

Agritalia Recognized as Supplier of the Year with Special Recognition Agritalia has been recognized by Whole Foods Market as a winner of the grocer’s ninth-annual Supplier Awards, taking home the honor of Supplier of the Year with Special Recognition. The Whole Foods Market Supplier Awards distinguish 42 companies that raised the bar in 2020 across all product categories.

The company, a three-time winner of the award in 2011, 2019 and 2020, has been conferred with the Special Recognition among those “that go above and beyond in helping Whole Foods Market grow and drive business as well as inspire and delight customers”. In fact, Agritalia has an extensive expertise in selecting and providing the finest products picked from the assortment of over 100 qualified suppliers located across Italy and European Union, being able to consistently maintain the rigorous quality standards required by Whole Foods Market.

For the Naples-based company this is a twice as valuable acknowledgement considering that an average of 90% of suppliers of U.S. primary grocery retailers are local, regional or at national level.

Also, Agritalia has been able to stand out for its reliability even during a critical year like last year, when several U.S. supermarket chains had to manage serious problems of shortage of goods due to the pandemic.

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Sergio Massa , CEO, Agritalia In synergy with sister companies Agrilogistica and Agrusa, the company was able to put in place a timely, efficient contingency plan to avoid out of stocks despite the unfavorable situation. During 2020, the Covid-19 global emergency has exponentially boosted sales for large-scale retailers across the USA leading the volumes of Agritalia to the new continent up to +37% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the pandemic has been a major driving force also for the medium and small manufacturers that work in partnership with the group that have significantly increased their productions to ensure products’ availability even in the most complicated peaks of the emergency, proving great sense of cooperation and willingness to contribute.

“Agritalia opens the doors of the U.S. market to smaller or niche producers who alone would not have the strength or expertise to land in America,” says CEO Sergio Massa. “We are the only ones to offer such service, and we are proud ambassadors of the Italian specialties, always discovering the new excellences our land has to offer and bringing them to the shelves of U.S. supermarkets.”

In fact, Agritalia specializes in private label programs for food and non-food items for some of the biggest retailers of the American grocery scenario. With over 30 years of experience, the company represents a privileged showcase for many small and medium-sized Italian and European producers. On the other hand, for retailers interested in including overseas specialties in their catalog, the company offers turnkey solutions: from the identification of the most suitable manufacturer for each program, to distribution and reordering on shelf.

Leo Nucera – Sales & Marketing Director of Agritalia

The company has more than 700 products in its portfolio, ranging from pasta, pasta sauces, balsamic vinegar of Modena, couscous, frozen foods (mainly pizza and Italian ice cream), and last, but not least, extra virgin olive oil of which Agritalia manages 5% of exports from Italy to the United States. Pasta, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegars have surely been Agritalia’s flagship products since the beginning, as well as the most exported Italian products over the last three decades.

The pandemic has certainly favored a further growth in exports: between March and August last year, pasta recorded a 60% increase in turnover (compared to 2019) while vinegar, a category that includes both balsamic vinegar of Modena and wine vinegars, by 45%. Increases likely due to a greater inclination among consumers to try new recipes and more complex preparations during lock-down. Despite the trend of home-made preparations, the category of ready meals however witnessed an interesting increase in sales compared to the previous year, in particular frozen pizza (+70%) and meal kits (+66%).

The most interesting development is the boom of the organic segment, which grew by 48% compared to 2019, suggesting that - during a health emergency - consumers somehow changed their consumption habits and have resorted to organic options. "The year of the pandemic has certainly given an acceleration to our business," Massa explains, "also because in the United States the large-scale retail channel has suffered less from the lockdown and, if possible, has increased turnover thus leading to an increase in our work not only in terms of turnover but also in terms of suppliers".

Last year, over 3,000 containers optimized up to 50 different items per single container left from the hub of Nola, a logistics platform of 60,000 square feet equipped with advanced technologies, allowing Agritalia to guarantee continuity of supply to its customers and increase sales by +37%.

Agritalia’s success is built on the Automated Replenishment Program (ARP), an advanced logistics solution based on the innovative Cloud Sourcing Intelligence (CSI), a proprietary software that makes the supply chain more efficient by analyzing sales data to plan suppliers’ workflow, consolidate and optimize the containers leaving every week for USA guaranteeing products always fresh and in stock. Thanks to this system, Agritalia can provide a “just in time” solution that allows suppliers to have greater control over production and customers over purchases.

"Our vision - explains Leo Nucera, Sales and Marketing Director of Agritalia - includes smart logistics that avoid all inefficiencies and make sure that each product, before arriving in the homes of consumers, follows the shortest and quickest path possible from the time of production to consumption, reducing costs and providing a sustainable service. This applies as much to North America as it does to future projects in Europe or Asia."

