Category: Global

October 15, 2024
Infinitus food industry

Webinar ideal for:

Food producers, food suppliers or distributors looking to enter the North American market.

The North American Food market amounts to US$831.80 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow annually by 4.06% (CAGR 2024-2029)

Expo West on its side had more than 60,000 registered attendees in 2023 and it is considered the “Super Bowl” of the natural consumer products industry!

Join our exclusive webinar to discover:

  • Key strategies for entering the North American market
  • Innovative logistical solutions tailored for European businesses
  • A special, low-cost opportunity to attend Expo West, the largest food expo in North America

Don’t miss this chance to expand your business horizons!

Infinitus Consulting offers to new customers an innovative plan which includes:

  • 30 minutes free consulting for all new customers in:

Food safety

Compliance or CSR

  • Exhibit at Expo West in Anaheim in March 2025!
  • Sales & marketing management in North America and internationally.

Infinitus offers a full solution to companies looking to expand internationally:

  • Infinitus has been in the Canadian market since 2003.
  • Infinitus has the focus to help food and healthcare SME to explore, open, and expand new markets.
  • Infinitus has helped companies in Canada, Europe, and Middle Eastern companies to grow.

Grow your business internationally! Infinitus Consulting offers and innovative plan which includes:

  • One month free for lead generation and working plan creation.
  • 30 minutes free consulting in food safety, compliance or CSR.
  • Monthly satisfaction guaranteed based on mutually agreed objectives.

 

Webinar

Wednesday, October 30th at 15:00 Central European Time CET

Register now to secure your spot!

Please, set a call at your convenience for a one to one meeting

For a one to one meeting set a call!
September 2, 2024
Capital investments in Latin America in 2021 - 2023

Latin America Region General Data 

 

  • International Investors and the Rise of Latin America’s Venture Capital Market

 

  • According to the most recent data from LAVCA, venture capital investments in Latin America reached a total of USD 7.8 billion in 2022, distributed across 1,114 transactions, with Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia accounting for 77% of all investments in the region.

 

  • International investors are a significant force driving the growth of VC flows in Latam.

 

  • Under the ‘protecting minority investors’ criterion, Mexico and Brazil ranked at the 61st position. In the ‘enforcing contracts’ criterion, Mexico was ranked 43rd, Brazil at 58th, and Colombia at 177th.

 

  • The approximate health spending in the Latin American and Caribbean region in 2023, converted to US dollars, was around $334.20 per capita (population in Latin America and the Caribbean is 670,000,000 habitants).

 

  • 25% of all hospitals in the world, are located in Latin America.

 

  • 95% of medical devices sold in Latin America are imported.

 

  • In Latin America, the revenue of the medical technology market was estimated at more than 44 billion U.S. dollars in 2023

 

SOURCE:

  1. Global Health Intelligence and OCDE
  2. Venture Capital in Latin America

 

December 26, 2019
Blog_ChristmasConsumerism

It is well known that the Christmas season is the strongest in relation to consumerism. The Christmas period collects the highest levels of spending each year, on a large majority of products; fashion, leisure, gift, food and drinks, etc.

 

These are some of the trends that are expected this year:

 

Online Shopping

Due to the stress that Christmas shopping can cause (largely caused by the large number of people trying to shop in commercial stores). According to a study by Ipsos and commissioned by PayPal, 51% of mobile users still have concerns about security when they buy through their mobile. Knowing that 95% of Spanish consumers buy online, and that 69% pay through the mobile phone, this is a problem that must be addressed.

 

Customer service is key for consideration

According to Criteo, “delivering great experiences at every stage of the customer journey is the best way to get noticed, get traffic, and get sales this Christmas season”.

 

Digital gifts

Digital gifts, such as subscriptions to series and movie or video game platforms, are increasingly present. More and more consumers decide to buy this type of original and different gifts, such as a subscription to Spotify or HBO, e-books or software.

As for the most desired gifts, these items occupy the first places in the list of the most desired:

  • Clothes and footwear
  • Money
  • Books
  • Trips
  • Perfumes and cosmetics
  • Restaurants
  • Smartphones and mobiles
  • Computers
  • Tickets to shows
  • Treatments of beauty, health, spa …

According to Giselle Abramovich from Adobe “The Thanksgiving Through Cyber Monday Weekend Kicks Off Holiday Shopping Mode While shopping did start early this year, the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday accounted for $1 in $5 (19.2%) of total online retail revenue during the holidays.

