November 2014

One of our stops was at Sillico a small village of less than 100 people in the Apennines at the back of Lucca in Garfaganana, Italy. Like many small communities it needed to focus on an identity to survive, many small villages in this part of the world are literally dying as the young people […]

During this tour I have seen a blending of autumn displays blending into Christmas promotions and wonder if this will continue to be a trend. Pumpkins are an ideal product for getting the autumn feel across, at our hotel in Torino they were used as part of an autumn floral decoration.    

The main reason Linda and I wanted to be in Torino in late October was to visit “Salone Internationale del Gusto…Terra Madre” which is organised by the Slow Food Movement. This organisation has come a long way since Carlo Petrini objected to McDonalds setting up a store in Rome and felt something needed to be

Those who read my October newsletter will remember the Dutch retail food offer I mentioned that was being developed based on an Italian model. That retailer was Eataly. One of the top food retailers in Italy is Eataly, which is located in a old warehouse next to the Fiat factory complex in Torino close to

Research conducted in 2013 by Gallo wines indicated that 32% of growth in sales come from new products. It would be interesting to find if this relates to all products retailed, it does show the “power of new“.