The most recent, but no less important, step in Agritalia's journey towards an eco-friendly supply chain is the collaboration with the UK-based University of Sheffield, with the aim of developing new certified standards of sustainability for the entire group. Through this partnership, the company has joined one of the latest sustainable-based projects sponsored by the European Community: ProCEedS (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018), which is a research consortium that aims to study the eco-sustainable implications of different distribution models, including that of Agrilogistica, and the consequent reduction of environmental impact, food waste and carbon dioxide emissions in the retail sector. The theme of sustainability will continue to be a priority for Agritalia, which is also committed in pursuing with goals 9 and 12 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sponsored by United Nations.

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ENTER TODAY!

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15. – 18.2.2022

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Nuremberg, Germany

World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food

BIOFACH Nourishment for all your senses We’re finally back to real-life encounters!

At last, you can immerse yourself once again in the vast organic community: live, up close and in person. See, touch, smell and taste a colourful and diverse range of products as you enjoy a feast for the senses, the likes of which we’ve all been missing for so long. BIOFACH 2022 is all of this and more – including lots of happy moments!

#intoorganic

In association with VIVANESS2022 Trade visitors only

International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care

T R A D E FA I R S

LEADING INTERNATIONAL FAIR CONTINUES TO EVOLVE:

What surprises does BIOFACH 2022 have in store?

15-18 FEBRUARY 2022 NUMBERG, GERMANY • Benefits of live and digital formats to be combined for all-round experience over four days • Formats being introduced in the congress and trade fair programme for the latest hot topics and socially relevant issues “As an exhibition organiser, I’m already getting excited,” says Danila Brunner, Director BIOFACH and VIVANESS, as she looks forward to the forthcoming trade fair in February 2022. Over an 18-month period, the trade fair industry was able to acquire positive experience of digital events, and this will come into play at the World’s Leading Fair for Organic Food and the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care. Nevertheless, Danila Brunner remains convinced: “Trade fairs thrive on the live experience, from being able to enjoy an event with all the senses and not least from those chance encounters that can only happen on site.

That feeling of being part of a community in our sector is what we we’ve all been

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longing for, and we’ll experience it again at BIOFACH und VIVANESS 2022.”

Even at first sight, faithful connoisseurs of BIOFACH will realise that something has changed. In 2022, the fair will open its doors as early as Tuesday, and in addition to the on-site event, customers will benefit from extra digital features that offer them the greatest possible added value.

Moreover, parts of the congress will be streamed and then made available on demand. In short, the concept trade fair has itself evolved during the pandemic.

The programme also offers a mix of old favourites and new highlights.

Under the theme Organic. Climate.

Resilience, which has been developed in partnership with BÖLW and IFOAM, the BIOFACH Congress will explore the socio-political challenge of making food production more resilient and climate-friendly by applying organic principles. As farmers make an essential contribution to achieving this goal, they have been given their own dedicated platform, the new Agriculture forum.

Anyone looking for the latest trending products should check out the Novelty

Stands and can already look forward to the winners of the Best New Product Award in seven categories. In addition, the subsidised pavilion “Innovation made in Germany” will showcase 32 newcomers from the food sector. The topic of packaging will already be a prominent feature of this pavilion, but for an even more impressive overview of zero waste and unpackaged concepts, head for the bulk food store showcase (“Unverpackt”).

This special show is presented by the partner Unverpackt e.V and will be underpinned by corresponding sessions at the congress.

To learn more: www.biofach.de and www.vivaness.de

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T R A D E FA I R S

MARCA CHINA 2022 OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES,

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Writing a New Chapter for the Private Label Industry 23 – 25 JUNE, 2022 SHENZHEN, CHINA

The second edition of the Marca China International Private Label Fair (Marca China) will be held at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 23-25, 2022.

Marca China is organised by BolognaFiere China Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BolognaFiere S.p.A. of Italy, and was created with the goal to create premium exhibitions for China’s private label supply chain industry across all product categories and with an international focus.

With an exhibition area of 20,000 meters, Marca China 2022 is expected to attract 400 exhibitors and over 10,000 visitors from more than 10 countries and regions. Exhibits will not only cover active private brand areas such as food and beverage, household and leisure products, but also look to strengthen the advancement of other professional private label fields such as beauty and personal care, organic health, pet supplies, and packaging design.

In order to help comprehensively meet their development needs in China, especially within the South China market, exhibitors will gain access to a set of high-quality supermarkets, convenience stores, brands, specialty stores, modern retailers, e-commerce platforms, social network-based businesses, Ho.Re.Ca. businesses, wholesalers, distributors, agents, import and export traders, and more.

A series of professional programmes and activities will also be offered during the fair to provide attendees the latest industry information and trends from a variety of perspectives. The Conference Programme gathers domestic and foreign experts to address trending and crucial topics such as private label development in domestic and overseas markets, sustainability, packaging and design, marketing and sales channels, live streaming-based e-commerce and more.

