On March 6th, the founding assembly of the Serbian Private Label Association was held in Belgrade, bringing together food manufacturers from Serbia, representatives of retail chains, distributors and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The Association aims to promote and support the development of private label in Serbia, to educate and encourage greater engagement of manufacturers in this segment and to promote Serbia internationally as a favorable destination for the production of private labels. The event was an opportunity to discuss, through a panel discussion, the potential, importance, and perspectives of private label development in Serbia, as well as the reasons for greater involvement of local SMEs.
„Development of branded product is too expensive for most manufacturers. By incorporating private label products into our portfolio, we have created an opportunity to market products without worrying about transportation, branding and marketing, which significantly reduces production costs“, said Marija Milošević, Export and Private Label Manager at Yumis, one of the largest private label manufacturers in Serbia.
„The private label provides consumers with confirmation of product quality and safety, which besides a lower price, is a determining factor when purchasing a product“, said Žarko Malinović, Secretary of Commerce at Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
The gathering on the occasion of the fulfillment of the project „Building market capacities of fruit and vegetable processors through the production of private label for domestic and international retail chains“. The project is implemented by ENECA, with the support of USAID’s Competitive Economy Project and it is designed to strengthen the competitiveness of local food companies in this segment of trade.
„With the arrival of retail chains in Serbia, there is a noticeable upward trend in the purchase of private labels as consumers want more innovative products and a wider range of products. That is why we have established this association as a platform that connects all participants in this segment, thus providing the opportunity to connect domestic producers and retail chains, and increase sales and exports of domestic products”, said Milivoje Jovanović, representative of ENECA and one of the founders of Serbian Private Label Association.