(Finance) – Italgrobthe National Federation of Horeca Distributors, the national reference association for eating out, presented today in Rome a study on the situation of the Food & Beverage market in Italy. For the first time all the main players were involved of the market, from producers (Centromarca) to restaurateurs (Fipe) and the two main outlet channels for Food & Beverage production, i.e. the domestic consumption channel, represented by Federdistribuzione, and the Ho.re.ca channel. represented by the Italgrob Federation, with the aim of addressing, in their complexity and in a synergistic and collaborative manner, the urgent problems of the market starting from the increase in inflation.
During the event, Italian Exhibition Group and Italgrob have announced the renewal of the partnership for the holding of the International Horeca Meeting within the Beer&Food Attraction fair for the 2025-2026-2027 editions. The agreement, signed between the President of Italgrob, Antonio Portaccio and the CEO of Italian Exhibition Group, Corrado Peraboni, was born with the intention of continuing along the path started together years ago by the two companies, to support and support excellence in out-of-home distribution, promote its growth and enhance the professional relationships of a constantly evolving sector.
Furthermore, on the occasion of the conference the 13th edition of Italgrob’s International Horeca Meeting was presented which will take place, as usual, in the broader context of Beer&Food Attraction in Rimini from 18 to 20 February 2024. The renewed edition of the event dedicated to the Horeca world was announced by the managers of IEG – Italian Exhibition Group, the CEO Corrado Peraboni and Flavia Morelli Group Exhibition Manager – Food & Beverage Division.
The value of the market and the critical issues
Between domestic consumption and extra-domestic consumption, the value of the Food & Beverage market is over 200 billion euros. It is a fundamental asset for the country’s economy which, starting from agricultural production, passing through the processing, distribution, sales and consumption industries, employs around 2 million people.
According to the study carried out by the market research and analysis company Circana, presented by Doctor Marco Colombowhich analyzed the data and trends underway, both in the retail channel and in the Ho.re.ca. channel, after having recovered the serious losses suffered during the pandemic period, the food and drink distribution sector has returned to volume levels of the 2019. However, under the pressure of the inflationary dynamics of the last twelve months, which generated an increase in prices of over 7%, the positive trend that was still evident at the beginning of the year is gradually fading away, projecting an equal end to the year with 2022.
Market outlook for 2024
The prospects for the year to come on out-of-home consumption remain less than optimistic. More significantly, modern distribution, affected by an average price growth of 11.2% over the year, suffered a reduction in purchases of more than 2%. Specifically, although the climatic factors were favorable to sector consumption, the wholesale distribution of drinks saw in the first nine months of the year an inflation effect of 6.9% and sales to outlet channels still just above parity compared to price increases of 10.5% in large-scale retail trade with a respective -4% sell-out.
In the current context, with the stopping of the transfer of volumes between away from home and inside the home, it is therefore necessary the need to reinvigorate the overall offer to the consumer leveraging breadth, specialization and service in wholesalers, convenience and convenience in modern distribution, supported by development policies by the brand industry, with innovation as the main lever.
“The objective of the States General is to research and implement those methods of collaboration to face increasingly complex challenges. Starting from the States General, we plan to start an effective collaboration between the different distribution channels with the aim of avoiding useless and harmful competitions and implementing a synergistic cooperation, also given the hybridization process that has been underway for years. Faced with a scenario characterized by the increase in inflation which has strongly eroded the purchasing power of families, slowing down their consumption, it is necessary to create the conditions of widespread well-being encouraging the restart of internal demand and investments. In this phase, more than ever, it is essential to look outside our own perimeter and create a system, through constructive discussion, to identify solutions and overcome difficulties”, declared the president of Italgrob, Antonio Portaccio.