One-on-One Matchmaking services create a platform for exhibitors and visitors to connect and find solutions to their particular supply and demand needs. Marca Mart is a pop-up supermarket with a collection of private label brands that offers an immersive selection experience. Private Label NeoProducts Boulevard exhibits popular private label products launched within the last year.

With its international and forward-looking vision, the inaugural Marca China 2021 exhibition was successfully held in Shenzhen, injecting new vitality into South China’s related industries and China’s broader private label market.

Marca China 2021 brought together 289 domestic and foreign exhibitors and nearly 6,000 professional visitors. A total of 12 onsite events were organised, with experts from 17 countries and regions participating including China, Italy, France, the UK, and Denmark. The result was 93 rounds of one-on-one onsite business matchmaking meetings.

Marca China 2022 has now been officially launched. Reserve your booth now and receive an early bird discount (available through 31 December, 2021). For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

To learn more: www.marcachinafair.com

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PRIVAE LABEL NEO-PRODUCTS BOULEVARD

MARCA MART

ONE-ON-ONE MATCHMAKING

T R A D E FA I R S

MARCABYBOLOGNAFIERE 2022 ALMOST SOLD OUT Three New Retail Groups on the Technical-Scientific Committee: ARD/ERGON, BRICO IO and LEKKERLAND 19-20 JANUARY 2022 BOLOGNA 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.

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.

This year’s MARCA DIGITAL SESSION 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 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.

For more information: marca.bolognafiere.it.

At Emerge, we are focused around two simple client objectives, which are at the heart of everything we do.

1.

FOR SUPPLIERS

Looking to expand and differentiate their business or take new innovations to market

2.

FOR RETAILERS

Wanting to build a unique roadmap and actionable tactics for Private Brand greatness

CALL US

We would love to start a conversation with you www.emergefromthepacck.com Perry Seelert, Partner; Mark Dickinson, Partner Perry@emergefromthepack.com Mark@emergefromthepack.com +1 203 529 3668

T R A D E FA I R S

ISM 2022 UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS

Applications from 65 countries an extensive safety and hygiene concept Ticket Shop open immediately 30 JAN - 2 FEB , 2022 COLOGNE, GERMANY Just two months before the opening of the fair, with a current interim status of around 1,300 exhibitors and around 80 percent of the exhibition space already booked, ISM is looking optimistically ahead to the forthcoming event in 2022.

24 percent of the exhibiting companies come from Germany and 76 percent from abroad.

The leading global trade fair for sweets and snacks covers seven halls in total and with exhibitors from 65 countries, including also companies from North Africa, South America and Asia, it is demonstrating its accustomed high level of internationality. In total, 27 country pavilions from 22 countries and regions have already registered. The country participations with the highest number of exhibitors come from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, France, the Netherlands and the USA. “We are delighted with this positive result. It shows how important ISM is for the industry as a central business meeting point. With our trusted safety and hygiene concept, #B-SAFe4business, we ensure comprehensive safety as we have already demonstrated in the course of trade fairs like Anuga,” explained Sabine Schommer, Director ISM.

The Ticket Shop is open with immediate effect The ISM Ticket Shop is open for all trade visitors of the trade fair with immediate effect. The following admission ticket options are available: • Day ticket: EUR 69.00 • 2-day ticket: EUR 83.00 • Season ticket: EUR 111.00 The requirement for all attendees to be fully vaccinated, or have recovered from an infection within the last six months (but at least 28 days ago), or test negative for Covid, applies throughout the trade fair grounds.

Admission to the fair grounds is exclusively possible on presentation of digital admission tickets using the ISM app. This ticket must be presented together with recognised digital proof of full vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery – a measure that will eliminate waiting times and ensure the safety of all trade fair participants. Attendees must also continue to wear a medical mask and maintain social distancing of 1.50 metres.

• ISM & ProSweets @home ticket (digital only): EUR 69.00 The admission tickets can be purchased on the ISM website.

The ISM app, which enables the admission tickets to be called up in the ticket wallet, is expected to be available at press time.

To learn more: www.ism-cologne.com Photos courtesy of: Koelnmesse Image database

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T R A D E FA I R S

COSMOPROF WORLDWIDE BOLOGNA 10 – 14 MARCH 2022 BOLOGNA, ITALY Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2022 is back with an in-person edition in Bologna from 10th to 14th March 2022. The exhibition, the first international appointment dedicated to all segments of the cosmetic industry after the pandemic outbreak, will welcome the major international players, with the objective of recovering some cohesion and creating new synergies to face market’s transformations.

“The 53rd edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna will be a vital moment for the sector: finally we will be able to welcome again players from all over the world and turn the spotlight again on the excellence, the innovation and the creativity that allowed the industry to face up to the unexpected events derived from the pandemic emergency.

