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CAGR of 63% in line for India’s online grocery market to 2022

6Wresearch predicts India’s online grocery market will grow at a CAGR of 62.7% over 2016-22.

India’s online grocery market is still in a nascent stage and primarily confined to Tier 1 cities, says New Delhi-based market intelligence centre 6Wresearch.

And the hyperlocal model (which usually features on-demand delivery) is growing faster than the ‘pure-play’ one (such as  businesses that focus only on e-commerce) in India, it says in a recently published report summary.

“(The) pure-play business model requires heavy investments and warehouses, which pushes the overall operating cost. On the other hand, hyperlocal model saves cost and time of delivery due to the support from the local merchant,” it says.

6Wresearch predicts India’s online grocery market will grow at a CAGR of 62.7% over 2016-22.

“India is the sixth largest grocery market in the world, which is majorly dominated by the unorganized sector with over 12 million pop and mom stores all over the country. Online grocery market is one of the fastest growing markets fueled by the intensifying e-commerce industry.”

But senior research analyst Avishrant Mani said the fruit and vegetables segment is growing sluggishly compared to other grocery segments, “since (the) consumer prefers to purchase fruits and vegetables in fresh condition, favours touch and smell of the items to judge the quality.”

Otherwise, the grocery and staples segment is contributing major revenue share in the online grocery market, followed by the FMCG segment.

“Bengaluru from southern region is the key market for online grocery, followed by Mumbai from western and Delhi from northern region. Online grocery companies are mainly operating in metropolitan cities due to better infrastructure facilities and higher internet penetration as compared to tier II and tier III cities.

“However, online grocery firms are now targeting tier II and tier III cities to expand their presence on a pan India level. BigBasket, one of the key players of the market, is planning to enlarge its operation to 50 cities by the end of 2016.”

Read more “Wide Acceptance of Online Shopping and Busy LifeStyle Spurring the Growth of Online Grocery Market in India – 6Wresearch”

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Alimentaria offers more conferences, B2B meetings and launches

Alimentaria’s international buyers' programme aims to open up business opportunities on five continents, so the Hosted Buyers contingent includes guests from every corner of the world: Latin America, Asia, the United States and Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

Taking place April 25-28 in Barcelona, Alimentaria is the place for innovation, business collaboration, competitiveness and knowledge sharing in Europe’s food and drinks sector.

The International Food & Drinks Exhibition will be celebrating its 40th anniversary at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via Exhibition Centre and its format has been updated to span a broader spectrum of the industry and reflect new market trends and consumer habits.

At its last edition, the event attracted more than 140,000 visitors from around the world and hosted 3,800 represented companies and more than 1,000 international companies.

In 2016, Alimentaria will be streamlined into 5 shows, encompassing the main food and drinks markets:

  • Intervin (wines and spirits),
  • Intercarn (meat and meat products),
  • Restaurama (restaurants, integrates Expobebidas & Congelexpo companies),
  • Interlact (dairy products) and
  • Multiple Foods (confectionery, preserves, oils and premium products).

Multiple Foods, the new show of food trends and special and functional projects, adds Alimentación Ecológica (organic food), Olivaria, Expoconser, Interpesca, the International Pavilions, Lands of Spain, Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionery, Mediterranean Foods, Healthy Foods and Fine Foods, along with the Premium zone and the Olive Oil Bar.

In 2016, Alimentaria’s activities will hinge around six core themes:

  • distribution and retail,
  • CSR,
  • internationalisation,
  • R&D&I and branding,
  • nutrition,
  • and marketing and communication.

Exporting for SMEs

As always, Alimentaria will facilitate contacts between exhibitors and key international buyers across the food and beverage chain, with the aim of encouraging business meetings and firming up foreign deals. At Alimentaria 2014, 59% of exhibitors were already exporting their products, while 73% of those who were not yet selling abroad said that they fully intended to do so within the next two or three years.

