MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM: Event Driven by Strong International Growth
The international private label community is choosing Bologna to take a closer look at the Italian model, built on close collaboration between manufacturers and retailers. This model continues to gain recognition as private label grows across Europe, where it now accounts for around half of all products sold by volume, driven by innovation, quality and increasingly diversified product ranges.
Bologna, 3 August 2026 – Six months ahead of the event, MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM, taking place in Bologna on 13–14 January 2027, is reporting a 13% increase in registrations compared with the same stage ahead of last year’s edition.
The figures confirm the event’s continued growth while further strengthening its international profile. Registrations from international companies have almost doubled, highlighting a level of interest that extends well beyond Italy’s borders.
This momentum is being driven in part by the first national pavilions already confirmed. Among them is the Spanish Pavilion, which will bring together more than 30 companies in a dedicated exhibition area, alongside additional international groups currently being finalised from Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.
This growing international presence reinforces MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM’s role as a meeting point connecting private label manufacturers and retailers from around the world.
A Market Growing Across Europe
The growth of the exhibition reflects the positive momentum of the market itself.
According to Circana data for the first half of 2026, private label continues to strengthen its competitive position across Europe. In the six largest markets—France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom—private label now accounts for 43% of market value and around half of total sales volumes, recording 3.0% value growth.
While growth rates vary from country to country, the overall trend points to an increasingly competitive and dynamic market.
Italy: Innovation and Quality Drive Growth
In Italy, private label continues to strengthen its position within the grocery retail sector, with growth increasingly driven by product quality and innovation.
Fresh and service-oriented categories are leading this expansion:
- Meat: +8.2%
- Fresh Foods: +4.7%
- Frozen Foods: +4.1%
- Fruit & Vegetables: +3.8%
Much of this momentum is being fuelled by the continued success of Premium and Functional product ranges, as consumers increasingly choose products for their innovation, distinctive features and ability to meet specific needs, well beyond price alone.
Modern Retail Leads the Expansion
The main driver of growth has also shifted.
Today, traditional modern retail is leading the expansion of private label, with both market share and sales volumes continuing to increase, while the discount channel is showing signs of greater maturity and a slight decline in market share.
This evolution is reshaping the competitive landscape, placing greater emphasis on perceived quality and on retailers’ ability to invest in innovation and broaden their product offering.
MARCA: The Hub for Private Label Innovation
In this scenario, MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM further strengthens its role as the platform where private label strategies take shape and innovation spans the entire value chain—from logistics and packaging to food, non-food and fresh products.
At the heart of the event is the Italian model of collaboration between manufacturers and retailers: an advanced approach that the international private label community comes to Bologna to experience first-hand, assess and adapt to its own markets.
MARCA’s international reach is further reinforced by its editions in Poland and China, launched to engage with two of the most promising markets for private label and Made in Italy.
This international presence creates new business opportunities while showcasing the excellence of Italian manufacturing, recognised worldwide for its quality, innovation and ability to work alongside retailers to develop high-value products and categories.
Rossano Bozzi Comments
“The strength of the figures we are seeing confirms that MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM has become a key reference point for the international private label community. The significant increase in international participation reflects the growing interest in the Italian private label model, built on close collaboration between manufacturers and retailers, an approach that, over the years, has fostered innovation, quality and category development across food, non-food and fresh products.”
“Today, buyers, retailers and manufacturers look to this model not only as a successful commercial approach, but as a strategic framework for creating distinctive assortments, generating value and meeting the evolving expectations of increasingly demanding consumers,” said Rossano Bozzi, Business Unit Director at BolognaFiere.
On 13–14 January 2027, Bologna will once again welcome the international private label community to discover where the market is heading and who will help shape its future.
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