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Category: Food

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Food and Food & Beverage news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Nestle opens $90 million pet food plant expansion at Blayney

    Nestle opens $90 million pet food plant expansion at Blayney

    With the last two years seeing more people adopting pets, the Purina factory is now set to meet the growing demand for wet cat food in Australia and beyond thanks to the newly installed state-of-the-art high-speed manufacturing technology.

    As well, the Purina team has expanded to meet the increased demand, with 20 new jobs now created on site, creating cat favorites such as Felix, Fancy Feast, Pro Plan and Purina One.

    Nestlé Blayney Factory Manager Charlene De Wit said the new facility is a testament to Nestlé’s commitment to local manufacturing and support for the Central West community.

    “We are proud to produce quality Purina pet food for our much-loved furry friends across Australia and around the region, right here in Blayney.

    “Our expanded facilities will allow us to scale up production of single-serve wet cat food by over 120% – as well as the dry cat and dog food we already produce,” Ms De Wit said.

    The opening brings Nestlé’s total investment in the factory to more than $200 million over the past 10 years, as the business has increased production and developed new capabilities. The wet cat food facility, opened in late 2014, was developed to create premium products with the taste profile cats prefer, and the simplicity their owners prefer.

    The expansion will position Nestlé Purina as a key regional supplier, with both wet and dry pet food exported from Blayney to New Zealand, Thailand and Japan.

    The new facilities will also see a significant quantity of local ingredients used in production. More than 85% of raw materials used at the Nestlé Blayney factory will be sourced locally, including meats and grains.

    Ms De Wit continued, “We have an incredibly dedicated and highly skilled team here at Blayney. By bringing leading technology to our factory and continuing to use high quality ingredients in our product, we are even more confident that we will continue to enrich the lives of pets and the people who love them for years to come.”

    The Nestlé factory in Blayney began operations in 1989, and now features world-class facilities to manufacture brands such as Felix, Fancy Feast, Pro Plan, Supercoat and Purina One.

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  • McDonald’s Australia appoints new CEO

    McDonald’s Australia appoints new CEO

    McDonald’s Australia has named Antoni Martinez as its new chief executive to replace outgoing boss Andrew Gregory, who is moving to a global role as head of franchising at the fast food giant.

    Mr Martinez will move back to his native Australia at the end of the month to take up the new job on May 1 from Seoul, where he is currently managing director of McDonald’s Korea.

    Mr Gregory has worked at McDonald’s Australia since 1996, starting as a crew member and working his way up to chief financial officer before taking on the top job in 2014.

    Under his leadership, McDonald’s Australia has delivered consistent, record growth in sales, profitability, and market share. Coffee, delivery and digital sales have been among the most significant drivers of growth.

    “McDonald’s Australia is one of McDonald’s largest and most successful markets in terms of growth, employment, and economic impact,” Mr Gregory said.

    “I am proud to be handing the reins of this great company to Antoni at a time of strong, sustained performance.“

    “As I step up and into a global position, I have every confidence that he is the best leader to return home and drive the plans for our continued growth, innovation, and success.”

    Mr Martinez takes over at a difficult time as the chain makes a big push into regional areas. It is facing an uphill battle in attracting the right franchisees who are willing to move and invest upwards of $1.5 million cash in the business.

    “Macca’s” has about 100 new restaurants in the pipeline over the next three years, about one-third of which will be in regional areas.

    The group has 1020 McDonald’s restaurants across Australia and nearly 85 percent of those are franchise operations. It is a major employer with more than 110,000 people in restaurants and corporate offices, and is the largest employer of youth in the country.

    Mr Martinez will also be grappling with possible wage increases being determined by the Fair Work Commission’s wage panel, which would come into effect on July 1. Unions are pushing for a 5 percent increase in the minimum wage this year to more than $21 an hour to cope with the surging cost of living.

    Mr Martinez started at McDonald’s in Melbourne in 2000, before moving into senior leadership roles including development director and market director for the southern region, where he was responsible for operations, franchising and marketing for more than 300 restaurants.

    In February 2020, Mr Martinez relocated to Seoul to lead South Korea’s McDonald’s team.

    Mr Martinez said he was excited to return to Australia, where he planned to focus on providing opportunities for its people to develop their skills.

    “I stepped outside of the Australian market to gain valuable international experience and have watched with a great sense of homegrown pride the continued growth and innovation of the Australian business,” he said.