 

Consumers spent an average 40% more per day during the three weeks after Cyber Monday than the first three weeks of the season. “We saw that holiday sales spiked on key days and then continued to rise until Dec. 21,” Taylor Schreiner (from Adobe) said. “The rising revenue was due to a steady increase in conversion as opposed to consumers spending more per order.” Adobe also found that retailers reached the $100 billion USD mark 11 days earlier in 2018 than they did in 2017 (Dec. 15 versus Dec. 26)”.

 

SOURCES

https://www.criteo.com/insights/holiday-trends-2019/

https://cmo.adobe.com/articles/2019/1/5-holiday-online-shopping-trends-to-guide-your-2019-strategy.html#gs.ke3nun

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/holiday-retail-sales-consumer-survey.html

https://www.strategydrivenmarketing.com/news/2019/9/17/online-holiday-shopping-insights-amp-trends-to-consider-for-2019

December 12, 2019
Blog_CleanTech

Clean technology refers to the products, tools or processes that seek to reduce environmental pollution, and waste. They are elements that hardly require non-renewable resources. It is a very competitive and productive technology that causes less environmental damage than other types of technologies.

 

According to Marketwatch, “High delivery and superior performance can be achieved using clean technology. Also, it improves customer profitability, by carrying out cost reduction and increases revenue. Such type of technologies are used in large number of industries, comprising water, manufacturing, energy, transportation and advanced materials. Instances of clean technologies are solar and wind energy, industrial process controls, hybrid electric vehicles and water filtration. Owing to the large number of environmental benefits, clean technology is considered to be an inherent part of a sustainable economy.

 

Although clean technologies are a worldwide trend, some markets are better prepared for its implementation.

USA

EDC states that “a recent report by BloombergNEF, U.S. investment in clean energy hit US$64.2 billion in 2018, surpassing 2011’s previous high of US$62.3 billion. Almost 80% of Canada’s cleantech exports go to the United States under the CUSMA umbrella. In California, for example, long-standing problems with air quality have led to tight emissions regulations. This is driving cleantech research, development and technology adoption in the electricity and transportation sectors. In addition, the growing stress on California’s water resources is escalating the need for advanced technology for water management and conservation. Canada has expertise in all these areas”.

 

China

According to EDC, “China’s heavy investment in green solutions—nearly $270 billion USD in 2016—flows from the county’s rapid urbanization and from the need for increased sustainability and reduced carbon emissions. Despite this expenditure, however, a large investment gap remains. This is partly because of falling government subsidies and a growing need for industrial-scale remediation. At a conservative estimate, China’s cleantech needs will exceed $290 billion usd annually over the next four years. This will likely be met not only by the country’s own internal resources, but also by purchases from the rest of the world.

There are opportunities for exports in a variety of sectors:

  • air pollution control and air monitoring;
  • industrial air pollution reduction;
  • power plant emissions reduction;
  • solid and hazardous waste management and recycling;
  • municipal water and wastewater treatment and facilities development;
  • groundwater monitoring,
  • pollution prevention and remediation;
  • and environmental engineering and consulting.

Other important markets

Lynn Coté states that:

“Mexico requires water resources equipment and services, as well as products and technologies for solid waste management, soil remediation, recycling and air monitoring.

Australia is developing smart grids and advanced energy storage. In Vietnam, water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management and air pollution control are key needs”.

 

SOURCES

https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/tcs-sdc/sectors-secteurs/climate_finance-financement_international/index.aspx?lang=eng

https://www.edc.ca/en/blog/global-markets-for-cleantech.html

https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/clean-technology-market-size-growth-trends-future-prospects-and-their-contribution-to-the-total-market-2019-08-23

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/clean-technology-market.html

https://www.statista.com/topics/3001/clean-technology-investments/

December 5, 2019
Blog_TopReasonsToExport_Japan

Japan, located in East Asia, has an area of 377,970 km2. With a population of 126,529,100 people, Japan is a very populated country and has a high population density, with 335 inhabitants per km2.

 

Its capital is Tokyo and its currency is Japanese Yen. Japan is the third-largest economy in the world by volume of GDP.

The last annual CPI variation rate published in Japan in October 2019 was 0.2%. Japan is one of the countries with the lowest percentage of unemployed people in the world.

