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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.

  • Lee Biscuits Shuts Malaysia Factory Cutting 300 Jobs

    Lee Biscuits Shuts Malaysia Factory Cutting 300 Jobs

    Lee Biscuits, a 92-year-old brand founded by Singapore’s late tycoon Lee Kong Chian, is ending production and shutting its factory in Johor by end-October, leaving around 300 workers without jobs.

    Suppliers and customers received notification of the halt last month. A senior manager told China Press that warehouse sales held over the last two weeks have sold out all remaining biscuit stocks.

    Customers attempting to buy products directly from the factory are now being redirected to retail outlets instead. The company has announced no future production plans for the biscuit brand, which is also known as Nam Lee.

    Depleted Stock and Empty Sundry Tins

    The manufacturing shutdown removes an established pantry staple from Malaysia’s independent grocers and sundry stores. The brand built its business on bulk tin formats and plastic packs containing soda crackers, Marie biscuits, banana tarts, iced gems, lemon sandwich biscuits, animal crackers, and spirulina whole wheat biscuits.

    Those products filled store displays across both West Malaysia and Singapore for decades, serving as low-cost volume drivers for neighborhood provision shops. With internal warehouse inventory cleared out entirely, distributors face an immediate supply cut once existing shop-floor stock runs dry over the coming weeks.

    Exit from Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

    The shutdown forms part of a broader corporate restructuring by the parent holding group to abandon consumer-facing packaged goods entirely. Capital is shifting back into upstream primary commodities, concentrating operations around rubber processing and palm oil plantations.

    For retailers and shelf planners, the departure opens up shelf space in the value cracker category. Operators relying on traditional sundry distribution face losing a heritage brand that required zero promotional spending to drive volume.

    The Manufacturing Move Across the Causeway

    Tycoon Lee Kong Chian established the biscuit brand in Singapore in 1934 before relocating operations across the border. Lee built the Lee Rubber Company into a regional empire before co-founding OCBC Bank through a three-way merger in 1932.

    Manufacturing ran inside Singapore for over two decades until management shifted the lines to Johor Bahru in 1955 to tap cheaper agricultural raw materials and processing facilities. Operations relocated again within Johor to the current factory site in 2005, where lines ran continuously until this month’s wind-down.

    Sequential Plant Closures in Johor

    The factory shuttering follows an identical retreat from the packaged food sector. The group permanently closed its Lee Pineapple canning facility in Skudai, Johor, in 2023, ending decades of fruit processing to focus resources on upstream estate acreage.

    Retail buyers must now run down their final cases of biscuits before factory gates close permanently by end-October.

  • Australia Ships First Ecoganic Bananas to Japan After 28 Years

    Australia Ships First Ecoganic Bananas to Japan After 28 Years

    Australian grower Pacific Coast Eco Bananas has begun shipping its red-wax-tipped bananas to Japan, marking the country’s first “ecoganic” export after 28 years of development.

    Founder Frank Sciacca established the certified cultivation method in 1998 to rebuild depleted soil and counter pest outbreaks without heavy synthetic chemical treatments.

    The proprietary farming system yields bananas that are sweeter and last longer on store shelves than standard varieties, helping the operation break into a competitive Asian grocery sector.

    Chemical cuts

    Grower Frank Sciacca started the farming system in 1998 in Australia. Heavy chemical applications had drained farm soil health and multiplied pest infestations across his acreage. Sciacca stripped out standard commercial sprays in favour of ecological management, creating fruit that lasts longer on supermarket shelves and delivers higher sugar readings.

    Workers dip the fruit tips in bright red wax prior to packing. The visual marker separates the produce from conventional Cavendish stock inside wholesale terminals and retail display cases.

    Targeting premium produce aisles

    Japanese grocery buyers pay steep markups for imported fruit with verified clean-agriculture credentials.

    Premium grocers across Japan manage tight display footprints and penalise stock that spoils fast under store lighting. The longer shelf durability of the ecoganic product gives distribution partners wider stocking windows across metropolitan distribution hubs.

    Expansion across Pacific trade lanes

    Pacific Coast Eco Bananas worked for nearly three decades refining yields before clearing regional export standards for East Asia. Australian horticultural exporters face strict biosecurity protocols when clearing shipments into Japanese import terminals.

    Retailers in Japan will track clearance volumes through major ports as the brand tests broader supply lines across the Asia-Pacific network.

  • India Issues Notices to Nestle, Zydus and Abbott over Child Product Claims

    India Issues Notices to Nestle, Zydus and Abbott over Child Product Claims

    India’s food safety authority issued formal notices to Nestle India, Zydus Wellness and Abbott Healthcare this week over marketing claims on infant and children’s products that breached national rules.

    The enforcement actions rattle an Indian packaged food market valued at more than $100 billion as regulators intensify oversight of nutritional claims.

