Consumer & Retail

Thailand - Growing haircare market attracts new players

Source: The Nation (Thailand), 05 August 2010

Thailand's haircare market is expected to grow by between 4% and 6% in 2010, with demand having been stimulated by new players such as L'Oreal joining the competition. Existing players, notably Proctor & Gamble (P&G) and Unilever, have however launched new product variations into the market as a defensive strategy to protect their share and maintain customer loyalty.

The overall shampoo market reached Bt9 billion (US$280.4 million) last year, up 5% over 2008. The local hair conditioner market posted growth of 4% to Bt3.6 billion (US$112.2 million). The shampoo market increased 4% in the first six months of this year to between Bt4 billion and Bt5 billion (US$124.6 - 155.8 million), while the conditioner market rose by 2% to about Bt2 billion (US$62.3 million).

India - Poultry industry benefits from strong demand

Source: Bangkok Post, 09 August 2010

India's Rs400 billion (US$8.6 billion) poultry industry is growing strongly and is transforming itself into a more integrated industry to tap into stronger demand for higher quality meat from consumers. The robust economic growth of India has enlarged the urban and middle-class population and this has lead to changes in the behaviour of the consumers, lifting sales of chicken meat in fast-food chains.

The trend has driven many Indian companies to make changes and some are looking for direction to Thailand, considering its high profile in the world chicken industry, among the top five in chicken exports. Betagro Group, one of Thailand's leading chicken producers and exporters, has been approached by a major chicken company in India to help develop meat production processes, supplied from its slaughterhouse.

China - Latest infant formula saga will not impact dairy industry

Source: Asia Pulse, 10 August 2010

In early July, after three infants in Wuhan, Hubei province, were discovered to have abnormal levels of two hormones and consumers blamed Synutra, the manufacturer of the infant formula. While consumers continue to wag their fingers at Qingdao-based powdered-milk maker Synutra International Inc for allegedly adding hormones to its products, the news won't have a significant impact on China's dairy industry, experts said.

While the infant formula market may be impacted, the dairy industry recovery won't be impeded, as infant formula is only a small part of the market. Foreign brands occupy 65% of the premium powdered-milk market, while Inner Mongolia-based Yili Group and China Mengniu Dairy Co Ltd dominate the mid-priced sector. According to data from Euromonitor, in the next four years, China's infant formula market will increase 18.7% per year.

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