Alimentaria’s international buyers’ programme aims to open up business opportunities on five continents, so the Hosted Buyers contingent includes guests from every corner of the world: Latin America, Asia, the United States and Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

This year, the Alimentaria Hub also offers the Export Service Counter for exhibitors, preferably SMEs, who want to venture into foreign markets for the first time. Intended to help companies internationalise their business, this new programme involves experts in all the formalities necessary to take these first steps in reaching foreign markets, from insurance companies and consultancy firms to chambers of commerce and financial institutions.

The Alimentaria Hub

Part of the Alimentaria show, the Alimentaria Hub, boasts new product launches as well as conferences, presentations and consumer trend analysis. It also includes a centre for business meetings and export opportunities and networking sessions to foster entrepreneurship, according to organisers.

One of the big attractions at the Alimentaria Hub is the Food Factory, the meeting place for technology start-ups in the agrifood sector and Business Angels with the capacity to invest in projects with development potential.

Innoval will feature the latest trends and innovations in the sector, exhibiting more than 300 new food products. The Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB) is organising the VII Alimentaria Food Technology and Innovation Meeting, while consultancy firm Innova Market Insights will be leading the ‘Top Ten Trends’ session at which it will present a selection of the ten global trends that are currently setting the bar in the food industry.

Food Bloggers Conference

The 2016 show sees the first Food Bloggers Conference to encourage people to learn about and understand new communication channels. It will be a chance to share knowledge among bloggers and other social media professionals associated with food and gastronomy.

Presentations on sustainability, CSR & the Mediterranean Diet

In terms of presentations, the Alimentaria Hub will host the third Nestlé Forum on ‘Creating Shared Value’, this year dedicated to the industry’s contribution to a sustainable and socially responsible future, and the XI International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet.

source: http://www.alimentaria-bcn.com/en/home

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Discover ‘Organic 3.0’ at Germany’s Biofach fair

The diversity of the global organic industry will be displayed by over 2,400 exhibitors from February 10-13 at Biofach, billed as the world's leading trade fair for organic food.

The diversity of the global organic industry will be displayed by over 2,400 exhibitors from February 10-13 at Biofach, billed as the world’s leading trade fair for organic food.

Being held at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre in Germany, the fair will cover product-oriented and political topics, and the future of trade will be the focus of the two business and trading platforms.

The Biofach congress – the biggest organic congress in the world –  starts on Wednesday February 10 and runs throughout the exhibition in NCC Ost, NCC Mitte and hall 9. With some 100 presentations and panel discussions reaching more than 7,000 participants, it is a platform for knowledge transfer, information exchange, discussion and opinion forming.

This year the theme is Organic 3.0 – Acting for more organic! This is an umbrella for discussion of the future of the organic sector and need for credible and sustainable concepts to restructure the global agriculture and food industry.

Another highlight of Biofact is that it gathers the world’s most important innovations in trend and niche markets in one place. The 500m² Novelty Stand provides a chance to discover new products and creations from the organic sector, showing how good ideas, the best raw materials, ecological packaging concepts and creative design enhance the increasingly varied spectrum of organic products.

It is where voting will take place for the Best New Product Award 2016, the categories for which include fresh food, frozen food, grocery products: cooking & baking, grocery products: snacks & sweets, other grocery products, drinks, and non-food.

Meanwhile, young, aspiring start-ups will present their ideas at the Innovation made in Germany pavilion. which has sponsorship from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

For Germany’s specialist retailers, such as natural food stores and health food shops, the Fachhandelstreff, in stand 9-551 in hall 9, will be a magnet. Encompassing the Fachhandels Forum and the Fachhandels Club, it offers a wide-ranging programme of discussions tailored to be highly useful to this target group.

Biofach organisers say for some time now organic products have ceased to be in a niche and are instead working their way into the mainstream – presenting specialist stores with new challenges. The rising demand for organic products is being met by more and more retailers. For example, with Edeka having recently started to stock Alnatura products, the number of sales outlets offering this range alone has now doubled to 7,500 since the beginning of this year.