    The move comes shortly after officials proposed prohibiting added sucrose and fructose in foods intended for infants up to six months old.

    Evidence Demanded on Formula and Growth Drinks

    The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ordered Nestle India to produce documented evidence supporting promotional assertions about digestive health and immune system benefits. Those claims appear on labels for Lactogen Pro 1 Powder and NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 infant formula.

    For Zydus Wellness, the regulator demanded scientific substantiation for marketing claims attached to its Complan children’s beverage brand. Regulators singled out promotional packaging using the slogan “grow taller, faster. Clinically proven 2X growth.”

    Enforcement also expanded into digital media distribution channels. The regulator issued separate notices to online influencer Ira Fathima alongside Abbott Healthcare and Nestle India concerning an Instagram reel promoting infant milk substitutes.

    Nestle India stated that the authority’s public notice repeated concerns initially raised on September 18 regarding product packaging labels, adding that it had already delivered an extensive formal response to the food regulator.

    Abbott took a different position, stating it played no role in the social video campaign. “Abbott does not endorse the claims or representations contained in the content,” a company spokesperson said, adding that the healthcare firm only learned of the material after receiving the authority’s notice and had forwarded that explanation to officials.

    Regulatory Pressure Mounts Across FMCG Portfolios

    The enforcement notices show Indian authorities closing off the latitude dairy and consumer health brands historically enjoyed when framing products as quasi-medicinal solutions. For multinational operators, children’s nutritional beverages and early stage formulas command premium shelf pricing in modern trade stores and pharmacy chains across tier-one Indian metros.

    Pivoting marketing messages from clinical outcomes to simple nutritional content carries commercial risk. When brands cannot claim tangible acceleration in height or immune protection, consumer willingness to pay substantial retail markups over standard milk powders drops quickly.

    Packaged goods manufacturers operating in India face a compounding compliance headache. Removing unverified health statements from shelf packaging requires inventory write-downs, packaging redesigns and altered point-of-sale displays across hundreds of thousands of general trade outlets.

    Digital influencer campaigns, long used by FMCG marketing teams as an indirect route around tight infant formula promotion laws, now sit squarely within the regulator’s direct enforcement perimeter. Brands can no longer isolate corporate marketing budgets from third-party social media creators promoting their product categories.

    Stricter Sugar Rules Set the Stage

    The crackdown follows earlier regulatory intervention by the food authority on October 17, when officials proposed an outright ban on adding sucrose and fructose to food products formulated for infants up to six months old.

    That regulatory draft landed as authorities stepped up scrutiny of basic formulation standards across processed food segments and advanced plans for mandatory front-of-pack nutritional warning labels.

    Regulators will decide whether to mandate product label revisions, levy statutory fines, or order affected product batches removed from retail distribution shelves across the country.

  • 7-Eleven Introduces Foodbar Across 16 Singapore Stores

    7-Eleven Introduces Foodbar Across 16 Singapore Stores

    7-Eleven Singapore has launched Foodbar, a fresh in-store counter concept rolling out across 16 stores islandwide as the convenience retailer moves to capture growing demand for quick, convenient dining.

    Introduced in October 2026, the format serves freshly prepared hot meals alongside snack selections, with plans to expand the footprint over time. Layouts adapt to available floor space, customer profiles and footfall, ranging from build-your-own bowl stations to grab-and-go warming cabinets.

    At larger Foodbar branches, customers can customise warm bowls starting from an assortment of bases before choosing proteins and garnishes, while smaller outlets offer hot snack selections. The initiative deepens 7-Eleven Singapore’s operational push into prepared food across its citywide retail network.

    Customisable Bowls and Snack Counters

    DFI Retail Group, which operates the convenience franchise in Singapore, unveiled the concept on Oct 16. Larger locations feature build-your-own bowl counters where shoppers choose a base of rice, penne pasta or noodles, followed by sauces, garnishes and proteins such as roast chicken, hash browns or chicken cutlets. Outlets with tighter footprints carry hot counter selections including pizza slices, croissants, pancakes and waffles for dine-in or takeaway.

    Store formats are tailored to available floor space and local footfall profiles. To accommodate the equipment and dining customers, the operator is refitting selected units to add interior seating and wider aisles. 7-Eleven Singapore managing director Anushree Khosla said the chain is restructuring store layouts to turn outlets into food and shopping destinations.

    Ready Meals Deliver Double-Digit Gains

    Ready-to-eat items already generate a double-digit share of total sales for 7-Eleven in Singapore, while recording double-digit sales growth. An internal survey conducted in August among 1,020 local convenience shoppers who bought prepared food during the preceding month showed shifting consumer schedules and warmer attitudes toward convenience meals over the past three years.

