Differences between Italian specialty milk in large-scale retailing distribution

Abstract

The specialty milk market in Italy has shown positive trends in recent years. Companies, from small producers to market leaders, continue to invest in differentiating their product lines, increasingly orienting their production choices towards specialties linked to sustainability and health benefits. This trend not only meets the needs of consumers, who are increasingly attentive to sustainable and healthy foods, but it also has a significant impact on the production and profitability of milk companies. Thus, this research aims to analyse the composition of specialty cow milk assortments in different large-scale retail (LSR) stores in North-West Italy. The objectives were to define the assortment depth of sustainable and health-focused milk categories, as well as the marketing policies currently applied in the LSR market for such products. Differences in the assortment of seven specialty product categories were evaluated with regard to brands, milk origin and packaging material, using the Correspondence Analysis. Price differences between product categories were analysed using ANOVA and comparing the product brands and the different formats of large-scale retailers. The main results highlight the key characteristics and differences of the specialty milk supply, taking into consideration the main sales channel of this type of product.