For Sergio Marchi, Head of the Technical Secretariat of Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, spoke on behalf of the Minister “We need to think from a supply chain perspective, like the Italian system. We are coming from a difficult period with high prices significantly influencing the market. To reverse the trend we need to encourage the supply chain system with important investments, in order to give responses to the agri-food sector as a whole. In this context, the allocation of resources by the Government aimed at supporting purchasing power and therefore consumption was fundamental. In this perspective, we hope to obtain further financing and be able to give other responses to the agri-food sector”.
“The one between Italian Exhibition Group and Italgrob has a long-standing relationship which to date has produced very satisfactory results – he recalled Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, Italian Exhibition Group – the signing of today’s agreement and the holding of the International Ho.re.ca Meeting in Rimini until 2027, therefore make us proud and allow us to continue for the next few years in the name of a fruitful collaboration. As IEG we have implemented important investments in fairs such as SIGEP and Beer&Food Attraction, also by virtue of the indications of our partners, associations and distribution companies, which are essential to better plan future editions of these representative and reference events in the food sector. away from home”.
Second Raffaele Langella, General Director of Confindustria “The economic picture for 2024 appears particularly complex. Some sectors such as tourism, however, have margins for growth and this gives rise to hope. The Confindustria system, therefore, intends to make additional tools available which can prove very useful for exploring new business possibilities and market prospects”.
For the Doctor Marco Colombowhich presented the study carried out by the market research and analysis company Circana “In light of the data emerging from the research, the fundamental role of investments is highlighted in supporting points of sale, guaranteeing high-value products and encouraging innovation Certainly the interaction between channels takes on essential importance to encourage development and relaunch the sector”.
The importance of the role that technology will take on was underlined by Vice President of Federdistribuzione, Giorgio Santambrogiostating that: “Cultural characteristics, the propensity to use technologies and the customer’s availability of time will significantly impact the hybridization of the different channels. Technology will take on an increasingly important role, for this reason it will be necessary to create a system. We no longer have to consider the different sectors as islands in themselves but the customer will decide.”
Vittorio Cino, General Director of Centromarcadeclared that “The hybridization process has been underway for some time, the difficulty today is that we do not understand in which direction consumers are going. Value, quality and innovation will remain a distinctive element of a product. It is necessary , from this perspective, to focus on the digital revolution and sustainability which are having a huge impact on product innovation and service”.
According to Luciano Sbraga, Director of the Study Center of the Italian Federation of Public Businesses (Fipe) “The world of eating out, which Fipe represents, is a world that has reacted very intensely to various storms. If we look at consumption performance, catering has recovered a lot in value while commercial distribution has lost in volume. There are two completely different worlds where the consumer experience exists and must be treated differently. Out of home the product is the place where you consume and have the experience. Competition is part of this world and is a very attractive sector, naturally It’s not scary but it needs to be done on equal terms with the same rules.”
For Dino Di Marino, General Director of Italgrob “Today we have started a journey, which we will continue in November 2024, always here, in the home of distribution and service entrepreneurs, together with representatives of the sector to create the General States of the Food & Beverage market, looking beyond our perimeter. Now we have a duty to act, starting from putting into practice in a concrete manner the ideas, solutions and proposals that have emerged today. The distributors that Italgrob represents are not only logistics operators, but operators of advanced and essential services capable of guaranteeing both local and national level a high service content in terms of product consultancy and training. Today Italgrob is ready to seize the opportunities that the food sector offers, with the awareness that only through constructive collaboration will we be able to face the complex challenges we face “.
A message of closeness to the entrepreneurs of the sector was sent by Alberto Luigi Gusmeroli, President of the Productive Activities Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, who added that the Ho.re.ca. distribution sector it is crucial for the economic growth of our country.
Furthermore, on the research produced by Trade Labe, presented by Professor Luca Pellegrini, and Formind, presented by Doctor Antonio Faralla, they intervened Febo Leondini, President AFDB, Luca De Siero, General Director DORECA Italy and Italgrob Councilor, and Massimo La Torre, Business Unit Manager Partesa Italia and Italgrob Councilor, Alessandro Capuano, Director Di.Al. and Italgrob technical staff member.