There are several reasons why exporting products and services to Japan:

 

High level of per-capita income

Between 27% and 30% of the per capita income of the Japanese citizen goes to food consumption. Considering that the GDP per capita amounts to USD $ 34,100 per year, the amount of food expenditure per person would range around USD $ 10,000.

 

Restrictions

Exports from Japan are not subject to any restrictions. The "Export Permit" and the "Export Approval" are necessary even if they only concern internationally recognized goods because they are subject to such restrictions (weapons, nuclear energy, missiles, etc.). The restrictions on rice have been lifted.

 

Infrastructure

According to Santander Trade Portal “Japan has 128 ports, including 23 main ports, located along the Japanese coast. Ports are the basis of 99% of Japanese foreign trade and 42% of internal distribution. The 'Three Great Bays' handle about 35% of all sea cargo in Japan. This group includes the port of Tokyo (six ports, including Yokohama and Tokyo), the port of Osaka (five ports including Kobe and Osaka) and the port of Ise (five ports, including Nagoya). In 2014, the transfer of merchandise by air reached 8,662 million tons per kilometer (the sixth highest volume globally)”.

 

Doing business

Japan is in the 39th position of the 190 that make up the Doing Business ranking, which classifies countries according to the ease they offer to do business.

 

Transparency

Japan has obtained 73 points in the Corruption Perception Index published by the Organization for International Transparency, so its inhabitants have a low level of perception of government corruption.

 

SOURCES:

https://www.shippingsolutions.com/blog/exporting-to-japan

https://www.allianceexperts.com/en/knowledge/countries/asia/exports-to-japan/

https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/mar/05/guide-exporting-japan

https://santandertrade.com/en/portal/international-shipments/japan/exporting-products

November 28, 2019
Blog_Why_Export_Croatia

Due to its geographic position and its recent membership to the European Union, Croatia has become an attractive country for investors. Since the country imports twice as much in value as it exports, starting a company in the trade sector can be a profitable decision.

 

Croatia occupies a strategic location at the heart of Central and Eastern Europe. Its economy is gaining strength and it offers a market with significant growth potential.

 

Growing economy

The Croatian economy is one of the most developed in Southeast Europe. It is characterised by an increasing number of vibrant and innovative companies across multiple industry sectors. These internationally competitive businesses have strong growth potential and could be excellent partners for UK suppliers.

 

Emerging Europe

Croatia can act as a gateway to trade with other countries in the Central and Eastern Europe region, a market of over 100 million consumers (World Bank, 2019) which offers great potential for businesses.

 

Main Benefits (according to gov.ok)

  • about 50% of population speak English
  • increasingly sophisticated consumers
  • modern distribution channels
  • equal rights for domestic and foreign private and legal entities
  • guaranteed free transfer of capital and free profit repatriation to investors
  • average gross wages are high in comparison with neighbouring counties

Strengths of the Croatian market include:

  • good transport links
  • highest Internet penetration in southeast Europe
  • well educated workforce
  • stable economy with a stable currency

The U.S. Commercial Service estates that “Croatia is a small and complex market, but plays an important role in the economic and political stability of Southeast Europe. This region, the size of Texas in area, represents a market of roughly 60 million people and over $600 billion in GDP. It has significant growth potential, as its integration process into the European Union continues and as local populations strive to achieve the lifestyle of the more developed Western European countries that have three-four times higher GDP per capita.

 

Croatia is in an excellent geographic position to serve as a regional hub for U.S. companies. Zagreb, its capital, is only about a four-hour drive away to Vienna, Venice, Budapest, or Belgrade, and only a two-hour drive from the beautiful Adriatic coast. Croatia has excellent roads, sound ICT infrastructure, and a competitive white-collar workforce. The quality of life in Croatia is very high: it is a safe country, with tasty food, well-preserved nature, a mild climate, and abundant historical sites and other tourist attractions”.

 

SOURCES:

http://www.worldstopexports.com/croatias-top-10-exports/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exporting-to-croatia/doing-business-in-croatia-croatia-trade-and-export-guide

https://www.great.gov.uk/markets/croatia/

https://www.companyformationcroatia.com/imports-and-exports-in-croatia

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/croatia/231771/PDFs/Croatia%202015%20Country%20Commercial%20Guide.pdf

November 21, 2019
Blog_ConsumerTrends2020

In order to make efficient action plans, companies need to know the forecasts for 2020, the current requirements of the buyer as well as international technological trends.

