129th Markant Trade Forum
It is the vibrant industry gathering for suppliers and retailers: the Markant Retail Forum. For its 129th edition, around 1,800 attendees visited the trade fair in Karlsruhe on 25 and 26 March. 308 exhibitors presented new products there, including industry leaders, as well as 41 first-time exhibitors and 22 start-ups.
This offered retailers from the food retail and drugstore sectors a diverse trade fair experience.
Foodservice-Spezial has established itself
Following its successful debut last year, the Foodservice-Special was once again integrated into the spring edition of the Markant Handelsforum. 80 additional retail contacts from GV Food Union and 44 exhibitors demonstrated continued strong interest in this key theme.
Retail Forum INSIGHTS: Crises, perspectives and opportunities
Traditionally, the first day of the trade fair begins with inspiring insights at the Handelsforum INSIGHTS. Three fascinating specialist presentations provided a wide range of insights into current topics. Under the title “Germany 2026 – Prospects for a Country in Transition”, RTL’s Head of Politics Nikolaus Blome delivered a perceptive analysis of current and future developments in Germany. In “Beyond Resilience: Why Antifragility is Becoming a Success Factor”, entrepreneur and speed climber Benedikt Böhm explored the opportunities that companies can capitalise on in an environment characterised by crises and uncertainty. With captivating insights into “Crime in Times of Geopolitical Tensions and Multiple Crises”, Prof. Dr Jürgen Stock, former Vice-President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, held the audience’s undivided attention.
Retail Forum NIGHT: Spring Awakens
The first day of the fair came to a successful close with a traditional edition of Handelsforum NIGHT. Under the motto “Spring Festival”, the garden hall of the congress centre was transformed into an atmospheric marquee filled with hearty specialities and Oktoberfest music from the band DIE KIRCHDORFER.
Start-up Arena: Focus on Founders
22 up-and-coming companies in the start-up zone and ten innovative pitches in the voilà! start-up arena: the Markant Retail Forum also offers young companies an attractive platform to make the leap onto retailers’ shelves. The title of ‘Most Distinctive Start-up’ goes to Johnny Cashew, or rather Korosho. With a compelling pitch centred on their innovative cashew creations, the brand left a lasting impression on the retailers on the voilà! jury. In addition to an article in Markant magazine ONE and a free stand at the 130th Markant Retail Forum, the start-up can look forward to meetings with retailers K+K and Bünting. Other start-ups were also successful with their pitches: Cocodo, Infinite Roots, KOA, Corridge, and OYL secured vouchers for meetings with retailers.
A look ahead to the 130th Retail Forum:
The date for the 130th Markant Retail Forum has already been set: on 23 and 24 September 2026, Markant will once again be hosting the event at the exhibition centre in Karlsruhe.
Impressions