    The chain’s chilled and ambient ready-to-eat inventory now spans 130 items across meals, breakfast, snacks and desserts. Product developments have borrowed directly from formats popularised by convenience networks in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Recent launches include halal-certified Korean-style kimbap, onigiri, and pressed toasties inspired by Thai operators.

    Local partnerships have also driven basket sizes. Since 2021, the convenience chain has rolled out co-branded meals with domestic food operators including Andes by Astons, Lau Wang Claypot Delights, Playmade, Chocolate Origin and Nasty Cookie. Sales data showed these branded collaborations outpaced demand for lower-priced budget lines or dedicated health ranges.

    Following the North Asian Operating Model

    For convenience operators across Southeast Asia, moving into hot foodservice is a necessity born of margin compression in packaged consumer goods. Traditional convenience categories such as tobacco, confectionery and bottled drinks face rising wholesale costs and strict regulatory limits. Japanese chains proved decades ago that back-counter food preparation delivers higher retail gross margins, far above packaged groceries.

    The challenge sits squarely in execution. Hot counters require dedicated exhaust, regular oil management, counter staff training and strict hygiene monitoring in compact retail spaces. Singapore’s severe retail labour shortage makes running hot food preparation behind a single cashier till operationally fragile. If lines slow during the midday lunch rush, core grab-and-go shoppers walk out.

    DFI Shifts Capital After Grocery Sale

    The Foodbar rollout follows a broader restructuring of DFI Retail Group’s regional assets. In 2025, the Singapore-listed group sold its Singapore supermarket division, including Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Giant and Jason’s Deli, to Malaysian operator Macrovalue for S$125 million.

    Exiting lower-margin mass grocery freed operating cash to concentrate on high-turnover consumer businesses where the group holds licensed franchise authority. Alongside 7-Eleven’s food transformation, DFI took direct control of Starbucks licensed operations in Southeast Asia and expanded health inventory across its Guardian pharmacy stores.

    The retailer plans to extend the hot-food format beyond the initial 16 locations in phases, tracking average basket spend and kitchen throughput before committing to additional store conversions.

  • Japan Prize-Game Market Hits 417.7 Billion Yen as Groceries Fill Arcades

    Japan Prize-Game Market Hits 417.7 Billion Yen as Groceries Fill Arcades

    Japanese arcade operators are stripping out video games and filling claw machines with rice, toilet paper, and other necessities to capture inflation-pinched household spending across Greater Tokyo.

    The shift follows an expansion that pushed Japan’s prize-game market to 417.7 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in 2024, accounting for nearly 70 percent of total arcade industry revenue.

    Venues charging 100 yen ($0.64) per attempt now pitch everyday grocery staples alongside licensed character toys. At the Benex arcade chain in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, operator Tisco stripped out its conventional video games and coin-op token machines last year. Hundreds of prize cranes across its floor now hold laundry detergent, soft drinks, and pantry goods.

    Household Goods Drive Footfall

    Tisco runs five large-format venues across Greater Tokyo drawing more than one million visitors each year. Revenue generated through household products across its estate jumped 2.6-fold over the past two years.

    Its locations operate on large suburban footprints where cheaper real estate mirrors the warehouse retail models of Costco or Ikea. Families arrive by car, loading bulk household winnings straight into trunks rather than carrying single plush toys home on commuter trains.

    Retail conglomerate Aeon Group is deploying identical mechanics inside shopping malls. Its entertainment arm, Aeon Fantasy, opened a dedicated food and household prize section aimed at mothers in October 2025.

    The company expanded that trial to seven operational zones and plans to operate roughly 60 dedicated grocery-crane locations by 2030. Shoppers use the prize games to secure center-plate basics like vegetables or eggs, before walking into the supermarket next door to complete their evening dinner basket.

    The Margin Play for Suburban Landlords

    For shopping center owners and retail park landlords across suburban Japan, trading floor space to prize-game operators resolves an urgent occupancy headache. Core consumer spending on everyday goods has dropped for five consecutive years as domestic wage growth trailed inflation, pulling shoppers away from discretionary apparel and mall specialty stores.

    Arcade crane setups deliver immediate rent coverage and predictable footfall without requiring the fresh-produce refrigeration lines or stock-replenishment staff of a full supermarket tenant. Suppliers gain an unconventional bulk liquidation channel that sells commodity goods without disrupting their existing wholesale price contracts with national supermarket chains.

    The model carries margin risk if domestic food inflation cools. Claw machine economics rely on players perceiving a 100-yen coin drop as a viable discount mechanism against supermarket shelf prices. If wholesale grocery costs normalize while game payout odds remain mechanically tuned, consumer interest can evaporate faster than it arrived.

    Arcade Payouts Outpace Video Games

    Prize-machine dominance inside Japanese amusement centers has built up steadily over the past decade. The sector doubled in total value between 2014 and 2024, squeezing classic arcade fighting games and rhythm stations out of prime floor space.

