Palatinose - Soft Drinks International

46 EVEnT PrEVIEW
Soft Drinks International – February 2011
IFE 2011
the international food and
drink event
More than 1,100
organisations
will be on show
at London’s
ExCel centre.
The UK grocery industry is booming. The last
10 years have witnessed steady growth in the
sector, with market value rising from £96.6 billion
in 1999 to a staggering £146.3 billion last
year. Indeed, food and drink expenditure now
accounts for 52p in every £1 of retail spending.
And it’s not difficult to work out how this
increase has come about. There are currently
almost 100,000 grocery stores in the UK alone,
comprising convenience outlets, traditional
retail areas, hypermarkets, supermarkets and
superstores as well as online channels, all offering
consumers the chance to snap up the latest
food and drink products to hit the shelves. With
consumer confidence growing again, the recessionary
pressures of 2009 are beginning to seem
like a distant memory.
However, that’s not to say retailers can sit back
and simply wait for customers to come through
the doors and spend, spend, spend. Despite a
more positive economic outlook, British shoppers
are as mindful as ever about where they are
spending their money. They want to be inspired
by their food and drink and are constantly on the
look out for new products and ideas to expand
their culinary repertoire.
Retailers need to ensure that they have their
fingers on the pulse when it comes to the latest
launches and newest products to market. The
outlet with the best selection of new products,
that anticipates consumers ever-changing tastes,
will ultimately win-out. An easy task, some
might think, given the number of companies
constantly bringing out new brands. However,
with the constant time and financial pressures
that retail buyers are under these days, there
simply isn’t the opportunity for them to go out
hunting for the very latest products to come onto
the market.
Which is why IFE provides the perfect opportunity
for buyers to see all the key players, as
well as small local producers just starting out, all
in one place and at one time. The 2011 instalment
of the industry-leading event will be a veritable
melting pot of products, ideas and
inspiration for buyers all looking to add that crucial
point of difference to their store aisles. Over
1,100 organisations will be on show, all keen for
their products to begin their journeys to retailers’
shelves when the show kicks-off four days on
13th to 16th March 2011 at London’s ExCeL centre.
IFE is the country’s premier food and drink
sourcing event and is expected to be the talk of
the industry when it opens its doors to the trade.
Myriads of never-been-seen-before products will
be launched into the UK arena, all vying for the
attention of an audience expected to top 20,000.
But if you’ve been to IFE in the past and
believe you’ve seen it all before, think again.
This year’s event is returning with a renewed
and revitalised outlook.
IFE11 will play host to its best ‘educational’
programme to-date this year, with a host of brand
new features set to equip visitors with all the
inspiration, knowledge and industry insights
they require to help set their business apart from
the competition in the tough retail world.
What’s new at IFE?
A brand new feature of this year's show is New
Products Live which will comprise three areas,
where visitors can discover the latest innovations
from suppliers. A new product display area
will showcase a range of specially selected products
from 12 categories, including bakery and
confectionery, cheese and dairy, organic and
seafood. During the exhibition, the annual Fresh
Ideas award will be presented to the exhibitor
with the best innovation. Judged independently,
the winner will have its product showcased in