In the recent chronicles of consumer goods, the fusion between Supplements Italy, part of 
Italian food union (450 companies) e Federsalus, which brings together 240 national and multinational companies in the food supplements chain under one roof. The sector is vital, so much so that, even in a complex year like 2020, it increased its value by almost 3% on 2019. On the other hand, the latest sector survey by Federsalus documents that the 59% of companies has had growing revenues and an employment rate that – in 90% of cases – increased or remained constant, with a margin on Ebitda that reaches 14.6% and exceeds that of the pharmaceutical industry (12.6 percent).
Modern distribution asked a Germano Scarpa, president of Federsalus, the reasons for an action that gave rise to Supplements & Health, a super association of 690 companies.
What are the reasons for the merger?
This operation brings a considerable advantage both nationally and internationally. This is not a financial merger, but a an alliance that makes it possible to bring a common factor and to make even more visible two associations that both had their own excellencesbut in different ways. Federsalus, born in 1999, has been able, for its part, to aggregate the world of food integration and create culture, through conferences, seminars, webinars and other communication tools. But it is in the Confindustria world, which includes Unione Italiana Food and, therefore, Integratori Italia, that decisions are made that can affect the markets.
What about synergies?
They are fundamental and also natural for two realities that work in the same field and that will therefore create projects that will go far beyond their simple sum. There are no buyers and acquired, but instead there are new opportunities for everyone.
What will be the impact on commercial channels?
The merger between Integratori Italia and Federsalus should not be interpreted in this interpretation, as an advantage or an alignment towards one commercial channel rather than another. Instead, I believe that, by benefiting the entire product category, it will also give our commercial interlocutors greater visibility of the product. On the other hand, the panorama is very varied and includes Large-scale distribution, pharmacies and parapharmacies, sports shops. I add Internet, up by 23%, albeit with still relatively small sales. But beware: e-commerce deserves serious regulation, for example from the logistics side, since we are talking about non-trivial products and, sometimes, with precise conservation rules.
Also for this sector we speak of Italian excellence. Why?
If we think that, given 100 the European supplement market, Italy represents 29 percent, is that most of our companies export more than the 40% of their production to our continent, we realize that the made in Italy industry is the leader. And in fact, even in these problematic years, companies have continued to invest, to carry out research, to concentrate on the well-being of consumers, making a good contribution to our economy and this also because many subjects, fortunately, have not had any particular decreases in turnover and, indeed, they have often managed to grow.
What are the trends?
The food supplements market, developing more and more, obviously grows less than in the past, but in 2021, it stands at around an appreciable +4-5 per cent, reaching a value of 3.7 billion euros. The sector is vibrant, although there are some clouds on the horizon. For example, Northern European nations are competing with the Italians, especially in the segment of herbal products. The new association will be able to make a contribution, keeping the Made in Italy flag high at an international level.
What are the best sellers during the more than 18 months of Covid?
The period pushed up vitamin supplements: indeed some, such as vitamin D, were almost discovered in these circumstances. The lion's share, of course, went to those products that support the immune system and formulations that facilitate and regulate sleep. Certainly the long closure of gyms had an effect on the market, even if many Italians then equipped themselves to play sports at home or outdoors. In short, there has been a certain reshuffling of the cards, but the attention of consumers has certainly not been lacking.
What products do people who are not regular sportsmen use?
For those who are not amateur sportsmen, but are simply satisfied with maintaining a certain physical shape, the most used supplements are saline ones and lactic ferments, given that intestinal well-being has been shown to help physical performance. In any case, I believe that the very wide range of our companies can satisfy many needs and multiple lifestyles.
The latest Federsalus sector survey