    Japan’s headline inflation rate has hovered near the Bank of Japan’s two percent target in recent months, cementing higher shelf pricing across everyday fast-moving consumer goods. That continuous price pressure has entrenched consumer discount-hunting across suburban commuter belts, driving foot traffic into suburban prize halls rather than traditional convenience stores.

    Aeon Fantasy’s rollout schedule marks the commercial metric to track through the rest of the decade. The operator needs 53 additional grocery-crane venues across its mall network to hit its 60-store target by 2030.

  • 58% Of Shoppers Will Let AI Buy Groceries to Save 30 Minutes, EY Finds

    58% Of Shoppers Will Let AI Buy Groceries to Save 30 Minutes, EY Finds

    More than half of consumers will delegate online grocery orders to artificial intelligence if the technology saves up to 30 minutes on a large shop, according to research published by professional services firm EY.

    The study found 58 per cent of shoppers back algorithmic buying to remove decision fatigue from routine pantry replenishment, while 61 per cent will provide personal data to tools that reliably trim their weekly planning time.

    The shift alters how consumer packaged goods brands win shelf space across digital platforms. Richard Rome, associate partner for consumer industry at EY, pointed out that grocery shopping forces dozens of micro-decisions over nutrition, cupboard stock, household taste, and waste reduction that leave buyers mentally drained.

    Automating transactions offers basic speed, yet consumers expect systems to interpret broader health and dietary parameters. About 26 per cent of surveyed buyers want automated systems to grasp personal preferences, and the same share wants direct help selecting healthier alternatives.

    Data Demands on FMCG Suppliers

    Another 23 per cent want digital agents to audit ingredients and packaging claims. Support for dietary restrictions registered at 16 per cent, while 14 per cent sought verification of ethical and environmental claims.

    Those demands mean standard catalog assets will fail to convert autonomous agents. Pack photographs and net weights no longer suffice when machine buyers parse nutritional breakdowns, farm provenance, manufacturing processes, and verified supply chain footprints.

    Understanding how consumers frame requests, and why AI recommends one product over another, will become an important commercial capability.

    Product visibility will depend on whether back-end technical data satisfies automated filters rather than standard digital advertising banners. Suppliers lacking structured, verified certification data risk falling out of automated consideration loops entirely.

    From Eyeballs to Automated Replenishment

    Supermarkets spent a decade designing mobile apps to maximise session length and screen engagement. Delegated automated purchasing reverses that entire operational model.

    Shoppers wanting fewer interactions will reward merchants that remove manual screen time completely. For grocers, retail media networks built around paid banner clicks and eye-level digital placements face rapid obsolescence if agentic software compiles baskets autonomously in the background.

    The operational danger for consumer brands lies in price erosion. When software selects meals under fixed budget thresholds, such as a meal for the family under $20, automated agents bypass brand loyalty to hit nutritional and financial parameters.

    Australian shoppers spend an average of one hour each week buying groceries. Automated tools that strip that friction will shift brand discovery from visual marketing to software search parameters, testing whether legacy food brands can protect their margins against white-label alternatives.

  • CP Axtra to Roll Out Five Food Chains Across Makro and Lotus Stores

    CP Axtra to Roll Out Five Food Chains Across Makro and Lotus Stores

    Thai retailer CP Axtra partnered with Minor Food Group in October 2026 to introduce five restaurant brands across select Makro and Lotus stores.

    Under the corporate franchise agreement, CP Axtra will invest in and own the outlets, while Minor Food will manage operations across Dairy Queen, Swensen’s, Gaga Cafe, Bonchon, and The Steak & More.

    Benchawan Ongsri, chief mall officer of CP Axtra, said the partnership deepens collaboration between the two companies under CP Axtra’s Happy & Healthy Mall development strategy.

    How the Corporate Franchise Framework Works

    This arrangement alters standard retail leasing. Instead of acting as a commercial landlord collecting tenant rent, CP Axtra commits capital expenditure directly into restaurant buildouts. Minor Food provides its operational workforce, ingredient supply chains, and management systems across each brand.

    Minor Food operates more than 3,000 restaurants across 25 countries. The group brings established operational protocols to the partnership. In turn, CP Axtra provides prime floor space and immediate customer footfall from its existing grocery shoppers.

    Changing Commercial Terms for Mall Footprint

    Hypermarket operators rarely monetize secondary retail space through this structure. Traditional lease models leave landlords vulnerable to tenant turnover and vacant restaurant units when regional consumption slows. By purchasing franchise rights and paying Minor Food to manage the locations, CP Axtra captures dining sales revenue directly while controlling its tenant mix.

    For Minor Food, the framework secures access to high-footfall grocery properties without burdening its balance sheet with fit-out capital. CP Axtra absorbs the capital risk of store buildouts. Minor Food assumes the operational execution risk across the joint sites.