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  • Ferrero recalls some Kinder products in Australia, NZ ‘as a precaution’

    Ferrero recalls some Kinder products in Australia, NZ ‘as a precaution’

    Italian confectionery group Ferrero has recalled several children’s chocolate products in Australia, having already recalled products in multiple European countries earlier in the week. The recalled products could potentially be contaminated with salmonella, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) announced on Thursday. The chocolates, including some Kinder products, were sold in large supermarket chains such as Coles and Woolworths.

    “Consumers should not eat this product and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund,” the FSANZ said in a statement. Ferrero’s Australian arm is recalling Easter baskets and some Kinder chocolate eggs.

    The Kinder Surprise 20g single and three-pack eggs are not affected. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have launched investigations into the salmonella outbreak and plan to publish an assessment next week. So far, 105 confirmed cases and 29 suspected cases of salmonella, most of them in children under the age of 10, have been recorded in Europe, according to the authorities. Almost half of the salmonella infections were recorded in Britain, with the first case being detected as early as January 7.

    Other countries affected by the recall include Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

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  • Subway appoints new Australia and New Zealand chief

    Subway appoints new Australia and New Zealand chief

    He brings extensive experience from international companies to the new role.

    Subway has announced that Geoff Cockerill will be their Country Director for Australia and New Zealand starting on June 4.

    Cockerill brings extensive experience to his new role from a number of international companies such as Diageo and Kirin, and some global brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Corona.

    His background also includes a range of CEO, Executive General Manager and Managing Director roles for high-profile sporting, not-for-profit, and listed retail and consumer brand organizations, including franchising.

    “I’ve admired the success of the Subway® brand for many years, and couldn’t be more excited to join the team. I’m looking forward to helping continue achieve the speed to market needed to drive the business forward,” Cockerill said.

    Subway Vice President of International Ian Martin notes Cockerill’s track record in organizational change and culture, strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and delivery of agreed results.

    “I’m delighted that an experienced leader like Geoff is going to be leading one of our most important global markets,” Martin said.

  • Seafood exports rise by 40 pct in Q1

    Seafood exports rise by 40 pct in Q1

    Vietnam’s seafood exports grew by 40 percent year-on-year in Q1 to US$2.4 billion despite direct impacts of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

    The growth was led by shark catfish, whose exports increased by 88 percent to $646 million and accounted for 27 percent of overall exports, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

    Shrimp remained the top export item, accounting for 37.5 percent of the total at over $900 million, up 37 percent.

    VASEP said the conflict is having an impact on the industry, with the skyrocketing gasoline prices forcing fishermen not to go out to sea or even sell their boats.

    In March export growth slowed down to 25 percent from 44 percent in January and 62 percent in February.

    Tuna and octopus exports grew by 20 percent last month, but exports of other saltwater fishes slipped by 14 percent.

    Exports to Russia fell by 86 percent to $2.7 million, and exports to Ukraine came to a complete halt. Russia and Ukraine used to account for around 2 percent of Vietnam’s seafood exports.

    VASEP expects gasoline prices to continue to cast a shadow on the industry in the coming months, but growth to be driven by recovering demand in other markets like the U.S and the E.U.

    It forecast 25 percent growth in exports in April.

  • Vietnamese honey gets a sweet deal in Taiwan

    Vietnamese honey gets a sweet deal in Taiwan

    Vietnam’s honey exports to Taiwan rose by 57 percent last year to US$1.64 million, thanks to competitive prices and growing quality.

    Oanh, a woman from the northern province of Hai Duong who is working in Taiwan, said Taiwanese increasingly prefer Vietnamese honey due to its better prices than Thai products.

    Last year Vietnam was the second largest natural honey exporter to Taiwan, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the latter’s total imports. Its export volumes rose by 44 percent to 382 tons, according to statistics from Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade.

    In the first two months of 2022 exports quadrupled year-on-year to 46 tons. Vietnam exports 54,000 tons of honey annually, 95 percent of it to the U.S.Exporters said Taiwan is a promising market for honey due to growing demand.

    But the U.S. has imposed a preliminary anti-dumping tax of over 410 percent on Vietnamese honey.

    Its import tax on honey from other countries is around 30 percent.

