Atlante at Marca 2026: Meetings, Vision, and Assortments

Marca 2026 represented much more than just an exhibition for Atlante. As the first of a series of international trade fairs the company will attend throughout the year, Marca served as a key moment for direct dialogue with customers, production partners, and supply chain stakeholders, within a retail food market undergoing profound transformation.

It was an opportunity to showcase the product innovations of 2026, but also to share a clear understanding of the market and emerging trends, in an open dialogue that begins at the point of sale and extends to assortment decisions.

A shared understanding of a complex Market

“Marca is always an important moment for listening and building relationships,” explains Elisa Tura, Chief Marketing Officer at Atlante. “It’s the place where we meet clients and production partners to discuss not just the products but, more importantly, how consumption is evolving and how to translate these changes into concrete proposals.”

As emphasized by Natasha Linhart, CEO of Atlante, today’s dialogue requires an ever-greater capacity to understand complexity. “The challenge for 2026 is to identify upcoming opportunities within a complex landscape, working as a seamless supply chain from start to finish. Only through a deep understanding of what is happening can we build long-term value.”

🎥 Marca 2026 Recap Video

Key Market signals in the Food Sector

Walking through the pavilions, the sentiment was clear: food is experiencing a consolidation phase. Gone are the days of fleeting micro-trends; today’s choices are driven by perceived quality, wellness, and alignment with personal lifestyles.

“As we approached 2025, we began to see macro-trends which are now becoming structural,” explains Giovanna Chiarini, Commercial Director for Italy at Atlante. “Health and wellness, a more mature plant-based sector, sustainability, and waste reduction are overarching themes that span categories and increasingly influence purchasing decisions.”

Alongside these trends, there is growing interest in global flavors and ethnic foods, no longer seen as occasional experiences but integrated into everyday habits. This evolution reflects more informed, attentive, and experimental consumers, who are also becoming more demanding in terms of quality and value.

Categories, assortments, and new consumption habits

La Against this backdrop, Atlante presented at Marca a proposal built to directly respond to these demands. The focus on wellness is evident in the structured approach to categories such as free-from, lactose-free, and plant-based products, while the dairy sector continues to evolve with formats and solutions that prioritize quality and frequent consumption.

As Atlante’s Category Managers emphasize, the market rewards qualitative choices and more targeted assortments, with formats designed for conscious consumption and a greater emphasis on value. At the same time, the focus on ethnic specialties, world breads, and snack offerings reflects an increasing demand for products that bring home the taste experiences of travel or dining out.

Atlante as a competency platform

Marca 2026 also highlighted another key element of the Atlante model: the integrated work between the commercial, category, and food service teams. Different teams with specialized expertise and approaches, united by a common direction.

“Starting from the point of sale, from the consumer, and from trends to build consistent and sustainable proposals over time,” emphasizes Giovanna Chiarini. This cross-functional approach enables Atlante to read the market systemically, transforming insights and data into assortments that generate real value for retail.

The 2026 Challenges for Food Retail

Marca 2026 confirmed that the upcoming months will increasingly center on the ability to engage in dialogue across the entire supply chain. Transparency, collaboration, and a shared understanding of the ongoing changes are becoming fundamental elements for navigating a complex market filled with opportunities.

“Only those who can maintain open and continuous dialogue will be able to overcome the new challenges,” concludes Natasha Linhart. This is the vision Atlante is committed to, with the goal of being not just a supplier, but a strategic partner for modern distribution.