News

SobMaExpo 2026 marks a market turning point: private labels are gaining the status of self-sufficient brands

Results of the International Exhibition for Contract Manufacturing and Private Label
April 14-15, 2026, Moscow, Crocus Expo IEC
SobMaExpo 2026 in figures

250+ exhibiting companies
6 000+ professional visitors
1 100+ Retail Connect business meetings
10+ exhibiting countries
80+ manufacturers participated in B2B meetings with
40+ key retail chains

Key outcomes

On April 14-15, 2026, the International Exhibition for Contract Manufacturing and Private Label,
SobMaExpo 2026, concluded in Moscow. The event brought together manufacturers, retailers and
market experts, once again confirming its status as the largest industry exhibition for private label and
contract manufacturing in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
In 2026, the exhibition captured a qualitative shift in the market: private labels are moving beyond the
role of an “alternative” and becoming a standalone model for brand building, strategy and consumer
engagement.
SobMaExpo has firmly established itself as a key business platform where products are not only
showcased, but direct negotiations take place, agreements are reached and new partnerships are
formed. For manufacturers and retail chains, the exhibition serves as an effective meeting point for
discussing cooperation, testing demand and moving from product presentation to real contracts.

Two days that revealed the new logic of the private label market

SobMaExpo 2026 became a point of direct dialogue between manufacturers, retailers and market
experts
In 2026, SobMaExpo strengthened its role as a regional business hub for private label and contract manufacturing. The exhibition brought together companies from different product sectors, creating a concentrated environment for industry dialogue, market analysis and new business connections.
For international and local manufacturers, SobMaExpo became a practical platform for understanding retail
demand in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe - from category trends and consumer expectations to the
requirements of major retail chains. This regional focus makes the exhibition not only a showcase of products, but also an important point of market entry and business development.
The exhibition brought together a wide range of categories, from food products to non-food, including cosmetics, dietary supplements, household and baby products, hygiene items and pet care. This composition reflects a shift in retail demand: the market needs not individual SKUs, but reliable manufacturing partners.
Over two days, the exhibition welcomed more than 6,000 market professionals, including buyers, category managers, representatives of pharmacy chains and marketplaces, as well as senior retail executives. For this audience, private label and contract manufacturing are no longer secondary activities, but part of a
long-term business strategy.
Key conclusion
The market is moving from launching “one more product” to creating a clear value system for the
consumer.

Key trends at SobMaExpo 2026

Repeat purchase
The main KPI is not the first sale, but customer return and long-term value.
Consumer behaviour
Gen Z makes private labels fashionable, while millennials demand efficiency, and the 45+ audience provides stability
The end of copying
The “the same as a brand, but cheaper” model no longer delivers sustainable growth
Manufacturing expertise
Contract manufacturing provides access to technologies, R&D and speed to market.

SobMa Private Label Awards goes viral

The highlight of the first day was the Private Label Awards by SobMaExpo ceremony, an international award for retailers and manufacturers. In 2026, the award reached a new level: for the first time, the ceremony was
broadcasted on live TV. This was an important step for the industry and highlighted the growing role of
private label on the federal business agenda. This year, 47 companies took part: 21 manufacturers and 26 retailers. Winners were selected in 34 categories.

The award has become a key benchmark of industry recognition in the region, highlighting the strongest private label products, packaging solutions and contract manufacturing projects. For companies, it is not only a professional achievement, but also a prestigious mark of quality and market relevance —
one that strengthens brand reputation and confirms the product’s potential in front of retailers, partners and consumers.

SobMaExpo: from food to beauty, household, baby and pet
products

More than 250 companies presented solutions for private label and contract manufacturing
In 2026, more than 250 companies from Russia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, India, Tunisia, Turkey and South Korea took part in the exhibition. The exposition covered both food and non-food sectors, including cosmetics,
dietary supplements, household and baby products, hygiene items, pet care and other categories with strong growth potential.

For manufacturers, participation in SobMaExpo was an opportunity to present production capacities, product expertise, packaging solutions and readiness to work with retail in a long-term partnership format. For retailers, the exhibition became a tool for finding suppliers, comparing offers, assessing quality and launching new private label categories.

The expanding geography of exhibitors shows that the contract manufacturing and private label market is becoming increasingly international. For the first time in its history, Tunisia had its country pavilion organised by Embassy in Russia. Companies view the Russian market as a promising
platform for cooperation, localization and the development of new product categories.
Exhibitor geography
Leading International Brands Choose SobMa
The market needs product lines, usage scenarios and consistent quality. That is why contract manufacturing is becoming not only a
production service, but also a way to create new categories faster, test demand and build long-term product strategies

Retail Connect: more than 1,100 meetings in two days

The matchmaking program became a tool for accelerating decisions between manufacturers and retailers
The Retail Connect matchmaking program became one of the key drivers of business activity at SobMaExpo
2026 and reached a fundamentally new level this year. Over two days, more than 1 100 business meetings were held with 80+ manufacturers from Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey and Tunisia and 40+ retail chains.
Behind these figures is more than a high-density business program. Retail Connect works as a market accelerator: the cycle of “partner search - negotiations - decisionmaking” is compressed from months to hours. For manufacturers, this means direct access to buyers and category managers.
For retail, the format makes it possible to quickly compare offers, identify new categories and select suppliers for
test launches. This approach changes the dynamics of private label and contract manufacturing: decisions
are discussed in direct dialogue between the manufacturer and the retailer.
80+ manufacturers
40+ retail chains
5 countries in the program
2 days of negotiations
70% of meetings ened with contracts
How the format works
Why it matters
Retail Connect is not just a meeting program; it is a mechanism that turns the exhibition into a platform for real business decisions. Manufacturers gain direct contact, while retailers get fast access to ready-made solutions for private label development.

Private label as a new brand model

The market is moving from price competition to competition based on value, trust and repeat
purchase
The key conclusion of SobMaExpo 2026 is that the private label market has entered a mature stage. For the
overloaded shelves, the model of “launching for the sake of launching” no longer works: consumers choose not
abundance, but a clear solution to their needs, a stable result and a product embedded in an everyday scenario.
For retailers, this means the growing role of product strategy, design, quality and repeat purchase. For manufacturers, it means moving from the “fulfil an order” model to the role of a technology partner that gives
retail access to expertise, Research & Development (R&D), launch speed and consistent quality.
SobMaExpo 2026 showed that the private label and contract manufacturing market is developing as an independent sector with its own strategies, product logic and growing consumer loyalty. The exhibition
remains a working platform where manufacturers and retailers discuss not abstract opportunities, but concrete
solutions.

Partners and support

The exhibition is held with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. General
retail partner of the 2026 exhibition was Magnit. Information support: RPCA, Moscow Region Entrepreneurship Development Center, AKIT, APPIC BH, Romir, INFOLine, POPAI, Russian Association of Retail Market Experts, retail.ru, New-Retail.ru, Raw Materials and Packaging magazine, Tochka Prodazh, Retail&Loyalty, Retail Life.
See you at SobMaExpo 2027
April 13-14, 2027, Moscow
Join SobMaExpo 2027 and present your solutions to a professional audience of retail, procurement and contract manufacturing specialists
Organizer
ExpoVisionRus (EVR) is the largest independent organizer of industry exhibitions in Russia. EVR’s portfolio includes 12 specialized projects in beauty, contract manufacturing, advertising, water technologies, ecology, aviation and pulp & paper. We are glad to unite professional communities within the most diverse industries, where our clients build new connections, develop and grow financially, share ideas, and realize their potential.
2026-05-27 12:27