    Building Out the Happy & Healthy Mall Network

    CP Axtra runs the wholesale chain Makro alongside the Lotus’s supermarket and hypermarket network. The company has steadily remodeled existing properties into lifestyle-focused shopping centers designed to increase customer dwell time beyond routine grocery trips.

    Established fast-casual and dessert brands give CP Axtra dependable footfall anchors. Quick-service dessert concepts Dairy Queen and Swensen’s capture incidental purchases from supermarket shoppers. Casual dining formats Bonchon and The Steak & More draw evening family trade.

    Next Steps for Store Conversions

    Rollout plans begin across high-potential Makro and Lotus’s branches nationwide, prioritizing urban centers with verified footfall data before expanding into provincial hubs. Store opening schedules and initial site selections in Bangkok and key provincial centers will determine the pace of the joint expansion.

  • Coles Adopts MTick Menopause Label Across 200 Products in Australia

    Coles Adopts MTick Menopause Label Across 200 Products in Australia

    Coles will introduce MTick menopause certification across more than 200 items in Australian stores and online, partnering with advocacy group GenM to standardise product labelling for midlife women.

    The agreement covers food, skincare, personal care and dietary supplements across an Australian market where GenM estimates 4.5 million women currently navigate perimenopause and menopause.

    Implementation begins with an online educational hub before purple MTick identifiers appear on physical shelves and digital storefronts early next year. The accreditation scheme checks products against 48 recognized symptoms of menopause, including sleep disruption, skin alterations, dry eyes, cognitive fatigue and intimate health needs.

    Shelf Signage and Digital Hubs

    Physical stores will install dedicated point-of-sale badging to help consumers spot qualifying inventory quickly during routine grocery trips. Online, Coles will index qualifying lines into dedicated search filters linked to informational guides detailing common physiological transitions.

    GenM manages the certification process, vetting third-party formulations against ingredient standards and consumer testing guidelines before clearing items to display the purple symbol. Brand owners pay verification fees directly to the standard holder to qualify individual product lines for placement.

    The GenM Standard and UK Precedents

    British grocers and pharmacies created the template that Coles is now transplanting into the southern hemisphere. Retailers including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and health-and-beauty chain Boots already display MTick iconography across an international inventory pool exceeding 4,000 certified stock-keeping units.

    For Australian retail operators, category tagging creates margin opportunities in aisles that historically functioned as low-margin convenience stops. Supermarkets can capture wellness revenue by aggregating high-margin items such as targeted serums, magnesium formulations and sleep supplements into visible health sub-categories.

    Pharmacy Competition and Category Margins

    Pharmacy chains built Australia’s baseline market for dedicated wellness merchandising, leaving grocers to fight for basket share. Community pharmacy group TerryWhite Chemmart previously added MTick shelf tags to recruit shoppers seeking guidance on hormonal health transitions.

    By establishing certified shelf space in high-frequency supermarkets, Coles puts direct commercial pressure on independent pharmacies and banner groups that rely heavily on discretionary personal care sales. Suppliers must now balance slotting allowances and certification audits if they want shelf access in both distribution channels.

    Rollout Schedule and Brand Recruitment

    Health and beauty manufacturers in Australia have spent recent years reformulating private-label and branded ranges to satisfy rising demand for transparent personal care claims. Several local brands secured MTick approval ahead of the supermarket launch to guarantee distribution when shelf changes take effect.

    Coles plans to begin deploying the online resource centre in early 2027, followed by storewide rollouts of shelf tags as certified supplier stock enters its distribution centres.

  • Lactasoy Launches 19G Benefitt Plant Protein Drink in Thailand

    Lactasoy Launches 19G Benefitt Plant Protein Drink in Thailand

    This week, Lactasoy Co., Ltd. Introduced Benefitt Plant-Based Hi Protein Original in Thailand, delivering 19g of protein in each 250ml carton. Sourced from a blend of soy and pea protein, the beverage is designed for health-conscious consumers seeking a convenient source of high-quality protein.

    Packaged in single-serve cartons, the product is formulated to support muscle health. It expands Lactasoy’s Benefitt soy milk brand into high-density plant protein.

    Formulating for protein density

    Combining soy and pea proteins gives the beverage a broader amino acid profile than standard single-source soy drinks. Delivering 19 grams in a 250ml carton matches levels typically found in dairy whey RTD beverages.

    Single-serve cartons also lower entry barriers for casual fitness consumers who want functional nutrition without mixing powders. That format fits convenience store chillers, where grab-and-go purchases drive daily RTD beverage volume.

    Shifting RTD dairy alternatives

    Thailand’s packaged soy milk sector has long relied on entry-level, sweetened staples sold in volume. Higher ingredient costs and shifting dietary preferences are pushing manufacturers toward functional, premium formulations with explicit health claims.

