Supermarket Trade Show

"Supermarket Trade Show (SMTS)" is a business meeting trade show for the food distribution industry, attended by buyers from supermarkets across Japan as well as retailers, wholesalers, trading companies, ready-meal businesses and restaurants. It is a place where buyers looking for suppliers of products for their shelves meet face to face with manufacturers and growing regions eager to promote their products, and for private brand (PB) developers it is also an opportunity to find new raw materials and prototyping partners. This article covers the dates, venue, exhibitor categories and visitor registration, along with novelties that make you memorable in meetings and how to approach small-lot PB prototypes using dried off-spec vegetables and vegetable powders.

Supermarket Trade Show at a glance

The next upcoming edition is the main show, "SMTS2027," in February 2027. From 2027, the show will be held twice a year with separate themes and categories, and "SMTS Fresh Solution," dedicated to fresh produce and prepared foods, will newly launch in July 2027. Both are organized by the National Supermarket Association of Japan, and admission requires advance registration.

Item	SMTS2027 (February)	SMTS Fresh Solution 2027 (July)
Dates	February 17 (Wed) to 19 (Fri), 2027	Scheduled for July 2027 (dates not yet announced)
Venue	Makuhari Messe (Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture)	Check the official website
Theme	Food and supermarket solutions in general	Dedicated to fresh produce and prepared foods
Admission	Advance visitor registration required (for buyers attending for business meetings)	Advance visitor registration required
Organizer	National Supermarket Association of Japan	National Supermarket Association of Japan

Now that the show is held twice a year, it has become easier to use them in sequence, such as meeting buyers at the main show in February and developing concrete plans at the fresh produce and prepared foods show in July. Among food business meeting shows, SMTS has a high share of retail buyers, and a distinctive feature is how easy it is to go deep into how products will be sold and distributed to stores. Whether exhibiting or visiting, preparing samples and product materials ahead of the next edition keeps meetings going.

What companies and products does it attract?

Food and service categories for exhibitors

A wide range of foods found on supermarket shelves is exhibited, from fresh departments such as produce, meat, seafood and prepared foods to processed foods such as confectionery, seasonings, beverages, frozen foods and dried goods. Not only food itself but also in-store promotional fixtures, packaging, checkout and labor-saving equipment, and store operation systems are on display, so you can cover both product development and sales floor design in one visit. Many regional growing areas and small and medium-sized manufacturers also exhibit jointly under the banner of "locally produced," so the show also works as a place to find candidate raw materials for PB products.

For staff planning PB or original products, the advantage is finding exhibitors they can consult not just about buying existing products but about "whether it can be made under our own brand." Vegetables and fruit processed through drying into shelf-stable forms are easy to put on shelves even from small lots, and they are a category that is easy to use as raw materials for regionally exclusive PB products.

Buyers and retail professionals who attend

Visitors are mainly merchandising staff and buyers from supermarkets across Japan, along with purchasing staff at wholesalers, trading companies, ready-meal businesses and restaurants. With many buyers responsible for sales floors, it is a meeting environment where conversations easily progress to specifics like "which shelf, at what price, and how to display and sell this product." Staff at regional supermarkets are often looking for "locally produced" or "only available here" products that set them apart from competitors, which gives growing regions and small and medium-sized manufacturers a way in.

PB development staff from major chains sometimes attend, and conditions such as stable raw material supply, lot sizes and pricing become discussion points on the spot. Check the exhibitor search and visitor profile in advance and prepare both "proposals that can be tested in small lots" and "conditions for mass production" tailored to your target so you don't waste limited meeting time.

Co-located and component shows

SMTS2027 is held alongside shows such as "Gourmet Show Spring 2027," which features imported foods. Because domestic and imported products can be compared during the same period, the setup makes it easy for visiting buyers to consider purchasing candidates across categories. From 2027, the fresh produce and prepared foods categories move to "SMTS Fresh Solution" in July, where visitors interested in designing produce, meat, seafood and deli sales floors can encounter more specialized proposals.

For those planning PB or regional products, you can plan your visits so that you firm up processed food and promotional angles at the main show in February and then work out how to present products on the sales floor at the fresh produce and prepared foods show in July. Choosing where to exhibit or visit after determining which edition suits your proposal increases the density of your meetings.

Highlights for visitors and exhibitors

Direct meetings with retail buyers

The biggest draw is the chance to meet directly with buyers who run sales floors. Beyond tastings and materials, preparing to answer wholesale prices, minimum lots, available delivery periods and best-before dates on the spot makes it easier to lead to quote requests or shelf planning later. Don't stop at exchanging business cards: record each buyer's store size and interests to make follow-up easier before the next edition.

Gathering ideas for PB and original products

The venue is lined with regional products from growing areas and distinctive proposals from small and medium-sized manufacturers. It is a good place to collect raw materials that can be adapted for your own PB and angles that set you apart from other stores. While asking what products actually move on sales floors, you can take home the seeds of plans that suit your stores' customers. For exhibitors that catch your interest, confirm on the spot "whether they can make small-lot prototypes" to speed up reviews back at the office.

Seminars and sales floor management know-how

During the show, seminars cover food retail trends, sales floor design and promotional case studies. For product development staff, they are a chance to learn from both successes and failures in a short time. Retail trend sessions tend to draw crowds, so registering in advance for the sessions you want to hear is the surest option.

