International market development body for the UK food and drink industry Food from Britain (FFB) will be bringing experts from two emerging markets to the Food & Drink Expo Briefing Theatre in Birmingham, on April 7.

Leading Indian retailer Reliance Fresh, will join Tim Lamb from Red Consulting, FFB’s associate in Russia, and Ruth O’Connor, FFB development markets executive, to give their views on the development of the modern retail format in India and Russia at the exhibition.

Russia and India are the newest markets on FFB’s radar of emerging markets offering exciting opportunities for UK food and drink suppliers. The Russian and Indian economies grew by an average 6.9 per cent and 8.4 per cent respectively since 2002 and both countries are witnessing the emergence of an affluent middle class, with an appetite for interesting, high-quality food and drink.

O’Connor said: “I would urge UK food and drink companies interested in exploring their potential in these exciting markets to hear what FFB and Reliance Fresh have to say. Improvements to the supply chain, particularly in India, have made these huge populations accessible to British manufacturers, at a time when their purchasing power is growing at an unprecedented rate.”

FFB will also be bringing a delegation of buyers and distributors from Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to meet UK companies at Food & Drink Expo, which runs from April 6-9 at the NEC Birmingham.

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