    Lactasoy is shielding its retail margins by creating dedicated sub-brands like Benefitt. High-protein claims command higher retail price points than commodity soy milk, protecting profitability as baseline ingredient costs fluctuate.

    Retail shelf competition

    Competition in Southeast Asian functional beverages is concentrating in modern trade chillers. Traditional soy brands now face dedicated fitness RTDs, imported oat milk brands, and local plant-based innovators fighting for refrigerated shelf space.

    Suppliers must balance taste and viscosity against higher protein concentrations. Chalky textures and bitter plant notes often deter repeat buyers, making formulation execution decisive for category retention.

    What operators will watch

    Convenience operators and hypermarkets will track whether high-protein plant beverages can build repeat demand beyond dedicated gym-goers. Retail distribution execution across convenience store networks will determine initial sales velocity.

    Reorder rates over the first two quarters will show whether the 19g protein blend can establish Benefitt as a regular purchase or remain a niche alternative on Thai shelves.

  • Punthai Coffee Signs Influencer for Five-Drink Matcha Menu in Thailand

    Punthai Coffee Signs Influencer for Five-Drink Matcha Menu in Thailand

    Thailand’s Punthai Coffee has signed social media creator Khun Noey as its first brand partner. Together, they will roll out a five-part matcha drink series across the chain’s network.

    That partnership runs through 2026 and builds on an earlier customisation campaign. It targets younger consumers and specialty tea drinkers in the country’s competitive beverage market.

    A Five-Recipe Rollout Across Stores and Delivery

    The chain will release five exclusive matcha beverages under the campaign banner “The Matcha That Noey Loves”. The first item, named Matcha Latte Rocky Mountain, went on sale on 15 October. It remains on menus through 31 December 2026 across physical outlets and delivery channels.

    This debut drink features two shots of matcha latte over lightly sweetened fresh milk and konjac jelly. Baristas finish the beverage with whipped cream, brownie chunks, crushed Oreo cookies and caramel syrup.

    Targeting High-Margin Custom Additions

    Chains across Southeast Asia lean heavily into dessert-style tea drinks to lift ticket sizes and draw younger foot traffic. Operators use layered toppings, jellies and branded confectioneries to justify premium price points over standard iced coffees.

    For store teams, building complex specialty drinks introduces kitchen friction during peak hours. Punthai is betting that creator-led recipes create enough volume and delivery demand to offset the added assembly time per cup.

    From Social Customisation to Official Menus

    The campaign follows the brand’s Punthai D.I.Y. Promotion, where customers shared their own drink combinations on social media. Turning user recipes into formal menu items gives the chain a low-cost testing ground for flavour trends before committing to seasonal supplies.

    Four additional drinks in the collaborative series will debut over the coming months ahead of the 31 December 2026 cutoff.

  • Pepsi-Cola Partners with 7-Eleven Thailand to Launch Lay’s Loaded DIY

    Pepsi-Cola Partners with 7-Eleven Thailand to Launch Lay’s Loaded DIY

    In October 2026, Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading partnered with 7-Eleven Thailand to launch Lay’s Loaded D.I.Y., selling customisable snack combinations across the convenience store network and digital channels.

    The promotion lets buyers take bags of chips and combine them with add-ons and toppings purchased directly in-store.

    How the in-store concept works

    Shoppers select participating base chip packets and add savoury ingredients to build custom snack bowls inside the store. The retail mechanic turns standard packaged goods into quick-prep food options without requiring dedicated kitchen equipment or extra staff behind the counter.

    Digital channels handle the same ordering flow. Customers can select their chip base and topping combinations directly through the 7-Eleven mobile application and order them via 7-Eleven Delivery for home drop-off.

    Influencer recipes drive app orders

    To establish baseline recipes, the campaign brought in four Thai key opinion leaders to develop signature combinations based on their personal flavour choices. These recipes serve as default menu items on the 7-Eleven application, giving shoppers direct templates rather than forcing them to invent combinations from scratch.

    Social sharing anchors the promotional push. By circulating specific topping formulas online, the brand aims to convert casual social media viewers into app-based delivery orders.

    Commercial shift for snack makers

    Packaged snack producers in Southeast Asia face stagnant volume growth in conventional shelf placements. Turning standard chip packets into assemble-at-home meals allows manufacturers to lift basket size without reformulating the underlying product.

    For convenience operators like CP All’s 7-Eleven, the mechanic drives cross-category sales. A single snack transaction now pulls in additional high-margin chilled toppings, sauces, and packaged side items from adjacent shelves.

    Earlier product experiments in Bangkok

    The campaign follows several product variations rolled out by PepsiCo in Thailand during 2026. The company introduced Lay’s Light with a 40 per cent sodium reduction in September, alongside a co-branded ice cream crunch stick developed with Nestlé Éxtreme Pop.