According to the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW), which is Biofach’s national supporting organisation and headquartered in Berlin, the income from the German organic market rose 4.8% to €7.9 billion in 2014. Specialist stores were the main beneficiaries, enjoying a 9% increase in revenue.

In the first half of 2015, German households spent 8.4% more on organic products compared to the same period in 2014, and surveys indicate that specialist stores saw an increase of 10.5%. By the end of 2015, Germany’s total revenue from organic products is expected to have exceeded €8 billion.

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New midweek format for CPMA 2016

The Annual Convention & Trade Show is CPMA’s keystone event and Canada’s largest event dedicated to the fruit and vegetable industry. The event provides a unique forum for industry leaders to enhance their business opportunities in Canada through an exceptional combination of education and networking opportunities.

Canada’s biggest fresh produce event, the CPMA’s Annual Convention & Trade Show, will take place from April 12 -14, 2016, in Calgary, Alberta.

It is the first time the event will run from a Tuesday to Thursday and the CPMA (the Canadian Produce Marketing Association) says the midweek format aims to make visiting the show easier for retail and foodservice members and to increase traffic on the trade show floor.

Features of the show include the New Product Showcase and Best New Product Award competition. This year, for new products or packaging considered “kid friendly,” a ‘Freggie Approved’ decal can be added to the relevant showcase.

During the CPMA Convention and Trade Show, to be held in the BMO Centre at Stampede Park, Passion for Produce will also take place. This is a programme created by the CPMA to provide rising stars among its members the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the supply chain through mentorship and participation in various events.

Participants from the 2015 Passion for Produce programme

Free retail produce manager and foodservice educational sessions will also be hosted at the event with the goal of providing participants with key information that will allow them to gain insights into the produce industry supply chain, improve their produce knowledge, network with other members of the produce industry, and discover how to offer even more value to their customers.

The CPMA Annual Convention & Trade Show attracts buyers from major retail chain stores and foodservice distributors, including Walmart, Loblaw, Metro, Costco, Longo’s, Sobeys, Farmboy, the Grocery People, GFS, Fresh Street Market, IGA, Sysco, Safeway, Colemans Food Centres, Compass Group, Giant Tiger Stores, No Frills, Thrifty Foods, T&T supermarket, Quality Foods and Provigo.

Overall, it is “unique forum for industry leaders to enhance existing and develop new their business opportunities in Canada through an exceptional combination of education and networking opportunities.” The convention and trade show attract more than 3,000 participants – including industry executives, members from all segments of the fresh produce supply chain, and government representatives who are directly or indirectly involved in the Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable sector – and showcases produce from around the world.

 

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British-grown seedless grapes to hit UK stores in 2016

British table grapes are set to become an industry wide initiative by 2018, reducing reliance on imports and significantly decreasing its carbon footprint, Asda said.

British supermarket chain Asda says promising trials growing seedless table grapes in England make it confident of having at least two varieties on its shelves as of early 2016.

It said this would be the first time British seedless table grapes have been on sale. Furthermore, British table grapes are set to become an industry wide initiative by 2018, reducing its reliance on imports and significantly decreasing its carbon footprint, Asda said in a press release. 

It sells 1.4 million punnets of grapes a week and currently imports the fruit from 15 countries, mainly Spain but also from as far away as India, Brazil and Chile.

The grapes grown in the UK will be harvested between August–October, meaning they’re ready to go on shelf to coincide with the Spanish grape season ending,” Asda said.

Its trial took place over the last three years in Kent, in South East England, and originally 8 varieties of grapes were planted – a mixture of red, green and black. This is the first year the grape vines have been full of edible produce, Asda said. It is confident at least two varieties suitable for everyday consumption can now be grown successfully in UK soil.

Asda’s category manager for grapes Alberto Goldbacher said the main challenge in the trial was getting the sweetness right because of a lack of sunshine and light needed for this to develop within the grape. “However, we’ve now seen great promise and are happy to move forward with this trial on a much larger scale.”

