I love trade marketing – this year too

A cikk a Trade magazin 2025/4. lapszámában olvasható.

TMK founder Ildikó Kátai opened the conference and the programme was moderated by the other two club founders, Zsuzsanna Hermann and Ágnes Csiby.

Ágnes Csiby, Zsuzsanna Hermann, Ildikó Kátai,
TMK’s founders

Ákos Kozák
director of economic research
Equilibrium Institute

Dr Ákos Kozák, director of economic research at the Equilibrium Institute was the first speaker. He pointed out that the 2025 outlook for the Hungarian economy is a moderate growth, while consumption and investment trends remain volatile.

In 2024 the Hungarian GDP growth was only 0.5%, way below the previously expected 4%. One of the main reasons for the low growth is the sharp decline in investment, which dropped below 20% of GDP by the end of 2024. GDP growth is forecast to reach 2% in 2025 and 2.5% in 2026.

Inflationary pressure remains

As for the inflation, the downward trend of 2024 has come to a halt and the Equilibrium Institute predicts the average inflation to be 4.1% in 2025, rising to 5% in 2026. Export issues are also crucial as the weakness of the German economy doesn’t help the Hungarian industry. Tight monetary policy may slow down growth, but a gradual easing is expected over the year. The stabilisation of the euro exchange rate at 410-420 forints and inflation trends will also be key factors in business decisions. While household consumption grew by 3-4%, its composition is mixed. Demand for services and semi-durable goods drove the growth, while retail in physical stores and the FMCG segment were weak.

EuroShop 2026

Szilvia Máté
managing director
Messe Düsseldorf
Vásárképviselet

Szilvia Máté, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf Trade Fairs introduced EuroShop 2026, the world’s largest retail innovation platform. The 2023 trade show took place on 100,000m², with 1,900 exhibitors from 55 countries and 90,000 visitors. EuroShop 2026 is going to focus on the transformation of retail: digitalisation, smart shopping, AI-based prediction and customer-centric developments.

Kornél Müller
managing director
Törley Sparkling Wine Cellar

According to Kornél Müller, managing director of Törley Sparkling Wine Cellar, the end of the year was basically all about sparkling wine, but the category was practically invisible in the other parts of the year. In order to change this situation, Törley launched its Ice and Ice Pink products in the summer season, benefitting from impulse buying.

The campaign was a clear success, with a major partner chain reporting that sales in its sparkling wine category grew by 7.5% in the off-season, while sales of Törley Ice Pink increased by 78.9%.

A trip down south

János Fábián
general manager
STORCK Spain, Portugal and Latin America

János Fábián, general manager of STORCK Spain, Portugal and Latin America told: in the region trade marketing is driven by strong promotions and a seasonal focus. Spain – a market of 50 million consumers – is dominated by modern retail, with Mercadona leading with a 35% market share. Traditional retail still accounts for 40%, with 350,000 small shops. Promotions dominate the market, e.g. discounts, multipack promotions. In Portugal aggressive high-low promotions are important: high shelf prices are applied for most of the year, followed by seasonal promotions of 50-70%.

Kata Rezsdovics
marketing manager
Nespresso

Kata Rezsdovics, marketing manager of Nespresso in Hungary focused on the brand’s Christmas trade marketing campaign, the main objectives of which were coffee machine and capsule sales, reactivation and new customer acquisition. Nespresso’s business model is based on direct-to-customer sales through its own boutiques, e-commerce platform and customer service.

A good gift takes all

Dóra Csoknyai
trade marketing
manager
Hell Energy

Dóra Csoknyai, senior trade marketing manager of Hell Energy broke the news that the 2024 promotion of the XIXO brand exceeded all expectations. The UEFA EURO 2024 themed campaign made it possible for consumers to play for prizes for 10 weeks: there were prizes 80 drawn per day and the main prize was HUF 10m in cash. Consumer activity was outstanding, with 22,699 code uploads on the most successful day and a record number of uploads in the history of the brand by the end of the campaign. Volume sales grew by 64%, with XIXO moving up to second place in the smaller than one litre soft drink category and becoming the market leader in the canned soft drink category.

Hajni Bedő
brand marketing
manager
Praktiker

Hajni Bedő, brand marketing manager of Praktiker spoke about the combined power of trade and brand marketing, which is particularly important because of the longer decision-making process of customers and the special characteristics of the DIY sector. Praktiker utilises an omnichannel strategy: although customers gather information online, the majority of sales is still realised offline..

A theftproof product display was the solution

Sós Gergely
kereskedelmi vezető
Bosch Elektromos
Kéziszerszám Üzletág

Gergely Sós, country business director of Bosch Power Tools gave a presentation on the company’s trade marketing strategy and challenges. Bosch works with four main sales channels: a specialist dealer network, large stores and hypermarkets (e.g. OBI, Bauhaus, Praktiker), the online market and industrial projects. One of the keys to the large store trade marketing strategy is branded POS presence and creative secondary displays. The introduction of theftproof product displays led to a 40% rise in sales in the measuring tool category in the first months.

Krisztina Szilvási
communications manager
JYSK

JYSK supports store openings with a strong CSR programme: each time a new store opens, it makes a furniture donation worth of HUF 500,000 to local communities through the Sharity platform, with the involvement influencer marketing. So far 77 organisations have applied on the occasion of 8 store openings and more than 44,000 votes have been cast by the public, told communications manager Krisztina Szilvási. The new Store3.0 concept sets out to create a modern customer experience and strengthen the brand.

Retail media is coming up

Iván Rédey
managing director
FullCommerce Consulting

Iván Rédey, managing director of FullCommerce Consulting said: retail media provides retailers and marketplaces with advertising opportunities and data power that build on targeted advertising campaigns and measurement capabilities. The main difference between retail media and traditional trade marketing is the data-driven approach with precise targeting and measurable results. The value of data assets is exceptional, as they provide the opportunity to segment customer profiles, analyse basket value and purchase frequency.

Zoltán Tóth
CEO
DigInStore

Compared to 2023 the TrafikTV network has grown from 650 to 950 stores and the number of shoppers went above 1 million, informed Zoltán Tóth, CEO of DigInStore and owner of TrafikTV. The system is a full retail media platform for both B2C and B2B communication. The TrafikTV system offers smart digital signage solutions that provide the ability to display centrally managed B2C advertising and customisable content for store owners, increasing brand awareness by up to 50%, while impulse purchases can grow by 30%.

Working for success with an omnichannel portfolio

Adrienn Németh
senior retail media lead
Tesco Media/
Dunnhumby media

Adrienn Németh, senior retail media lead of Tesco Media/Dunnhumby media explained that Tesco Media uses a Closed Loop Measurement system that accurately tracks the effectiveness of campaigns, allowing the marketing budget to be optimised. Tesco currently has 198 stores in Hungary and its retail media reaches 62% of households. Tesco Media operates 132 digital displays in 44 Hungarian stores, which help to reach brands in strategic locations such as entrances, gondola ends and the drinks section. Measurements show that the introduction of digital displays has increased sales by 33% and customer engagement by 34%.

Máté Pados
head of chain operations
Patika Management

Together the Alma and Gyöngy Pharmacy chains have more than 800 pharmacies, 600 public pharmacies, having a 26% market share, told Máté Pados, head of chain operations at Patika Management. Currently, the vast majority of pharmacies are part of a franchise network. Central category management also plays a vital role in increasing customer engagement. //

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