    Earlier in May 2026, the brand tested texture additions through Lay’s Max paired with crunchy crab sticks. The latest DIY promotion shifts that experimentation from factory packaging directly to the retail point of sale.

    What to track next

    Retail buyers are monitoring whether the DIY format generates repeatable basket additions beyond the initial social media campaign. The metric to watch is whether 7-Eleven expands the loaded snack concept to other savoury snack categories across its nationwide footprint.

  • Pryme Snacks Launches Wagyu Jerky Across Coles Nationwide

    Pryme Snacks Launches Wagyu Jerky Across Coles Nationwide

    Pryme Snacks launched its Wagyu jerky across all Coles supermarkets nationwide in October 2026, marking the brand’s largest grocery distribution milestone to date.

    National shelf space across major grocers

    Co-founder Eylon Levy said the Coles agreement transitions the company into a brand with national reach across major retail channels.

    Gaining direct access to major grocery aisles shifts the company from niche distribution to mass consumer volume. Securing national distribution at Coles requires maintaining consistent supply across state distribution centres, testing the company’s manufacturing capacity.

    Expansion through transport and forecourt channels

    The Coles rollout follows a series of retail partnerships secured over the past eighteen months. Pryme Snacks gained entry into forecourt retail through an expansion into Ampol service stations in April.

    Travel retail followed four months later. By August, the company placed its jerky into WHSmith outlets across Australian domestic and international airport terminals, capturing impulse purchases from commuter traffic.

    Competition in premium protein snacking

    Meat snacks face heavy competition in Australian grocery aisles, where legacy brands dominate traditional beef jerky fixtures. Premium lines such as wagyu jerky target shoppers seeking higher-grade protein options, commanding higher price points than standard dried meat products.

    Supermarket placement gives independent snack brands high product visibility, but sustaining shelf allocation requires rapid stock turnover. Coles regularly reviews category sales rates, putting pressure on emerging producers to drive consumer uptake without eroding margin through heavy discounting.

    Distribution track record across Australia

    Pryme Snacks began building its wholesale footprint last year through distribution agreements with Metcash, which supplies independent grocers and the IGA network. That base provided the logistics foundation required before pitching national supermarket chains.

    With Coles stores now stocked, inventory turnover rates over the final trading quarter will determine whether the brand secures permanent ranged space and shelf extensions across the category.

  • Treasury Wine Rules Out Fire Sales After Raising $50 Million from Divestments

    Treasury Wine Rules Out Fire Sales After Raising $50 Million from Divestments

    Treasury Wine Estates will not hold fire sales to offload underperforming labels. The group recently raised 50 million Australian dollars by selling three commercial brands to AG Oatley Wines.

    That deal returns Rosemount, Ingoldby and Secret Stone to the founding Oatley family. Southcorp bought Rosemount for 1.5 billion Australian dollars a quarter of a century ago.

    Chairman John Mullen told shareholders at the annual general meeting in Melbourne that the business will protect balance sheet value rather than rush disposals. Chief executive Sam Fischer plans to shrink the brand lineup from 75 to about 35 names. He also aims to extract 100 million Australian dollars in annual cost savings by fiscal 2029.

    Pruning Commercial Tiers To Protect Margin

    Trading stayed positive across the opening months of the fiscal year, driven by the luxury Penfolds division. Premium bottles generate the bulk of earnings across Asian distribution channels. Demand for heritage labels remains steadier than for budget supermarket lines.

    Shedding lower-margin labels frees working capital tied up in grape intake, barrel storage and bottling runs. Fischer took the top job with a remit to streamline operational units bloated by decades of regional winery acquisitions.

    Shifting Channel Priorities Across Regional Retail

    Distributors across Asia have cut shelf space for mid-tier Australian commercial wines over the past three years. Retail buyers in regional hubs prioritise high-margin status bottlings over volume table wines. That preference leaves operators with excess inventory across lower price bands.

    Rival producers face identical inventory overhangs across Oceania and Southeast Asia. Many have responded by heavily discounting stock or idling crushing plants. Those moves eroded wholesale price floors across the region. Treasury Wine is choosing selective asset sales over wide-scale liquidations to stop channel partners from demanding across-the-board margin cuts.

    The Long Unwind From Volume Expansion

    This rationalisation reverses two decades of corporate consolidation across the Australian wine sector. Portfolios assembled in the early 2000s struggled as global consumption drifted away from mass-market commercial reds.

    Management previously halted proposed sales of Wolf Blass and Lindeman’s when market bids fell below internal valuations. Executives retained and restructured those lines internally rather than book heavy impairments on distressed transactions.

    Targets Across The Restructure Plan

    Fischer is managing the brand reduction in stages while realigning winery throughput across South Australia, Victoria and California. Retaining fewer labels allows the group to focus marketing funds on global export flagships.