 

Access to information, being more aware of how we consume and produce, self-sufficiency, authenticity and the search for experiences are some of the trends that will influence consumers during 2019. According to the study on the main consumer trends conducted by Euromonitor International (a market research provider), consumers are looking to reduce consumerism and are starting to move away from media saturation.

 

AGE WON’T MATTER THAT MUCH

The market research firm expects there will be an increase in consumers who do not care about age. Demographic groups such as baby boomers - the generation born between 1946 and 1964 - have shown a fondness for the adoption of new technologies and are redefining age labels and therefore are changing the perception of the subject in their forms of consumption.

 

CONSCIOUS CONSUMER

Consumers will become more aware of the products and brands they consume, particularly those related to animal welfare ethics. The firm foresees a rise in consumers who will look for products that are friendly to the environment, in their dealings with animals and this will impact their way in food consumption and in the purchase of certain products that were previously considered niche.

 

DIGITAL

A greater use of technological tools will expand to other sectors such as health, medicine or work and will cease to be exclusively a tool for entertainment or productivity. The development of technologies linked to virtual reality or augmented reality will help to develop more digitized interpersonal experiences, but also with a lot of potential in other areas.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA

According to Jing Daily, “In 2020 premium brands will go beyond statistics and demographics, offering personalized content based on behavioral data. We will witness how brands will create experience-driven content marketing through customer data integration. Furthermore, luxury brands will take further steps to understand and analyze unstructured data coming from social media, weblogs, and emails, while creating marketing strategies that leverage the power of both structured and unstructured data. It’s safe to say that even in 2020 data analytics will continue to optimize the customer’s experiences and deliver personalization at a larger scale”.

 

A WORLD FREE OF PLASTIC

According to the consumption analysis firm, 63% of food, beverage, beauty products, home care and pet food containers are made of plastic. One of the trends that gained the most weight during 2018 was to start reducing the consumption of plastic as a matter of environmental protection and the consequences of man-made climate change.

 

IMMEDIATE

For Euromonitor, consumers will continue to look for services and platforms that help them meet their needs with a high degree of satisfaction and help them save time in their daily routine.

 

SOURCES:

https://jingdaily.com/luxury-marketing-trends-2020/

https://medium.com/@trustcodes/consumer-trends-that-will-shape-2020-e369d0a481e4

https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/49320-eight-consumer-trends-for-2020

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/341216

https://blog.euromonitor.com/euromonitor-reveals-the-top-10-global-consumer-trends-in-2019/

November 14, 2019
Blog_TopReasons_Export_Netherlands

According to Santader Trade Portal “Dutch prosperity has always been based on its international trade and the geographic location of the country makes it a European trade hub, with Rotterdam being the largest European port. With high-tech industries and services, foreign trade is one of the main pillars of the Dutch economy, representing an impressive 161.2% of GDP in 2017 (World Bank), one of the most open and outward-oriented economies in the world”.

 

World’s top exports states The Netherlands shipped US$723.3 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2018. That dollar amount reflects a 7.5% increase since 2014 and an 11.6% gain from 2017 to 2018 for the economically powerful European Union member.

 

Netherlands has one of the top economies of the world and it is one of the world’s leading exporting countries. Foodstuffs represent the largest industrial sector of the country. During the last several years, Netherlands has also imposed itself as one of the largest exporters of flowers and seeds in Europe.

 

Advantages include:

  • Member of EU single market
  • Early adopter of new technology
  • One of the world's most open economies

K International states that “Netherlands’ geographic location has made it a key trading post for centuries, and it continues in that role today. Rotterdam is home to Europe’s largest port, with around 450 million tonnes of cargo passing through it every year. The country provides a high level of economic freedom and a highly skilled, multilingual workforce. According to the World Integrated Trade Solution service from the World Bank, Netherlands imports products worth USD$398,336,339.31 thousand per year. Its exports total USD$444,867,363.31 thousand per year”

 

According to The International Trade Administration:

  • Netherlands is a geographically small (approximately the size of the state of Maryland), densely populated (17 million people) country occupying a highly strategic commercial location, with Europe’s largest port (by volume) in Rotterdam.
  • Over 170 million consumers (roughly one-third of the population of the expanded European Union of 28 Member States) reside within a 300-mile radius of Rotterdam.
  • More than 80 percent of Netherlands’ GDP is generated by foreign trade in goods and services.
  • Netherlands is a key center within the global business network with an advanced infrastructure geared towards the transportation of goods, people, and electronic data.
  • Its core distribution points include Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the fourth largest airport in Europe.
  • Netherlands has capitalized on its location and advanced economy to become one of the top dozen trading countries in the world.
  • Netherlands is the seventeenth largest economy in the world and the fifth largest in the European Monetary Union (the Eurozone), with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $912 billion in 2018.