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  • Dragon fruit sold for $1 per 6 kilograms as China remains inaccessible to exporters

    Dragon fruit sold for $1 per 6 kilograms as China remains inaccessible to exporters

    Watermelon, dragon fruit, and other agricultural produce are being sold for VND 3,000-8000 ($0.13-0.35) per kilogram in HCMC and Hanoi since the China export situation remains grim. In HCMC’s Districts 12, Binh Thanh, Go Vap, and others, vendors can be seen on sidewalks selling large piles of fruits at extremely low prices.

    “This type of watermelon was typically sold at VND25,000 ($1.09) per kilogram in recent years, but this year we are selling it at half price because farmers cannot export it,” Cuong, a vendor in Tan Binh District, said.

    Cuong and his wife buy the fruit from farmers in Long An Province at VND8,000 and sell them at VND12,000.

    A vendor in Go Vap District, Hoang, said he was selling at almost no profit because of the high transportation costs.

    The container pileup at the Chinese border has persisted for three months now, forcing drivers to return to cities and sell them at half or a third of the export price.

    In the northern province of Lang Son, which has some key border gates, 1,378 trucks were stuck as of Monday, with more than three-fourths of them carrying fruits, according to the customs agency.

    Local customs officers said the number of trucks turning around has increased in the last few days and could continue to rise.

    They typically go to Hanoi and try to sell them there.

    Thanh, a vendor in Long Bien District, said he recently sold 200 cases of banana at “super low” prices, and would sell jackfruit and watermelon in the coming days.

    “Export prices of fruit have been dropping in the last three months, and so we sell them at low profits mostly to support the drivers and export companies”.

    The fruits are also sold online at around VND5,000 per kilogram of watermelon, VND6,000 per kilogram of banana and VND4,000 per kilogram of dragon fruit.

    Some exporters are considering abandoning China altogether and focusing on other markets.

    “After this batch, we will stop buying from farmers for a while to find new markets. Exports will continue to be difficult if China keeps its Covid-19 regulations tight for the rest of the year,” the head of a banana export company, who asked not be named, said.

    China is one of the biggest importers of Vietnamese fruits. Exports of agriculture, forestry and fishery to this country in the first two months surged 20.9 percent year-on-year to $8 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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  • Vietnam food company acquires French poultry firm

    Vietnam food company acquires French poultry firm

    GreenFeed Vietnam, a Vietnamese food chain company, has acquired the Mekong Delta-based French chicken supplier LeBoucher. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

    GreenFeed owns G Kitchen, a meat and processed products retailer. Quang Thanh Cuong, head of its food segment, said the acquisition would complement the company’s ecosystem with a new source of protein.

    LeBoucher, a poultry supplier with a factory in the southern province of Long An, is the fifth food brand added to GreenFeed’s portfolio, the other three being MaMaChoice (fresh meat), Wyn (processed food) and G.Lala (broken rice).

    LeBoucher was owned by Alain Glon Holding Asia, a French food company with $110 million in annual revenue that has been operating in Vietnam for over 25 years. It supplies chicken to McDonald’s Vietnam operations.

    According to German data portal Statista, Vietnam poultry consumption was nearly 17 kilograms per capita in 2021; and is expected to rise to more than 20 kilograms by 2029.

  • Domino’s Pizza China operator applies for Hong Kong listing

    Domino’s Pizza China operator applies for Hong Kong listing

    The operator of Domino’s Pizza in China, DPC Dash, has filed for Hong Kong stock exchange listing to expand its footprint in China.

    However, it was not clear how much the company was aiming to raise in its Hong Kong listing. The company is currently Domino’s Pizza master franchisee in Mainland China, operating 485 stores across 10 cities. More than half of the stores are located in Beijing and Shanghai.

    DPC Dash said it plans to increase its footprint in the country with 120 new stores slated to open this year followed by 180 stores next year.

    “Given the vast number of potential store locations in China, we expect we will continue to open new stores at a rapid pace in 2024 and 2025,” the company said in its online filing.

    DPC Dash recorded 45.9-per-cent year-on-year growth in revenue last year, reaching US$251.5 million. Despite an 18.7 per cent increase in same-store sales, the company has experienced a net loss for each of the past three years, which according to the filing, resulted from extensive store openings, marketing, staff training and technology.