    Progress will be measured against the 100 million Australian dollar overhead reduction target as the company completes its next round of brand reviews before the close of fiscal 2027.

  • Coles Explores In-Store Robots with Ocado to Speed Online Delivery

    Coles Explores In-Store Robots with Ocado to Speed Online Delivery

    Coles is in early talks with UK-based Ocado Group to explore in-store robotics for picking and packing online grocery orders, aiming to cut costs and speed up delivery times.

    The potential technology trial would help the retailer fulfil express orders directly from store aisles without investing in another large automated warehouse.

    Shifting Automation to the Shop Floor

    Under the proposed trial, robotic systems would operate inside existing stores, building on the companies’ first Customer Fulfilment Centre opened in Victoria in 2024 following a partnership established in March 2019. Deploying automated micro-fulfilment in active supermarkets allows the grocer to serve dense urban pockets where large distribution facilities are either too distant or too expensive to construct.

    Ocado’s store-level technology is designed to operate in tighter operational spaces than the vast grid systems seen in regional depots. For Coles, integrating robotics into physical retail sites represents an operational shift from standalone logistics infrastructure toward hybrid retail facilities that double as mini-fulfilment centres.

    Read Across to Regional Operators

    Supermarket operators across the Asia-Pacific region face intense pressure to solve the unit economics of instant and same-day delivery. Building multi-million-dollar automated distribution centres works well for scheduled, bulk grocery deliveries across wide metropolitan areas, but it fails on speed and margins when customers demand baskets within two hours. Rival Woolworths has already experimented with automated micro-fulfilment units attached to retail sites to tackle this exact constraint.

    For property operators and grocery suppliers, store-level automation changes shelf stocking workflows and backroom inventory allocations. The primary risk sits in execution: retrofitting operational supermarkets with robotic machinery often disrupts walk-in shoppers and complicates inventory replenishment during peak trading hours. If the integration falters, picking errors and foot-traffic bottlenecks will quickly erode the projected labour savings.

    The Long Partnership Timeline

    Coles and Ocado formed their strategic partnership in March 2019 to overhaul the retailer’s digital supply chain. That agreement centred on building large automated Customer Fulfilment Centres, leading to the launch of their first operational CFC in Victoria in 2024. The new discussions reflect an evolution of that multi-year agreement from centralised mega-hubs toward flexible, localized picking nodes.

    Next Steps in the Rollout

    Both companies are assessing store layouts and integration schedules to determine which locations will host the initial trials. Market watchers will track the formal sign-off on the pilot program and the subsequent cost disclosures in upcoming operational updates.

  • Sabeco Expands National Progress Award Across 34 Vietnamese Provinces

    Sabeco Expands National Progress Award Across 34 Vietnamese Provinces

    Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation teamed up with the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Hanoi on October 16 to launch the 2026 Ambassador of National Progress Award across 34 provinces and cities.

    The brewer will filter grassroots submissions down to 150 shortlisted candidates before naming 15 final honourees through a weighted evaluation model.

    Award structure and evaluation mechanics

    Local chapters of the Vietnam Fatherland Front across all 34 centrally governed provinces and cities handle the intake of nominees. Submissions run from October through December 2026 across six distinct fields: community development, vocational training, environmental sustainability, science and technology, balanced health, and culture.

    Organisers will open the pool of 150 shortlisted profiles to public voting through the official web portal and a newly added SMS channel. An Evaluation Council controls 70 per cent of each contender’s final tally, while public votes decide the remaining 30 per cent.

    Corporate positioning in the beverage sector

    For consumer goods manufacturers operating in Vietnam, structural community initiatives provide direct brand visibility across rural and tier-two provinces where standard retail promotions face stiff competition. Partnering with state-backed civic organisations gives Sabeco distribution touchpoints that commercial marketing cannot match.

    Local brewing rivals and multinational beverage giants frequently lean on music events and sports sponsorships to defend market share. Sabeco’s reliance on civic network awards embeds the enterprise directly into local administrative circuits, cementing goodwill among domestic distributors and regional retail accounts.

    Building on the 2025 heritage rollout

    The company instituted the inaugural edition of the recognition programme in 2025 to align with its 150th brewing anniversary. That first run established the basic six-track format before organisers expanded geographic outreach and added cellular ballot mechanics for the 2026 cycle.

    “What has always inspired us about Vietnam is the Vietnamese people’s unwavering spirit of striving forward,” said Tan Teck Chuan Lester, General Director of Sabeco.

    Next steps in the selection cycle

    Dai Doan Ket Newspaper and regional Fatherland Front committees are currently gathering district nominations ahead of the December 2026 intake deadline. Public voting opens early next year once judges publish the 150-candidate shortlist.