Apr 22, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC — April 22, 2005 — Thousands of new products, a dynamic education program, groundbreaking consumer research and a series of high profile awards programs will highlight the revamped and redefined 2005 FMI Show when the annual three-day convention opens at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center on May 1.

More than 300 companies will be exhibiting at the Show for the first time, with products ranging from food and beverages to less traditional supermarket fare such as cosmetics and clothing. Many hope to be recognized by the nation’s retail buyers and executives, who come to the Show to check out new products and to learn about emerging consumer trends.

Also for the first time, the convention is divided into focused product segment areas: meal solutions, ethnic foods, technology, general merchandise/health and beauty care (GM/HBC) and a general category featuring a mix of consumer products, capital equipment and b-to-b services. FMI attributes a significant jump in the number of companies exhibiting in certain product categories — such as pet and baby care products — to the revised format. Companies representing items as diverse as cosmetics and hardware also see sales potential in the “one stop shopping opportunities” being afforded by today’s supermarkets, largely in response to the demands of time-pressed consumers.

“FMI is excited to bring this new FMI Show and our co-located partner events to the world’s retail decision-makers,” said FMI Senior Vice President Brian Tully. “With many new product categories on display and hundreds of companies exhibiting at the show for the first time ever, the Show will offer a variety of contemporary ideas for growing the customer base and improving top line results.”

“Pet products are an increasingly important category in the supermarket center store, and the FMI Show is a great forum for reaching buyers and other decision-makers” said Sarah Speare, VP Marketing of Chomp, Inc., a first time exhibitor that will be located in the GM/HBC focused product segment area. “We look forward to debuting a new line of front end pet candy products for dogs and cats.”

“We are very pleased to be returning to the FMI Show this year,” stated Randy Rhodes, senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer, American Pride Seafoods, which exhibited with FMI for the first time in 2004 and ended up garnering a product licensing agreement with Disney Consumer Products. “It truly is an unmatched business opportunity.”

In addition to the new exhibitors, hundreds of established companies with popular brand name products will be returning to the show.

More than 40 education sessions with the theme “New Ideas Easy to Apply” will augment the experience, along with an expanded New Product Showcase and three noted awards programs — the global Store Manager Superior Service Awards, the community-minded Neighborhood Partnership Awards and the product-focused Retailer Choice Awards.

New research will be released at the Show. The 2005 editions of two annual reports, Trends in the U.S.: Consumer Attitudes and the Supermarket and Food Marketing Industry Speaks, will be profiled, as well as a new report, El Mercado, which focuses on the shopping behaviors of U.S. Hispanics.

Joining the FMI Show four additional food industry events: the United Produce Conference & Expo, presented by the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association (UFFVA); All Things Organic, presented by the Organic Trade Association; the Fancy Food Show, presented by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), and the U.S. Food Export Showcase, presented by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The 2005 FMI Show opens Sunday morning, May 1, and continues through Tuesday afternoon, May 3. The event is closed to the public. Click here for details: http://www.fmishow.com.