An additional factor, the importance of which should not be underestimated, is the difference in the interaction with the various tax and customs administrations amongst the EU. Some tax and customs administration take a very formal approach, whereas other administrations are very much open to dialogue.

 

The Dutch tax and customs administration belong to the latter. They are well-known for their pro-active approach and high service level. They are also receptive to confirm certain arrangements in writing, which guarantees certainty (upfront) for taxable entities.

 

SOURCES

https://www.hollandtradeandinvest.com/business-information/export--import

http://www.worldstopexports.com/netherlands-top-10-exports/

https://www.export.gov/article?id=Netherlands-Import-Requirements-and-Documentation

https://santandertrade.com/en/portal/country-profile/37,netherlands

https://www.export.gov/article?id=Netherlands-Market-Overview

October 30, 2019
Blog1900_WhyExportToMonaco

According to Time magazine, 1 in 56 of the population of Monaco is Worth at least $30 Million. Monaco, a small independent hereditary principality in Western Europe, is located on the Mediterranean Sea along the southern coast of France, which is also known as the French Riviera or Côte d'Azur.

 

According to Societe Generale, Monaco's economy is open to trade. The country's customs regulations conform to French and EU policies. The two nations are part of a customs union, and capital is free to move without restrictions between the two.

 

As a result, the Principality is part of the European Union customs zone, without being a member of the European Union. French customs service collects duties on cargo that unloads in Monaco and pays a share to the Principality. Monaco imposes a tax on exports to all countries, except France.

 

Us Trade Numbers states that Monaco ranked No. 168 in total trade value through August with a total of US$68.7 million. Exports totaled US$45.67 million and Imports totaled US$23.03 million, a surplus of US$22.63 million.

 

According to Santander Trade Portal, Monaco has created a stimulating environment for foreign investors, as shown by the simplified procedures for setting up businesses in the area and the extremely low tax rates that have helped make Monaco a tax haven. Monegasques and foreigners living and working in Monaco are not subject to income tax, except for French citizens.

  • There are many business and investment opportunities in Monaco, with tourism and hospitality, cosmetics and fashion, transport and pharmaceuticals, precision engineering and electronics some of the key industries.
  • Monaco applies no income tax for its residents.
  • Monaco is not formally part of the EU but uses the euro and has reciprocal agreements with France, meaning that many EU laws do apply.
  • The Monegasque government has an international outlook and welcomes foreign investors and businesspeople to operate in the Principality, so starting a business in Monaco is made relatively easy.
  • Whether you need a permit to engage in business will depend on the legal entity of your business, as well as the nature of your product or service.

Monte-Carlo Mc considers that among the many aspects which make Monaco a strategic location for doing business in Europe are:

  • Its unique political and economic environment
  • The presence of efficient administrative infrastructures
  • The density of financial activities and
  • The security for residents and their property.

Economic prosperity and the proportionally large number of jobs available, along with the government's sensitivity to safety and environmental protection, create favorable working conditions in the principality.

 

Monaco’s main imports are food, natural resources, amongst others. Monaco and Italy have the greatest trade links. Monaco also has good trade links with France including administration and legislation.

 

SOURCES

https://www.monte-carlo.mc/en/business-congress/invest-monaco/

https://blog.lacosta-properties-monaco.com/starting-a-business-in-monaco/

https://en.portal.santandertrade.com/establish-overseas/monaco/investing-3#targetText=Real%20estate%20is%20another%20attractive,make%20Monaco%20a%20tax%20haven.

https://import-export.societegenerale.fr/en/country/monaco/trade-country-risk

https://howtoexportimport.com/How-to-Import-to-Monaco--10216.aspxhttps://www.ustradenumbers.com/country/monaco/

https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Monaco.html

http://www.cityoutmonaco.com/why-start-a-business-in-monaco-the-fact-sheet/#targetText=Monaco's%20main%20exports%20include%20pharmaceuticals,trade%20houses%2C%20agents%20and%20consultants.