The Best Retail Trade Shows To Visit In 2023

In this compilation, we look ahead to the must-attend retail and food industry trade fairs taking place in 2023, in chronological order.

Marca by BolognaFiere

18-19 January 2023, Bologna, Italy

One of the biggest private-label trade fairs in Europe, Marca by BolognaFiere returns to the Emilia-Romagna city in January 2023, on the back of a 2022 edition that welcomed close to 850 exhibitors and more than 10,000 visitors.

Covering the entire food and non-food spectrum, the fair is also home to two dedicated themed areas – Marca Fresh, which explores sustainable innovation in the fruit and vegetable sector, and Marca Tech, a hub for companies looking to keep up to date with the latest technological innovations influencing private-label development.

For more information, visit www.marca.bolognafiere.it.

Fruit Logistica

8-10 February 2023, Berlin, Germany

The meeting point for the fresh produce trade, Fruit Logistica is set to welcome exhibitors from more than 90 countries and trade visitors from across the world to experience the latest innovations, products and services that are driving the global fresh produce industry.

In addition, an extensive content programme includes the Fresh Produce Forum, Future Lab, Logistics Hub, Tech Stage, Start-up Stage and more. At Fruit Logistica 2022, some 3,300 exhibitors took part, while 73,000 visitors were in attendance, hailing from 135 countries.

For more information, visit www.fruitlogistica.com.

EuroShop

26 February-2 March 2023, Düsseldorf, Germany

Taking place every three years, and covering some 125,000 square metres of floor space, EuroShop is the world’s biggest retail trade fair. The last edition, in 2020, welcomed around 2,300 exhibitors and 94,000 trade visitors, and the 2023 edition, which takes place from 26 February to 2 March, looks set to exceed that.

Set across eight ‘dimensions’, including Shop Fitting, Store Design & Visual Merchandising; Lighting; Materials & Surfaces; Retail Technology; Retail Marketing; Expo & Event Marketing; Food Service Equipment; and Refrigeration & Energy Management, EuroShop is an accelerator for the digitalisation of retail, and offers valuable insight as to the technological innovations that are shaping the sector.

For more information, visit www.euroshop-tradefair.com.

Food Expo Greece

18-20 March 2023, Athens, Greece

Showcasing both the best of Greece and overseas, Food Expo returns to the Metropolitan Expo centre in Athens in March 2023 with what promises to be its biggest edition to date – more than 1,300 exhibitors are expected (including 280 from overseas), along with more than 30,000 visitors.

Around 3,400 international buyers are expected to attend, and Food Expo has established an extensive hosted buyer programme, which will see 17,000 meetings take place, as well as a supporting digital platform. Elsewhere, the Oenotelia exhibition offers the opportunity for visitors to experience the variety of the Greek wine sector.

For more information, visit www.foodexpo.gr.

ProWein

March 19-21. 2023, Düsseldorf, Germany

ProWein 2023 will follow on from the success story of the past 28 years and confirm its leading role as the world’s biggest and most relevant trade fair for wines and spirits once again.

n excess of 6,000 exhibitors from over 60 countries will be showcasing their ranges in 13 halls of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre.

As good as all wine-growing nations will be represented at ProWein in March 2023. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – which were not represented at this year’s fair owing to Covid – will again present themselves with joint pavilions to the global audience. Also on site will be other New World nations and/or regions such as Argentina, Chile, China, the USA with California. The European wine nations – be they represented by growing regions, individual vintners or vintner cooperatives – will also be leveraging ProWein: Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, and many other East European nations such as Georgia, to name but the top ten.

For more information, please, visit www.prowein.com

Natural & Organic Products Europe

16-17 April 2023, London, UK

Taking place in April at ExCel London, Natural & Organic Products Europe is the must-attend trade fair for the natural products, health food and organic industries.

The show is split across four sectors – at The Natural Food Show, attendees can experience the latest product developments from natural and organic food and drink brands, while Natural Beauty & Spa, showcases natural and organic beauty products. Elsewhere, Natural Living brings together products made with respect for the natural environment, while Health & Nutrition is a one-stop shop for nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, natural healthcare and active health products.

For more information, visit www.naturalproducts.co.uk.

ISM

23-25 April 2023, Cologne, Germany

The world’s largest trade fair for sweets and snacks, ISM takes place alongside ProSweets Cologne in April 2023, at Koelnmesse. Prior to the pandemic, the trade fair welcomed more than 1,700 exhibitors and 38,000 visitors (of which 87.5% were international) through its doors, and the 2023 event is expected to be on a par with that, if not exceed it.

Events taking place during the three days include an Expert Stage, the Halal Market, the popular New Product Showcase and Trend Court areas, and the awarding of the annual ISM Award.

For more information, visit www.ism-cologne.com.

PLMA ‘World of Private Label’

23-24 May 2023, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

For more than 35 years, PLMA’s annual ‘World of Private Label’ has showcased the latest innovations in store brands from around the world, and has developed into a must-attend event for retailers and suppliers alike.

Some 2,500 exhibitors are expected at the event, along with as many as 20,000 private-label professionals, including more than 10,000 retail representatives. Divided into food and non-food segments, products on display will include private-label concepts in fresh, frozen and refrigerated foods, dry grocery and beverages as well as cosmetics, health and beauty, household and DIY.

