Nestlé returns to TFWA Asia Pacific to lay foundations for Asian growth – 27/05/08

NITR Trade Marketing Specialist Stephane Zermatten with the new-look Nestlé Swiss at the TFWA Asia Pacific


SWITZERLAND. Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) returned to this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific show after some years’ absence with a strong showing of several new products.

NITR Head of Sales Ian Robertshaw explained that “the time is right” for the company to return to the annual exhibition, given the increased focus on the Asia Pacific region.

The Kit Kat Dark Travel Pack capitalises on the trend towards dark chocolate


“Our business in the region has been performing in line with the market and we have maintained market share,” he said. “Looking ahead, however, we anticipate significant growth, specifically from India and China, and we are putting the foundations in place to meet increased demand. This involves improving our regional distribution and increasing the visibility and availability of the NITR portfolio to these markets.”

To this end, NITR said it is linking with local company offices in order to carry out shopper insights and consumer trend research. “In positioning Nestlé’s wide portfolio of both international and local brands, covering a wide range of categories, it is vital we target these very specific audiences with the right brands and products,” added Robertshaw.

It was research undertaken at Singapore’s Changi Airport last year that alerted NITR to the importance of “˜Swissness’ in its Nestlé Swiss chocolate. This led to the decision to relaunch the 400g tablets with new branding and silver packaging. The new-look packaging displays a mountain of chocolate that blends into Swiss Alp imagery, reinforcing its Swiss origin, said NITR.

Besides the 400g tablets, Nestlé Swiss also comes in two new 200g mono-size varieties for self consumption – Solo Dark and Solo Milk. Presented in cube packaging, each piece of chocolate is individually wrapped.

Previewed at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last year, the new packaging has been a hit with customers, NITR Trade Marketing Specialist Stephane Zermatten told The Moodie Report.

“We started to dispatch Nestlé Swiss in April, and we’ve had great, great response from customers. It is a very big change from what we had before, and everything we’ve heard from customers has been very positive,” he enthused.

Nestlé Swiss brings the concept of Chocolat Brut to life with its new branding and premium new-look silver packaging for its 400g tablets (left) and new Solo Milk (right) and Solo Dark self-snacking varieties


Also new at the TFWA Asia Pacific show was the new range of Smarties Toppers, based on the popular Disney Pixar movie Cars. It features key movie characters – Luigi, McQueen, Sally and Mater.

Introduced as part of the children’s gifting segment, the range is targeted primarily, but not exclusively, at boys. The extension follows the success of the Winnie the Pooh and Disney Princesses Toppers ranges, which target small children and girls respectively, said Zermatten.

The new Smarties Toppers range is based on the Disney Pixar movie Cars


All the Cars Toppers have a pull-back mechanism and each performs differently when activated, according to NITR. Each topper sits on a 170g giant tube of Smarties and is available individually or in a multi-pack of four.

Another new product for the snacking/sharing segment is the Kit Kat Dark Travel Pack, containing eight four-finger dark chocolate bars. Zermatten expressed confidence in this product, citing the trend now towards dark chocolate, with its added health benefits. The packaging features a new Kit Kat design, emphasising its bright red colour and logo.

NITR is also looking to create destination packs for the Asia Pacific region, said Zermatten. The company saw a big increase in sales with the launch of Kit Kat destination packs for the Middle East last year, he added.

In addition, NITR is also planning to roll out seasonal gifting packs, with exclusives for festive periods such as Chinese New Year.

For enquiries contact Ian Robertshaw, Head of Sales, Nestlé International Travel Retail, tel: +41 21 948 2971, e-mail: ian.robertshaw@nestle.com, or Anna Nee Lim, Regional Business Manager Asia Pacific, tel: +65 6836 7152, fax: +65 6222 2875.

MORE STORIES ON NESTLE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RETAIL

Nestlé International Travel Retail makes key appointments in Asia and Europe – 09/04/08

Nestlé unveils strong Americas sales growth – 31/03/08

Dufry wins Nestlé prize for outstanding achievement – 20/12/07

Nestlé International Travel Retail honours Dubai Duty Free with special award for confectionery sales – 05/12/07

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