The rise of supermarkets, in the 1990s, had us sacrificing entire weekends at large retail outlets for our weekly grocery shopping; a trend that culminated in the shut-down of some of the oldest local delis shops present in the neighbourhood for generations.
In the name of progress, we changed our grocery shopping habits
In the picture: local food shop Nicola Stivaletta in Vasto, Italy in the '50s and dairy food shop Maltagliati in Milan, opened in the 19th Century.
The mass-market retail trade has filled consumers' pantries with a variety of new food products, thanks to the so-called delocalization of tastes triggered by the advent of commercial refrigeration in 1900. The offer on supermarkets shelves is vast and boasts products from all over the world, a choice so wide that’s confusing thus diverting consumers towards the commercially leading product, rather than to the qualitatively superior one.
The structure of supermarkets is designed to make us spend more, with the result that we often return home with several unnecessary purchases of dubious quality.
But for a few years now, the trend has been changing and we are witnessing a rediscovery of values, a sense of community that has led to the rise of stores, delicatessens, grocery stores, butchers, bakers, greengrocers, and that is, the entire category of small neighbourhood shops which have experienced significant growth, especially since the first Italian lockdown in March 2020.
To document the relaunch of the local economy as a long-term trend, we can read the numbers: the sales of greengrocers reached peaks of 80% more than the previous year, +30% for butchers and doubled profits of grocery stores and delis.
19.7% of Italians have rediscovered the values linked to the neighbourhood delis
Today, choosing shop on the doorstep means reducing travel to a minimum and avoiding crowded supermarkets, but above all, it means choosing to consciously buy quality goods produced locally.
Especially in this tough historical stage, during which social relationships have been reduced to a minimum, that consumers have found the human factor in their district’s food shops. An important aspect that merchants were able to transform into customer loyalty, also thanks to the consumers’ growing knowledge regarding the quality of the products they purchase.
Customers demand for a fair supply chain and niche products
Supporting local delis merchants means relying on their expertise to recommend us with local goods guaranteed by a fair and controlled supply chain, and therefore of qualitatively superior. These type of groceries require specific conservation methods.
Mondial Framec’s wide offer meets the food conservation needs of mini markets and small retail businesses, with a range of products specifically designed for them: highly-performing, versatile and alluring.
Performing, like Supersunny
The wall-site display case with sliding doors that guarantees maximum product visibility by exploiting all 3 windows-sides at its disposal to transform itself into a showcase. Thanks to a temperature range that goes from 0°C to +10°C, Supersunny is ideal for storing any type of fresh food: meat, dairy products, cold cuts, vegetables, seafood or milk.
Equipped with spacious 48 cm deep shelves for maximum display and storage capacity, Supersunny represents the perfect commercial ally also in terms of energy efficiency, allowing its owners to save up to € 1,250 per year on energy bills thanks to its special R290 technology.
Versatile, like Domino
The paradise of cold: a robust negative glass island with curved glass and time-tested performance. Domino is ideal for storing any type of fresh and frozen food thanks to its temperature range from -25°C to +5°C.
Equipped with standard LED lights to highlight the products displayed inside, Domino is so versatile that it can be used stand-alone or to compose small display islands by placing one next to the other.
Persuasive, like Sunny
Designed to serve the customers of mini markets, delis, grocery stores and food retailers of all kinds, Sunny is a ventilated wall display case that is perfect for storing meat, seafood, fresh products, cold cuts, dairy products, sliced meats and vegetables thanks to the two versions: Sunny CP (view details) +0°C / +2°C or Sunny SL (view details) +2°C / +4°C.
With an open, consumer-friendly design to entice purchasing, its anti-ageing structure is made to resist wear and tear over the years. Designed to highlight the seasonality of the products on sale, Sunny is the ideal product for fast-purchases: use it as a showcase to highlight your leading products or a special offer.
Our years-long experience in the commercial refrigeration sector taught us that some values will never vanish, and for Mondial Framec supplying small food retailers, means promoting local goods-production and fostering the local economiy's development by encouraging a social identity linked to livability and quality of life.
Posted on: 30 November 2020
Categories:
Insights