In its first year, the Mercabarna Trends Observatory has promoted various studies on the trade and consumption of fresh produce. In its last presentation of the year, entitled "The ethnic buyer: new sales trends", which took place on 2 December, the results of the "The food distribution channel run by foreigners" study was presented.

The research, prepared by the Psyma company, demonstrated the growing importance of foreign shopkeepers in Barcelona and its metropolitan area, where these make up 18.5% of the owners of the food retail establishments, around 2,660 in total.

Mercabarna's CEO, Josep Tejedo, introduced the workshop by highlighting the change in the industry in the last few years, where the presence of immigrants is intensifying. For this reason, Tejedo stressed that the study is an essential tool to understand the current situation and "to get to know first-hand what the purchasing needs are and what the future trends will be".

The analysis highlights that Mercabarna is known by the majority of the owners of this type of retail establishments, in addition to being the main supply channel for the majority of products. With regard to the Food Unit, the variety of assortment and the value for money ratio of the products that are sold by these retailers is highlighted.

One year of the Trends Observatory

Since its launch, the Mercabarna Trends Observatory has been committed to carrying out an in-depth analysis of changes and trends in the food sector. The studies are designed as a tool to be used by the companies of the Food Unit, to understand the situation of the sector, how it may affect their business model and, consequently, to help them be able to improve their competitiveness.

The other issues addressed during 2015 have been the application of e-commerce in the marketing of fresh products and business opportunities linked to the rise in consumption of ecological food.