WHAT BUYERS ARE LOOKING FOR AT GOURMET SELECTION

What makes a buyer stop at a stand? Three professionals we met at Gourmet Selection answered this question. Clémence Le Tannou buys for La Grande Épicerie de Paris. Corinne Békaert puts together gourmet hampers for businesses and local authorities. Valérie and Fabien run a delicatessen in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. Their answers provide concrete guidance for brands considering exhibiting in 2027.

La Grande Épicerie de Paris: sourcing all year round

Clémence Le Tannou is head of purchasing at La Grande Épicerie de Paris, which has two Parisian shops, on Rue de Sèvres and Rue de Passy. She is responsible for listing all self-service products – that is, pre-packaged items with a barcode that are scanned at the till.

She is very familiar with the trade show. “We usually attend it every year as a team,” she explains. She appreciates its format: “It’s a relatively intimate trade fair for fine food products, so it’s useful for us in terms of sourcing. ”

Her visit has one main aim: to discover products the team isn’t yet familiar with. It’s also an opportunity to catch up with regular suppliers. “What we’ll mainly be looking for is anything that’s set to be a major trend in the near future,” she explains.

Wellbeing, alcohol-free options and confections

Her choices are based on customer expectations. “There’s going to be this whole wellness aspect, or looking after your health whilst consuming in a slightly more responsible way,” she summarises. She cites healthy alternatives, meat substitutes and non-alcoholic drinks. La Grande Épicerie de Paris already offers a selection of non-alcoholic drinks in its online range. But the search for new products doesn’t stop there. The buyer also wants to “be open to new things”, provided they remain “on the gourmet and tasty side”.

For the shop, Christmas remains the highlight of the year, with significantly higher footfall. As early as June, the team is already selecting the Christmas range, even if this work isn’t necessarily done at trade fairs. Otherwise, sourcing never stops. “Throughout the year, in fact, we’re sourcing, and that leads to new ideas. So, in a way, we’re at trade fairs all the time.” In the summer, the shop also welcomes more tourists, in addition to its local clientele.

Three criteria for capturing attention

Clémence Le Tannou sums up her expectations in three words. Products must be “first and foremost beautiful, because that’s the first thing you notice when you come across them”. They must then be good. Finally, they must be well-made, with particular attention paid to producers and local production.

At a trade fair, the first criterion is what narrows down the selection. “At first glance, when you arrive at a trade fair, it’s inevitably the visual appeal that allows us to work out whether something might interest us or not.”

“I come every year,” she explains. Her visit has two objectives. The first is to keep in touch with her suppliers: “To see some of the suppliers we work with, check out their range, and find out if they’ll have any new products to offer us.” The second is to spot trends that she’ll incorporate into her 2027 range. After spending her first two hours wandering the aisles, she described the fair as “high-quality”, with “a lovely variety”.

Her two customer groups do not have the same expectations. “In the catering sector, things will remain very traditional.” Consumer committees, on the other hand, behave more like customers of a high-quality grocery shop. “They’ll always be looking for a product with a touch of originality and attractive packaging.” She sums up her approach in a single sentence: “We attract with the form, we retain with the substance.”

Huguette & Henri, a neighbourhood fine food store that evolves with its customers

Valérie and Fabien set up Huguette & Henri five years ago, at 40 Rue Sedaine, in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. Before opening their shop, they worked for several leading Parisian gourmet establishments, including Hédiard and Lenôtre.

Their visit to the trade show depends on their current needs. “We have different needs every year. This year, it’s more specific.” The shop specialises in gift hampers for businesses, with high demand towards the end of the year. They therefore needed to select the products they were missing. Their method is simple: say hello to the producers they know, sample the new products, then look for new suppliers. They found what they were looking for, particularly in biscuits, with biscuits that can be included in the end-of-year hampers.

A range that meets demand

The shop’s range has changed since it opened. “Our products have evolved in line with customer requests. We no longer have the same range as when we started,” they explain. Customers are particularly looking for more original and exotic spices. The shop now stocks spices for making kimchi, which it wouldn’t have had a few years ago.

The shop also attracts a young clientele. Huguette & Henri acts as a collection point for Vinted items: customers who come to collect a bag discover the shop, then return to do their shopping. The shop also organises in-store events on a very regular basis, such as wine, cheese and charcuterie tasting workshops, or artists’ exhibition openings.

Among their priorities, the two founders emphasise their desire to “enhance the delicious with the beautiful by sourcing attractive packaging”. Five years after opening, they remain clear-eyed about their trade. “The fine food business is a labour of passion, not necessarily an easy one. But you have to stick with it, you have to persevere, and it works.”

What these buyers expect from exhibitors

These three buyers do not work for the same clientele. Yet their views overlap on several points. Visual appeal opens the door. Clémence Le Tannou looks for products that are beautiful, tasty and well-made. Corinne Békaert is drawn in by the form and won over by the substance. Huguette & Henri aim to enhance the delicious with the beautiful. In all three cases, the packaging sparks interest, and quality determines what happens next. *L’Instantané des Tendances* takes a similar line: its ten indicators of quality grocery retail in 2026 range from local production to global inspirations, right through to appealing to the senses in-store.

New products are at the heart of the visit. The three buyers come to see their usual suppliers, but above all to discover products they are not yet familiar with. Wellbeing, alcohol-free options, spices from faraway places, originality: each arrives with specific ideas in mind.

Preparations for the end of the year begin as early as spring. By June, Epicur is already preparing its range for the following year, whilst Huguette & Henri is finalising its end-of-year gift hampers. At La Grande Épicerie de Paris, the Christmas range is being selected at the same time.

Next event in September 2027

Gourmet Selection returns From Sunday 12 to Tuesday 14 September at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Pavilion 5.A. For brands wishing to showcase their products to buyers such as La Grande Épicerie de Paris, Epicur or Huguette & Henri, the application form for the 2027 edition is now open, and the reasons to exhibit are detailed in the newsroom.

Corinne Békaert, for her part, had already given her answer at the end of the interview: “See you next year.”