“Grapes grown in the UK have previously only been suitable for making wine as they’re typically very small, have a thick skin and have a large seed in the middle. For the first time ever in the UK, these new table grapes are exactly what you’d expect to see on a supermarket shelf, in both look and taste,” Goldbacher said.

Asda said it hopes to educate growers across the UK with its findings, “to give them the skills and knowledge they need to help this become an industry wide initiative by 2018.”  

“The grape project has been made possible thanks to Asda’s ownership of IPL, the biggest single importer of produce in the UK. IPL operates a unique sourcing model which works directly with growers at source rather than going through third-parties. IPL has technologists based around the world who have built close relationships with growers; for this project IPL’s Spanish grape supplier provided the grapevines and their chief agronomist also supervised the planting,” it said.

About Asda

  • 18 million customers a week
  • 616 stores: including 32 supercentres, 332 superstores, 34 Asda Living stores, 201 supermarkets & 15 standalone petrol stations
  • 650 click and collect sites
  • main office is in Leeds, Yorkshire
  • since 1999 has been owned by Walmart

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Colruyt expands Cru fresh market concept

'Cru' means 'raw', and when launching the concept last year, Colruyt said it symbolises simplicity and pure essence. The first store was opened in a farmhouse in Overijse, in Flanders.

Cru, Colruyt Group’s fresh market format, has just marked its first year with news of another store opening, in Wijnegem, in the Belgian province of Antwerp, in the spring of 2016.

‘Cru’ means ‘raw’, and when launching the concept last year, Colruyt said it symbolises simplicity and pure essence. The first store was opened in a farmhouse in Overijse, in Flanders.

“Cru is a new concept for and by people with a passion for good food, pure flavours, and authentic quality products,” Colruyt said in a press release.

“Cru wishes to connect customers, partners and employees and to offer an exclusive selection of fresh products in a market setting, offering among other things meat, fish, freshly baked bread, vegetables and fruit, as well as cheese, wine, home-roasted coffee, home-made dishes and flowers.”

Colruyt has also said that Cru combines a love for authenticity with convenience and contemporary technology, such as self-scanning, fast check-in and the option for mobile payment. The idea is to “provide the experience of an actual market where the customer has the time and the space to wander around, be surprised, to taste and make contact. The Cru market unifies the vegetables and fruit, bread, meat, packed meat, poultry, fish, cheese and dairy sectors as well as home-made dishes, beverages and flowers.”

“Cru also wishes to offer relevant convenience, from semi-prepared (such as cleaned and blanched vegetables) to ready-to-eat home-made dishes.”

The Cru outlet in Wijnegem, in Axel Vervoordt’s Kanaal Project, is planned for the spring of 2016.

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Wonderful Citrus plans to ship more Mexican lime, Texas grapefruit to Europe

As the Florida industry continues to decline due to serious pest/disease pressure Wonderful Citrus hopes to expand the presence of Texas in Europe.

Wonderful Citrus has regular shipments to Europe of three citrus varieties:

  • Mexican limes,
  • Texas deep red grapefruit. and
  • California minneola tangelos. 

“We are the largest grower of minneolas in California and we have been supplying the Dutch market for nearly 10 years,” said Scott Owens, VP sales and marketing.

Most minneolas are consumed in Holland rather than being re-exported.

“Both Mexican limes and Texas deep red grapefruit are relatively new to our citrus portfolio but we believe we can find success in Europe. In 2015 we began trial shipments of Mexican limes to understand the market requirements and prepare for future increases in our production base. We have been sending small volumes of our deep red Texas grapefruit to Europe for several years in order to expose customers to the merits of Texas grapefruit.” 

Texas indeed produces a sub-tropical grapefruit similar to Florida, not as pretty on the outside but with excellent internal characteristics. More than 30 years ago Texas had a good following in Europe but was replaced by Florida. As the Florida industry continues to decline due to serious pest/disease pressure, Wonderful Citrus hopes to expand the presence of Texas in Europe.

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Small increase forecast in Italy’s peach, nectarine crops

Italy is also major peach and nectarine exporter, mainly within the EU-28. In 2014, it exported 298,442 tons of peaches and nectarines, 19% less than 2013.

