Food brands: Italy's value grows in the global decline. Barilla in the top ten

Globally, Italian food brands are still far from the top spots in terms of value, but perform better than average, gaining positions. In the top 100, Italian brands rise from 4 to 9 and their value weight increases from 4% to 7%. And with the Barilla brand, Italy enters the top ten for the first time, while Ferrero is present with three brands (Nutella, Kinder and Ferrero Rocher).

This is the picture drawn by the consulting firm Brand Finance, according to which "almost all major Italian food brands have increased their value by double digits, while the overall value of the world's top 100 brands has decreased by 6%".

A contraction that, according to analysts, is due to the crisis in China, to price increases and, to a large extent, to changes in consumer preferences, "increasingly in search of quality products, a trend that penalises the large American multinationals, which dominate the food sector".

"The quality of the products, the excellent image of Italy in the world, and the effectiveness of the export policies of Italian brands are the factors that have contributed to the great increase in the value of our trademarks," comments Massimo Pizzo, senior consultant at Brand Finance. "Italian brands had never achieved these results, despite the fact that Italian food is the most loved in the world, as emerged again this year from Brand Finance research.

The Barilla group's brand, which also includes Mulino Bianco, with a value of almost $5 billion, is the most valuable Italian brand, climbing four places in the international rankings to 9th place thanks to growth of 21% per year. "Barilla's performance is mainly due to the significant strengthening of the brand's level of influence among Italian consumers," say Brand Finance.