During the latest months, we offered stakeholders the specific tools to do business in such a peculiar scenario. Now, we are ready to welcome them back to the show floor”, says Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere.

“Companies and stakeholders have great expectations for the March appointment.

There is a strong desire to resume in-person commercial relationships, to discover new trends and meet partners and collaborators.

The 2022 edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna will be a constructive and stimulating event, to help manufacturers, brands, buyers, distributors and retailers from all over the world discover new ideas to re-launch the sector”, says Enrico Zannini, General Manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof S.p.A.

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“Expectations are high for the return in presence of the leading event in the beauty sector, - says Renato Ancorotti, president of Cosmetica Italia, personal care association. – Our industry is firmly committed to get prepared for this appointment. We are focusing our attention on the continuous investments, on the reaction and the innovative attitude of all the entrepreneurs, managers and workers of the Italian cosmetics sector. Encouraged by positive signs, such as the 19.4% growth of Italian cosmetic exports in the first six months of 2021, we expect a total return to normal values in the next year. With this spirit we will take part in the 2022 edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, next to our partner BolognaFiere”.

The exhibition will be held following the safety procedures and providing the traditional format with the distinction of areas and opening dates according to product sector and distribution channel, for a more functional layout of the halls.

From Thursday to Sunday Cosmopack and Cosmo | Perfumery & Cosmetics will open its doors for the supply chain, and the retail and perfumery segments, while from Friday to Monday the fair district will welcome professionals and salon owners with Cosmo | Hair & Nail & Beauty Salon.

T R A D E FA I R S

COSMO | PERFUMERY & COSMETICS

COSMOPACK At Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna there is an area that more than the others is invested by the stream of innovations and new technological solutions: this is Cosmopack, the only exhibition that host the whole supply chain – contract manufacturing and private label, machinery for processes and packaging, primary and secondary packaging, applicators, ingredients and raw materials. If Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna represents the universe of distribution and the main novelties for all its sales channels, Cosmopack is the production core of the cosmetic industry.

With the aim of optimising the exhibition areas according to Cosmoprof visitors’ target, the layout of Cosmopack follows a marked distinction between the different segments of the supply chain. The 19PK area is increased: this is the area dedicated to the major companies specialized in machinery and manufacturing solutions, a peculiar sector of Cosmopack that differentiates it from the other international trade shows. The hall 15 confirms its focus on manufacturers specialized in full service offers for the industry. Hall 18 will be dedicated again to the OEM and packaging sectors. Inside hall 20, next to innovations of the machinery sector, companies specialised in packaging will be exhibiting, with the most performing proposals following market needs and trends.

For the perfumery and cosmetic segment, there will be many areas dedicated to the leading and most innovative companies.

Cosmoprime, the hall dedicated to haute de gamme cosmetics with a selective distribution, will host numerous premium and luxury brands with a strong attention to sustainability. The special area Zoom on Emerging Prime will welcome 15 selected companies, exhibiting for the first time in Bologna, providing new cues for ingredients and formulations, product usage and new consumption functionalities. The Extraordinary Gallery, considered the base for the most interesting innovations, will host companies with innovative concepts in terms of formulations and packaging and with a brand philosophy in line with the younger generations’ habits. To top up the exhibiting offer, the round tables and the insight appointments of CosmoTalks, where experts from all over the world will share experiences and advices on the most current topics for the segment.

COSMO | HAIR & NAIL & BEAUTY SALON From 11th to 14th March, the professional channel will be able to renew commercial relationships with companies and suppliers, with the objective of offering services and products of excellence and regaining consumers’ loyalty.

Companies specialized in products, accessories and furniture for hair salons will be exhibiting in halls 25, 31, 32, 33, 35 and 37. On the stage of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, OnHair will also be back, inside hall 37, a new space of BolognaFiere, recently inaugurated. An arena with over 8,000 seats will host the most captivating hair shows by global teams and masters, sharing novelties and creativity.

Halls 28, 29, 30 and 36 will be hosting the companies specialized in products and services for the professional beauty, spa and nail sector. To enrich the content of the exhibition, special initiatives will be scheduled. Cosmo Onstage, the stage dedicated to the novelties of the beauty and hair sectors, will present Masterclass, the new education project by Cosmoprof, with the participation of professional educational institutions and trainers.

The format follows the specific needs of operators: they are asked to satisfy the requests of consumers, who are more and more attentive to the quality of services and treatments. The World Massage Meeting will welcome beauticians and holistic operators for an occasion of discussion, education and update on the current most innovative body techniques. Following the success of OnBeauty, the Wunderkammer, the lounge of the beauty sector able to project visitors into the future, will present exhibitors’ videos of product launches, and their most innovative equipment and treatments.

Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA - Italian Trade Agency, as part of the special plan dedicated to the promotion of Made in Italy.

For further information, please visit www.cosmoprof.com

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