    The company also said operations at some of its stores in Shanghai and Shenzhen have been adversely impacted since mid-March of this year as a result of local governments implementing temporary lockdowns and travel restrictions.

    According to The Frost & Sullivan Report, China pizza market was worth $1.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $9.79 billion by 2025.

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  • Fruits, meats buck trend of surging prices

    Fruits, meats buck trend of surging prices

    While the prices of many consumer goods are rising sharply, some have bucked the trend as their supply remains strong while demand, especially for exports, is weak. Looking for a place to eat dinner at a traditional market, Huong, a garment worker in Tan Binh District, said it is fortunate that the price of pork, popular among most Vietnamese families, has fallen slightly.

    This has relieved some of the financial pressure on low-income workers like her as the prices of many goods have been rising.

    Imported beef prices are down 10-20 percent, and farmed fish prices have fallen even more sharply.

    A recent survey found that the prices of many agricultural, fishery and livestock products have dropped, with most of them seeing double-digit declines.

    “I suffered heavy losses as production costs doubled from last year but prices are lower”.An, who has a jackfruit orchard in the southern province of Long An, said merchants have halved their buying price and even stopped buying due to high transport costs and export challenges.

    Hung, a farmer in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan, said several tonnes of dragon fruits have ripened on his farm but there are no buyers.

    Citing export issues, merchants buy the fruit in small quantities at around VND2,000 per kilogram (8.7 US cents).

    Pham Thanh Mai, an agricultural products trader in the Central Highlands, said difficulties with exports are the main reason for the price drops.

    “Usually off-season fruits always fetch higher prices because of limited supply. Prices have now fallen sharply since demand is lower as fruits cannot be exported”.

    As of March 21, around 1,000 trucks remained stranded at at border gates with China in the northern province of Lang Son, 660 of them laden with fresh fruits. According to Vietnam Customs, 80 percent of the country’s dragon fruit is exported to China. But after that country imposed stringent Covid-19 safety measures, Vietnam’s exports have stalled, causing demand for many fruits to dry up.

    Le Xuan Huy, deputy director of leading pork producer CP Vietnam, said meat prices have dropped generally due to higher supply and fall in demand to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

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  • Paris Baguette Indonesia grows as sales exceed expectation

    Paris Baguette Indonesia grows as sales exceed expectation

    SPC Group announced on March 24 that it is opening two Paris Baguette stores in Indonesia, one in Jakarta and the other in Bekasi. They are the third and fourth Paris Baguette stores in Indonesia, respectively.

    Paris Baguette, together with its local partner Erajaya Group, opened its first store in Indonesia, at Ashta Mall in November 2021. The Korean bakery giant is quickly establishing itself in the Indonesian market. Thanks to a great response from local customers, it expanded its presence beyond the capital city of Jakarta to the neighboring city of Bekasi.

    The third Paris Baguette store in Indonesia is located on the first floor of Pondok Indah Mall, one of the top five premium shopping malls in Jakarta, which is visited by an average of 100,000 people a day. The 162-squre-meter store opened with 66 seats on March 23.

    SPC Group is planning to operate Pondok Inda Mall Store as a flagship store in Indonesia that provides differentiated products and services. For customers who enjoy simple meals, it launched mushroom risotto and spicy seafood tomato pasta and drinks, including green grape ice tea of SPC Group’s tea brand Teatra. Its interior gives the impression of a French greenhouse. It is decorated as an island-style store with a cozy and antique atmosphere.

    The fourth store, Sumarecon Bekasi Store, occupies a 132-square-meter space on the first floor of Sumarecon Mall in Bekasi, a large residential area in eastern Jakarta. It will open with 40 seats at the end of March.

  • Barry Callebaut expands NSW chocolate plant

    Barry Callebaut expands NSW chocolate plant

    Barry Callebaut has completed the expansion of its Campbellfield factory in Melbourne, after the 11,000 m2 site was acquired in 2020.

    The expansion will cater for local industrial food manufacturers with new production lines to increase the total operating capacity and its range of chocolate offerings. The range will now include liquid chocolate, compound, buttons and chips, in addition to the products already produced at the site such as coatings and fillings.

    “This factory expansion underlines Barry Callebaut’s ongoing commitment to Australia. The facility further strengthens our regional footprint in Asia–Pacific, producing safe and high-quality products. The move is in line with our ambition to locate production close to our customers,” said Jo Thys, President of the Asia Pacific region for Barry Callebaut.

