ITALY’S LEADING ROLE AT PMA 2019 in CHICAGO

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63 exhibitors with the ITA (Italian Trade Agency) at the largest trade exhibition in
the USA dedicated to private label products destined for major retailers

Chicago – Italy once again will be playing a leading role at the 39th edition of the Private Label Trade Show which opens its doors today at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. This trade exhibition featuring a wide selection of food, beverages, health and beauty and household products manufactured under private brands, is the largest of its kind in North America.

The 63 Italian companies in the Italian Trade Agency’s pavilions occupy an exhibit area measuring 8,000 sq. ft. The official Italian participation is, once again, the largest international pavilion, both in terms of number of exhibiting companies and size of the exhibition area. There are two pavilions, one dedicated to food and beverages, with 57 exhibitors, and a second to non-food products with 6 exhibitors.

The sale in the US through the major retail distribution channels have had a positive effect on the Italian market shares on US imports of agri-food products, notes Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner of the ITA’s Chicago office. Over the years, the ITA’s promotional activities in this sector have been strengthened to include new types of initiatives, such as customized educational and culinary training course for a wide range of employees of major US supermarket retailers.

In terms of perception, 85% of U.S. consumers believe that the quality of the private label products offered by major retailers is the same as that of brand products, while 61% believe it is higher.  In this context – notes Antonino Laspina, Director of the ITA office in New York and Coordinator of the U.S. Network of offices – Italy’s agri-food exports to the USA is performing tremendously: in the first 9 months of 2019 we have seen an increase of 5.9% compared to the same period last year, reaching 3.9 billion dollars. In 2018 our sales totaled USD 5.1 billion (an increase of 7.9% compared to 2017).