For more information, visit www.plmainternational.com.

The Sweets & Snacks Expo

22-25 May 2023, Chicago, USA

Taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, the Sweets & Snacks Expo brings together leading confectionery and snacks manufacturers from around the world, from global players to up-and-coming innovators.

At the 2023 event, taking place next May, more than 15,000 category leaders and retailers will be in attendance to discover the latest innovations in specialty, gourmet, organic and classic candies, as well as chips, nuts, sweet snacks, jerky, pretzels and more.

For more information, visit sweetsandsnacks.com.

Free From Functional & Health Ingredients Expo

30-31 May, Barcelona, Spain

The leading trade show at which to discover the latest trends in free-from, plant based, vegan, healthy and organic products, the Free From Functional & Health Ingredients Expo returns to Fira Barcelona at the end of May 2023.

Free From Functional & Health Ingredients Expo recently celebrated its tenth anniversary at a bustling trade fair in Amsterdam, which was attended by more than 5,400 visitors from over 60 countries, including representatives from top retailers such as Lidl, Aldi, SPAR, Carrefour and more.

Also keep an eye out for the Amsterdam edition of the Free From Functional & Health Ingredients Expo, set to take place on 21-22 November at RAI Amsterdam.

For more information, visit barcelona.freefromfoodexpo.com.

IDDBA 2023

4-6 June 2023, Anaheim, USA

Organised by the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association, IDDBA is one of the largest trade shows dedicated to the dairy, deli, bakery, and foodservice industries. Taking place in Anaheim, California, this year’s event welcomed retail attendees from 90 out of the 100 top-ranked supermarkets and grocery chains, representing almost 30,000 stores with total category sales of more than $153 billion (€145.8 billion).

IDDBA members include more than 1,500 companies, ranging from small independents to the world’s largest corporations.

For more information, visit www.iddba.org.

Organic Food Iberia/Eco Living Iberia

7-8 June 2023, Madrid, Spain

The largest organic trade event in the Iberian peninsula, Organic Food Iberia is an essential event for trade buyers, retailers and foodservice professionals looking to source the best organic food and drink products. Taking place in June in IFEMA Madrid, more than 500 exhibitors are expected, showcasing the latest organic innovations from Spain, Portugal and further afield.

Organic Food Iberia is co-located with Eco Living Iberia, the only dedicated Iberian trade show for natural and sustainable products.

For more information, visit www.organicfoodiberia.com.

VertiFarm

26-28 September 2023, Dortmund, Germany

VertiFarm, which focuses on next-level farming and new food systems, held its first edition at Messe Dortmund in September 2022 with more than 70 exhibitors from 17 countries in attendance, and such is the level of interest in this growing sector that the 2023 edition is set to significantly surpass that.

As with the 2022 edition, VertiFarm 2023 is expected to be complemented by a supporting programme of keynote talks and panel discussions, including the AVF Summit, The Retail Day, and much more.

For more information, visit www.vertifarm.de.

Fruit Attraction

3-5 October 2023, Madrid, Spain

Organised by IFEMA Madrid and FEPEX, Fruit Attraction is a point of reference for those involved in the fruit and vegetable sector, showcasing the latest products and varieties from across the world of fresh produce. Some 1,800 exhibitors took part in the last edition (from 57 different countries), while 90,000 visitors were in attendance.

Additional extras include The Innovation Hub, which acknowledges innovation in the fruit and vegetable segment, as well as a variety of on-site conferences, such as the Fresh Food Logistics Summit, Biofruit Congress and Grape Attraction Congress.

For more information, visit www.ifema.es/en/fruit-attraction.

Anuga

7-10 October 2023, Cologne, Germany

They don’t get much bigger than Anuga, the world’s largest food trade fair, which returns to Koelnmesse from 7 to 10 October, boasting its unique ‘ten trade shows in one’ concept as well as a myriad of conferences and on-site events.

According to the organisers, more than 90% of the exhibition space at Anuga 2023 has already been booked, while country pavilions are expected from the likes of Germany, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, China, France, the US and Belgium, among others.

For more information, visit www.anuga.com.

Nordic Organic Food Fair/Eco Living Scandinavia

15-16 November 2023, Malmö, Sweden

Scandinavia’s biggest natural and organic trade event, the Nordic Organic Food Fair is aimed at trade buyers looking to source the latest innovations in certified organic food and drink. The trade fair recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, and has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with its most recent edition welcoming 500 exhibitors.

The Nordic Organic Food Fair is co-located with Eco Living Scandinavia, the largest sustainable B2B event in the Nordic countries, specialising in the healthy living, nutrition, natural beauty and self-care sectors.

For more information, visit www.nordicorganicexpo.com.

Plant Based World Expo Europe

15-16 November 2023, London, UK

Plant Based World Expo Europe is set to take place at ExCel London on 15-16 November 2023, on the back of a 2022 edition that saw a 94% increase in attendees, year-on-year, highlighting the rapidly-growing nature of the plant-based sector.

Europe’s only dedicated plant-based trade event welcomed more than 150 exhibitors from around the world at its most recent edition, with senior decision-makers from the likes of Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Morrisons, Waitrose, and Sodexo among the high-profile attendees.

For more information, visit www.plantbasedworldeurope.com.