    The factory will be equipped with chocolate refining and conching lines, which will enable the company to serve the Australian food industry from artisans to global manufacturers.

    “I am proud that our Gourmet chocolates have been brought into the country for many years now. Today, I am even prouder that our high quality ‘Made in Australia’ products are available in higher volumes, creating more chocolate happiness for our local consumers,” said Denis Convert, Managing Director Australia at Barry Callebaut.

    “With the expansion of our Campbellfield factory, we are well-positioned to become the leading chocolate manufacturer in Australia.”

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  • Instant noodle store an unlikely hit with Thai youth

    Instant noodle store an unlikely hit with Thai youth

    In Thailand, a country famous for its flavourful, spicy cuisine and street food, instant noodles may seem an unlikely culinary hit.

    But for teenagers like Ratchadaporn Krongngam, a store that stocks more than 70 types of instant noodles from across Asia and allows you to cook and eat them immediately is an experience worth savouring.

    Since Good Noodle opened in Union Mall in Chatuchak district of Bangkok last October, it has seen thousands of young customers browse its bright orange shelves for noodles from Indonesia, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

    “This is my third visit. I love it here because I wanted to try out new and different kinds of instant noodles as I want to know how all of them taste,” said Ratchadaporn, 18.

    Customers often dine in the store, where they can cook their own three-minute meal, which costs between 6 and 250 baht.

    Customer Sirayakorn Charoenthat, 18, said the prices were reasonable for students compared to eating at restaurants.

    Instant noodles are hugely popular in several Asian countries because of their taste, versatility, convenience, and low price. But health experts warn against consuming too much highly processed food because it lacks key nutrients.

    Instant noodles are cooked from a self-automated machine at Good Noodle. (Photo: Reuters)

    Store’s managing director Ungkool Wongkolthoot said he scoured Bangkok’s convenience stores and supermarkets during the pandemic for all the different types of instant noodles he could find, which turned out to be more than 350.

    With this, he saw a business opportunity.

    “I wanted to give the customers an instant experience with the noodles. Not just buying the noodles from other convenience stores or supermarkets, then forgetting about them at home,” he said.

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  • Vinamilk profits to decline for 2nd year in a row

    Vinamilk profits to decline for 2nd year in a row

    Vinamilk is set to see profits decline for a second straight year in 2022 due to rising costs of raw materials and transportation.

    Vietnam’s leading dairy company targets pre-tax profits of VND12 trillion ($524.70 million), down 7 percent from last year, though revenue is likely to grow by 5 percent to VND64 trillion. Last year, profits were down 4.4 percent from a record VND13.52 trillion in 2020.

    The company said that last year it faced many challenges including a shortage of raw materials and rising prices of animal feed and transportation.

    Animal feed prices jumped 30-40 percent last year and are set to continue to rise this year, it said. Transport costs rose by 20 percent domestically and 500 percent globally, it said. The Covid-19 pandemic also made milking difficult due to prolonged social distancing, while the rising costs of animal feed forced farmers to switch to other vocations, it added.

    But the dairy giant aims reach a profit of VND16 trillion in 2026, up 33 percent from 2022. It targets revenues of VND86.2 trillion in 2026. Vinamilk plans to achieve these targets by stepping up research into new products and using new technologies for sustainable livestock farming.

    It also eyes new growth opportunities through mergers and acquisitions and new investments. Last year its exports rose 18 percent to VND1.8 trillion and went to 57 countries and territories. Vietcombank Securities said in a recent note that Vinamilk does not have much potential for growth in the next two or three years. The segment with the most growth potential in the next two years is beef, and it plans to start importing the meat from Japan this year.

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  • Carl’s Jr to exit Thailand

    Carl’s Jr to exit Thailand

    Carl’s Jr. plans to close all six locations in Thailand by the end of the month.

    R&R Restaurant Group, which holds the rights to operate the burger chain, announced it could no longer bear the costs of operating the fast-food chain.

    “We tried to get through it during the second half of 2021. But we were forced to import our ingredients solely from the U.S. due to the restrictions imposed by CKE Restaurants Holdings,” it said of its parent company.

    The burger chain opened its first branch in Thailand in 2012 at Central Festival Pattaya Beach.

    Update: After this story was published, the group announced its last day of operation will be March. 24.

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