For companies considering exhibiting

Exhibitors are food manufacturers, growing regions and processors wanting to get their products onto supermarket shelves, as well as businesses proposing promotional fixtures and systems. Details on exhibition formats and booth fees are available from the organizer, the National Supermarket Association of Japan, or through the contact desk on the official website. Priority exhibitor registration for members opens first, so if you plan to exhibit, noting the application opening date early widens your choice of booth locations.

To make the most of limited meeting time, it helps to prepare a one-page sheet of wholesale prices, lot sizes and delivery terms, along with samples you can hand over on the spot. Buyers visit several booths in a short time, so a small sample they can pick up and take home helps them remember your company when reviewing shelf plans back at the office.

Visitor registration and how to participate

Admission requires advance registration on the official website, and the show is for buyers attending for business meetings. Once registered, you receive the information needed for entry, avoid crowds at reception on the day, and can review the exhibitor list before the show to choose the booths you want to meet. Makuhari Messe is within walking distance of Kaihin-Makuhari Station on the JR Keiyo Line. If you are coming from outside the region and staying overnight, accommodation near the venue gets busy, so book as soon as your schedule is set. For the venue and access for the July edition, please check the official website once announced.

How retailers and manufacturers planning PB products can make the most of the show

SMTS is a business meeting show where you can go as far as how products will be sold in stores. Beyond looking for products to put on shelves, you can find exhibitors to approach with "Can this be made under our brand using local raw materials?" Off-spec vegetables and fruit that are hard to handle fresh become light and shelf-stable once dried or powdered, making them easier to put on shelves even from small lots. Agriture processes dried off-spec vegetables, vegetable powders, tea and dried fruit, and can help design a "shelf-ready form" for PB products, starting from raw material selection.

Retail buyer reactions picked up in meetings become direct clues for refining PB specifications. Take home requests such as "Please make this flavor milder" or "Please split this amount into smaller portions," make small-lot prototypes, and go into your next meeting with them to speed up PB planning. Regional supermarkets can also take the approach of testing original products made from locally grown off-spec vegetables in small quantities to gauge the response.

The pouch you hand over doubles as an in-store sampling item and a PB prototype

Buyers who come to SMTS walk the booths thinking not only about whether to stock a product but about "how customers would respond if we handed this out in our stores." That is exactly why a small pouch they can try on the spot and take home becomes a proposal that makes them picture it on the sales floor. The pouch you hand over gets considered as-is as a model for in-store sampling or handouts by the register, becoming not just a giveaway but a gateway to commercialization.

Share the finished form of a locally produced PB product on the spot

Staff at regional supermarkets are looking for "locally produced" or "only available here" products that set them apart from competitors. Turn local off-spec vegetables into dried products or vegetable powder and pack them in small pouches, and the moment you hand one over, buyers can concretely picture the finished form of a "locally produced PB" product. Dried vegetable soups, vegetable powders and dried pear made from Kyotango-grown Nijisseiki pears are compact and hygienic to hand out, and it is easy to imagine using them for in-store sampling.

See the in-store response before moving to mass production

The small pouches handed out in meetings can be used as-is as prototypes for PB products. Because they can be made in small lots from 50 bags, you can prepare several flavor and packaging options, gauge each buyer's reaction, confirm how shoppers respond through in-store sampling, and then send only the flavors likely to sell into mass production. Starting from dried off-spec vegetables, we can help with everything from raw material selection to package design so you can plan a manageable sequence from handing out pouches and checking reactions to full adoption.

FAQ: Supermarket Trade Show

When is the show in 2027?

The main show, SMTS2027, is held February 17 (Wed) to 19 (Fri), 2027, at Makuhari Messe. SMTS Fresh Solution 2027, dedicated to fresh produce and prepared foods, is scheduled for July 2027; please check the official website for detailed dates and venue.

Can anyone attend?

The show is for buyers from supermarkets, retailers, wholesalers, ready-meal businesses, restaurants and others attending for business meetings, and requires advance registration on the official website. Please check the official website for the latest information on eligibility and how to register.

How do the February and July editions differ?

The main SMTS show in February covers food in general and supermarket solutions broadly, while Fresh Solution in July specializes in the fresh produce and prepared foods categories. You can choose which edition to visit or exhibit at based on your sales floor theme.

Can we start PB prototyping through this show?

Yes. Based on buyer requests gathered at the venue, it is easy to follow a flow of making prototypes with dried off-spec vegetables or vegetable powders in small lots (from 50 bags), checking the response through in-store sampling, and then moving to mass production.

What kinds of items are suitable as small-pouch novelties to hand out at the booth?

Individually wrapped items that are easy to take home and easy to repurpose for in-store handouts are well suited. Dried vegetable soups, vegetable powders and dried fruit can also be used as-is as prototypes for PB products.

Summary: Expanding PB products and sales channels at the Supermarket Trade Show

The Supermarket Trade Show is a food distribution business meeting show organized by the National Supermarket Association of Japan, held twice a year: the main show (SMTS2027) at Makuhari Messe on February 17–19, 2027, and the fresh produce and prepared foods show (SMTS Fresh Solution 2027, see the official website for details) scheduled for July 2027. You can get direct meetings with buyers who run sales floors, sourcing of PB raw materials and seminars on sales floor management all at once. If you are aiming for regional PB or differentiated products, planning becomes easier if you start by handing out small pouches of local off-spec vegetables made into dried products or vegetable powder, checking the in-store response and then expanding onto shelves.

Official information: Supermarket Trade Show official website

Official information: Supermarket Trade Show official website

Recommended reading

Commercial dried vegetables / Original vegetable novelties / Mail-Order Food Exhibition & Business Meeting / Regional Bank Food Selection

Last updated: August 12, 2026