Trade Marketing and In-Store Management: In-Store Strategies for the Expansion of Italian PDO Cheeses in Spain

In today’s dynamic and competitive retail landscape, trade marketing is evolving into a more strategic role that connects producers, distributors, and retailers, matching brand objectives with in-store implementation to activate consumer engagement and sales. This thesis, "Trade Marketing and In-Store Management: In-Store Strategies for the Expansion of Italian PDO Cheeses in Spain”, is based on my internship experience with Hispano Italiana, one of Spain’s biggest importer and distributor of premium Italian products. During this stage, I contributed to the company’s trade marketing and retail activities, particularly in Casa Italia stores, where I was involved in activities such as weekly order management, shelf control and product exposure, point-of-sale display installation (POSM), and in-store catalogue production. These activities gave hands-on insight into how trade marketing tools can influence consumers’ behaviour and support brand positioning at the point of sale. The main goal of this research is to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of point-of-sale promotional activities, such as how the utilization of POS materials influences visibility, engagement, and sales performance of Italian PDO cheeses in Spain. The methodology combines quantitative sales analysis, comparing pre- and post-promotion performance, with qualitative observation of consumer response and in-store execution. The thesis is made up of four chapters: the first two provide the theoretical framework on trade marketing, supplier–retailer relationships, and in-store marketing levers; chapter three examines the strategic positioning of Hispano Italiana in Spain; and the final chapter builds a practical case study on the Casa Italia stores, assessing the impact of in-store marketing strategies on purchasing behaviour among customers as well as overall commercial performance.