MARCA

Press Release

MARCA BY BOLOGNAFIERE & ADM 2026
RECORD OF VISITORS FOR THE 22nd EDITION OF THE TRADE FAIR CELEBRATING THE COMPLETE PRIVATE LABEL ECOSYSTEM

Sold-out exhibition space and +9% visitors for the BolognaFiere & ADM event, confirming the strategic role of Private Label: over 30% market share, tangible support for the purchasing power of Italian households, and added value generated equal to 10% of Italian GDP.

Bologna, 16 January 2026 – The 22nd edition of MARCA by BolognaFiere closed with record-breaking figures: 25,070 professional visitors over the two days of the event, up 9% compared to 2025. A result that marks an all-time high for the trade fair and confirms the central role of the platform within the Italian and European FMCG landscape.

The BolognaFiere halls were sold out (+19% exhibition space), with 1,540 Private Label partner exhibiting companies (+18%), 110 international exhibitors (+25%), 28 DMO retail brands (+4) present with their own stands, more than 5,000 highly qualified buyers and over 300 strategic buyers from 30 foreign countries.

A unique format in the international trade fair panorama: MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM is the only event where retailers and manufacturers exhibit within a collaborative framework, covering the entire Private Label value chain. MARCA Food and MARCA Non-Food for core categories; MARCA Fresh, which in the 2026 edition doubled its exhibition space to 2,500 square metres with over 80 companies, confirming Italian excellence in fresh products; MARCA Tech, focusing on the upstream supply chain with packaging, logistics and retail services.

A high-profile conference programme featuring institutional sessions and round tables dedicated to innovation, sustainability and market scenarios with the leading players in the sector. The opening conference, “Building Trust: the Role of Modern Distribution and Private Label”, featuring the presentation of the 2026 Position Paper prepared by TEHA for ADM – Italian Association of Modern Distribution, certified the role of Private Label as a € 31.5 billion economic pillar, capable of combining the trust of 9 out of 10 Italians with value creation, employment and innovation throughout the Made in Italy supply chain.

The “22nd Marca Report in collaboration with Circana” confirmed the surpassing of the 30% market share threshold, highlighting how Private Label has become a strategic asset driven no longer solely by savings, but by consolidated leadership in over 160 categories and innovation focused on premium and wellness segments.

The Non-Food Observatory curated for MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM by GS1 Italy completed the picture with an analysis of 13 non-food categories, portraying a sector in which Private Label is redefining standards and anticipating consumer trends.

Noteworthy was the participation of CONAI -Italian Packaging Consortium, which, with the conference “Companies and DMO: new challenges and responsibilities towards the PPWR”, placed the new European Packaging Regulation at the centre of the debate, offering operators practical tools to address regulatory compliance challenges.

Also of note was the presentation of the “Manifesto for Gender Economic Justice”, signed at MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM by around twenty entities, associations and institutions supporting female participation in the world of economics and entrepreneurship. Born from dialogue with AS.DON.O, the Italian Association of Women in Fruit and Vegetables, and promoted by AIDDA ETS (Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders) Emilia-Romagna delegation and CEFA NGO, with the organisation of the Laboratorio delle Idee and MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM, the Manifesto aims to have an immediate impact on decision-making processes and to encourage more inclusive policies for real equity in the workplace.

Innovation, finally, found its highest expression in the new MARCA Trend concept, the observatory that hosted the innovation showcases of the 28 retail brands, together with over 300 products shortlisted for the MARCA Awards. Prestigious recognitions that rewarded excellence through two categories: Best Innovation Product, dedicated to the most advanced solutions in 5 categories representing the main growth drivers of Private Label, and Best Copacker Profile, recognising the industrial reliability of manufacturing partners across 9 product categories.

The growing international outlook of MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM was confirmed by the International Buyers Program carried out in collaboration with ICE Agency: the day of 13 January, dedicated exclusively to business matching, facilitated highly effective meetings between international buyers and exhibitors ahead of the official opening. The figures confirm the programme’s success: +7% VIP international buyers, +7% exhibitors active on the B2B matching platform, +13% meetings organised.

The 22nd edition of MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM closes with results beyond expectations and an increasingly clear direction,” comments Rossano Bozzi, Director of the BolognaFiere Business Unit. “We have confirmed MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM as a system platform for Private Label: an ecosystem where industry and distribution engage in dialogue, innovate and generate value along the entire supply chain. The quality of meetings, international participation and the dynamism of exhibitors testify to the centrality of Private Label, which today represents one of the strategic engines both in the agri-food sector and in Italian non-food, capable of combining competitiveness, innovation, sustainability and attention to the consumer. This success is the result of a mature and collaborative community, and of the partnership with ADM, which strengthens the positioning of the event as a leading reference point in Europe.”

Over 25,000 operators from agri-food production, processing industry and distribution took part in MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM 2026, confirming the relevance achieved by Private Label products in our economy,” underlines Mauro Lusetti, President of ADM. “I thank the exhibitors and the BolognaFiere organisation, who built this success together with ADM. I also thank the representatives of the Government and Institutions who attended MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM, demonstrating their support for a sector that is growing, including in international markets. I am confident that the momentum of Private Label products and the companies in their supply chains will continue in 2026, and I invite everyone to join us next January to meet again and discuss innovation, value for money and sustainability at MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM 2027.”

Concrete solidarity: exhibited products become support for the local community
At the end of the event, the food and non-food products that exhibitors choose not to take back will be donated to the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Bologna. Thanks to the collection points set up in all exhibition halls, the donated goods will help support people in need in the Bologna area for approximately one month. An initiative that translates into a concrete gesture the bond between MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM and the community that hosts it.

With the close of the Bologna edition, the platform does not stop and continues to foster connections between Industry and Retail at upcoming international events: MARCA Poland (21–22 April 2026, second edition) and MARCA China (8–9 September 2026, fifth edition).

A network that consolidates MARCA’s role as a permanent Private Label laboratory, active 365 days a year in building new relationships, anticipating trends and generating concrete business opportunities.

See you in Bologna for MARCA by BolognaFiere & ADM 2027 on 13 and 14 January!

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