Food industry

The 3d Business Forum – Fresh Foods Russia 2012: Fresh products and ready-to-eat food  in modern retail networks – was held at Borodino hotel on 22-23d of November.

Fresh Foods Russia is the only business event in the country, bringing up to light the questions of quality and assortment of fresh products, purchase and storage, organizing of in-house manufacture, and also fresh and ultrafresh products as the main weapon in networks’ competition for the buyer.
More that 250 participants from 50 different cities and countries, including Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldavia, Italy, Spain and France discussed how to satisfy the growing demand and requirements of a consumer to the quality of fresh products, how to make the trading space look “tasty”, fresh and effective, how to provide marginality of sales, and make the supply chain steady during season  hesitations, and other up to date issues.
Traditionally, before the opening of the forum, a press-conference was held, on “Russian consumer in search of fresh and eco-products. The readiness of retail networks and producers to deliver quality and safety of fresh products, as well as their certificates”.
In discussion of the general vision of “fresh” and “eco” categories, Alexander Konovalov noted that today the notion of “eco products” is not yet legitimated, and a new law regarding organic agriculture is being developed in the Government. Alexander also added that by the results of 2012 the volumes of “eco” market will compose 100 mln $, only 15% of which is a share of Russian manufacturers.
In the session “Figures and facts” the leading analytic agencies presented their reports about the development of fresh food category. Among the main trends the experts noted an average growth of money which households spend on fresh categories and house brands. Sergey Yashko, vice General Director if GfK Rus, presented the following observations: almost 60% of all expense by the consumer are spent on fresh products; the share of fresh products purchase in traditional trade channel is higher then in contemporary channel: in traditional trade the consumer’s basket is shifted towards such categories as meat/fish and vegetables/fruit, and in contemporary channel – to dairy categories; 27% of all food shopping made by Russian families consist of fresh products exclusively, and the most actively developing is the segment of cooled/fresh fish (+28%). The main contribution to this growth was made by the traditional trade channel (+31%).
The opening of the Forum was a plenary session called “Where to get quality?!”, that took place in the big hall of “Borodino”. Market leaders: Belaya Dacha, Globus Gourmet, RusProdSoyuz, X5 Retail Group, Akort, Ecocluster – raised the problems of qualityof fresh products, and the possible ways of handling them through regulating the market and relations between suppliers and retailers, and development of logistics and systems of storage and manufacturing.
Speaking about quality, Nikolay Vlasov, vice president of RossAgroSurvey, expressed an opinion that the requirements to certification of products on the judicial level should be as light as possible, in order not to break the rules of competition. The networks in their turn should have an ability to certify the production additionally. Unfortunately, as notes Mr.Vlasov, the current  legislation does not imply any responsibility for giving untruthful information in this sphere, which makes the process of fight with unfair market members ever more difficult.
During the first plenary session, the companies shared their plans for the future, in particular, – Belaya Dacha will launch a plant in Saint-Petersburg, and plans to construct a manufacture in Rostov region – informs Victor Semenov, the founder of the company. Globus Gournet network is regarding proposals for opening new shops not just on the territory of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, but also considers attractive such regions as: Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Sochi.
Among the main topics of the two days of the business-forum the delegates pointed out the following sessions: “Perspective technologies in supplies management (takeover, transhipment, quality control and logistics of fresh and ultrafresh; safety management for products); “Sales concepts of ready-to-eat food (Food-to-go bistros and other formats of trade organization inside the trading hall)”; “Fresh is not a mere gift – how to manage the marginality level”; “Staff that makes products tasty for consumers”; “Development of a private manufacture in a shop (system of kitchen-factory work)”.

The second day of the program was opened by the commercial negotiations of supplies between purchase leaders of retail networks and manufacturers in categories “Fruit/vegetables”, “Dairy”, “Meat/fish/poultry”, “Bread and Bakery”, and also between suppliers of equipment and products for private manufacture, and Heads of Self-produced food Departments in retail networks. The participants of negotiations were: Dixi, Spar Central Russia, Metro Cash&Carry, Vernyi, X5 retail Group, Hyper Globus, TZS System, Bakhetle, O’KAY, Myasnov, Titan, Continent of Taste, Food House, Proviant, Partner-Market, Anix, Palace row, Krasnyi Yar, Makarovskyi, Holiday Classic, Smak, Rost, Horizon, Comandor, Slata, Spar Middle Volga, Lentorg, Gulliver, Karavay, Lama, Molniya (SPAR Chelyabinsk), Guarant of Taste, Soyuz, Svetlyachok, Yelisey, KAK RAZ, Taste House, Telex, Radezh, Intertorg (National Family, Idea, Spar), Kulinarium, RegionMart System (Polyana, Chibis), Samberi, Ukrainian Retail, South Central Prod.
A special Surprize for the Forum delegates were business-trainings: how to control oneself, how to control one’s negative feelings, how the mood influences one’s relations and subordinates – these are the skills that the members could learn at the personal growth workshops. Timur Yadgarov , Head of Leadership Board in High School of BBCG and Vyacheslav Frolov, founder and director of “Business theatre” at MAAT studio school, shared their practice and psychological skills of self-presentation, necessary in the hard job of top-managenent.
Fresh Food Russia 2012 Forum was closed with the speech of special guest Tom Wolf, a world-famous food designer and chief cook, one of the most famous food designers in the world, and founder of  London catering company Blue Food Productions, organizing creative fourchets for celebrities and world premieres, such as “Pirates of the Carribean” and “Alice in Wonderland”. Progressive thinking, new solutions for restaurant areas in supermarkets, and a creative approach to food raised acute interest among the retailers. But few members of the market are now ready to implement such brave ideas in Russian retail yet.

Source: www.fruitnews.ru