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  • 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.

  • Est Thailand Adds Cotton Candy Mango and Black Coco to Soft Drink Lineup

    Est Thailand Adds Cotton Candy Mango and Black Coco to Soft Drink Lineup

    Thai soft drink brand est rolled out two carbonated flavours in Thailand. It added Mamuang Cotton Candy and Black Coco under its Explore Something New promotional banner.

    Both SKUs are stocked exclusively through Lotus’s hypermarkets and Lotus’s go fresh convenience outlets across the country. Distribution began in late September 2026.

    Flavour profiles and retail distribution

    The Mamuang Cotton Candy variant combines Nam Dok Mai mango flavouring with spun-sugar confectionery notes. Est paired the tropical fruit profile with high carbonation. The recipe targets younger shoppers who buy sweet beverages.

    Black Coco takes a different route, drawing on local roasted coconut profiles. Est markets the sparkling beverage as a darker, aromatic alternative to standard coconut water and coconut milk drinks.

    Shelf space competition in modern trade

    Beverage makers in Thailand rely heavily on short-run novelty flavours to defend shelf share against multinational giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Limited editions rotate rapidly through modern convenience networks. They drive foot traffic and immediate basket additions without requiring permanent changes to factory bottling lines.

    Buyers at convenience chains prefer these fast-turning SKUs because they encourage impulse purchases among Gen Z consumers. Inventory velocity remains the main risk. If a novel taste profile misses shopper expectations, leftover cans require steep markdown discounts within eight to twelve weeks.

    Rotation cycle for novelty carbonated drinks

    This launch follows a series of seasonal tests by est over the past eighteen months. The bottler released Est Shoot Salty Lemonade in June 2026. That came after it introduced the est Glow Edition in October 2025 and repackaged est Cola with brown sugar in March 2025.

    Store managers will track early sell-through rates across Lotus’s go fresh stores over the final quarter of 2026. Those numbers will decide whether to extend the run into independent grocers.