Peach and nectarine production in the 2015/16 marketing year (June-May) is forecast to inch up 2.2% in Italy, the largest peach and nectarine producer in the EU-28 and second in the world after China, reports the USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Service (GAIN) in its recent Italy stone fruit annual.

Stone fruit production has a big role in agriculture in several Italian regions, both in the north (especially Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont) and the south (Campania). The bulk of the Italian harvest occurs in June and July, according to GAIN.

  • In 2015/16, peach production is forecast at 579,000 tons (555,237 tons in MY2014/15).
  • Nectarine production is forecast at 760,000 tons (765,064 tons in MY2014/15).
  • The cling peach harvest is likely to reach 74,000 tons (61,836 tons in MY2014/15). Fruit quality is forecast to be good.

Italy’s stone fruit exports

  • Italy is also major peach and nectarine exporter, mainly within the EU-28.
  • In 2014, it exported 298,442 tons of peaches and nectarines, 19% less than 2013.
  • Lower volumes were exported to Germany (- 12%), the top export destination, representing 44% of total exports.

Italy’s stone fruit imports

  • Italy imported 75,213 tons of peaches and nectarines in 2014, a surge of 25.8% on 2013.
  • This growth was driven by increased volumes from its main supplier, Spain (+31%).

Italy’s stone fruit consumption

  • Most Italian peaches and nectarines are consumed fresh.
  • While Italian consumers generally prefer large, sweet, and pulpy fruits, Northern European markets prefer smaller, slightly sour, and crunchy fruits.

Read more here.

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Southern Italy set for 30% rise in cherry volumes

Southern Italy, which accounts for two thirds of national cherry production, is forecast to register a production increase of 30% (especially for early varieties), thanks to ideal weather conditions during fruit set.

Italy’s MY 2015/16 cherry production is preliminarily forecast at 131,200 tons, according to the USDA Global Agricultural Information Service’s (GAIN) latest Italy stone fruit annual.

Southern Italy, which accounts for two thirds of national cherry production, is forecast to register a production increase of 30% (especially for early varieties), thanks to ideal weather conditions during fruit set.

Calibers are forecast to be smaller than 2014 and quality excellent, and good quantity and quality are also expected in Emilia-Romagna, the report says.

 

Cherry trade in Italy in 2014

Exports: Italy exported 10,419 tons of cherries, mainly to Germany (4,686 tons), last year.
Imports: It imported 10,698 tons of cherries, mainly from Spain (5,105 tons), Turkey (1,937 tons) and Austria (1,053 tons).

Read more here.

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US exhibitors report $6.8 million in projected sales from Asia Fruit Logistica

13 U.S. exhibitors reported over $1 million in onsite sales and $6.8 million in projected sales following a successful Asia Fruit Logistica 2015 in Hong Kong.

Over $1 million in onsite sales and $6.8 million in projected sales have been reported by the 13 US exhibitors at this year’s Asia Fruit Logistica, held September 2-4 in Hong Kong.

The USDA said the event, a USDA-endorsed show, is Hong Kong’s largest specialised trade show for agricultural produce. “This year, more than 570 companies from 40 countries/regions exhibited products to over 9,200 Hong Kong based and regional buyers.”

Among the support provided to leverage US exhibitors’ market opportunities, the US Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) Hong Kong organised a market tour, provided a market briefing and hosted a trade reception for more than 80 invitees . “As a result, U.S. exhibitors secured excellent export opportunities, achieving on-site sales of over US$1 million and projected sales in the next 12 months of over US$6.8 million,” the USDA has reported.

In 2014, the US was the largest supplier of fruit, vegetable and tree nut products to Hong Kong, with exports valued over $485 million, $30 million and $889 million, respectively. Hong Kong also serves as a gateway for the flow of products to regional markets with strong logistical access to Asian-based buyers and markets, it said.

Image of Hong Kong night skyline by Base64, retouched by CarolSpears (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons