Pepsi re-iterates long-term commitment to Thailand

Through its local business arm - Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading Co Ltd, PepsiCo entered the Thai market in 1952, introducing Pepsi, the fizzy carbonated soft drink to the Thais. Pepsi brand has a strong bonding with Thai consumers for nearly 60 years as its taste is preferred and desired by them. 

The statement was released shortly before the bottling contract with Serm Suk Plc, the partner of nearly 60 years, will end at the end of October. 

“60 years in Thailand is a big milestone for us and we couldn’t have done it without the support from our consumers and partners. It is PepsiCo’s commitment to continue delivering products that are better for the consumers in Thailand; to satisfy their demands, consuming trends and to be a part of the Thai family for many generations to come,” said Jagrut Kotecha, general manager for beverages for Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading.

“Our iconic brand is really loved and enjoyed by the Thais. This is proved by our recent survey result in August 2012 which revealed that Pepsi is the number one top-of-mind carbonated soft drink brand in Thailand and 73 per cent of Thai consumers endorsed that Pepsi is the brand they love. Besides, our ‘Pepsithai’ Facebook with over 1 million fans and growing truly indicates a high level of consumer engagement towards the brand. Apparently, our strong brand equity and brand-consumer engagement have brought us success across all our major beverage brands, and we strongly believe that they will be the foundation for our future growth,” he said.

“As the industry leader, it is our strong intention to develop and grow our business together with Thailand and to serve our consumers with a variety of quality products. With our long-term commitment to the country, werecently invested in our first beverage plant to establish company-owned bottling operations at Amata City Industrial Estate in Rayong province to successively bring our beloved consumers with the global quality beverages they prefer. Our plant is equipped with state-of-the-art production facilities and equipment while advanced technology is adopted to ensure high efficient operation and reduction in water and energy use. We are looking forward to an even more successful future,” Mr. Jagrut added.   

For its food business, PepsiCo paved the way for Thailand’s snack market in1995. It currently offers Thai consumers with many favourite snack brands with great global and local tastes like Lay’s, Tawan,Sunbites,Twisties, Doritos and also Quaker Oats. Continuous investment has been made over the years including one manufacturing plant in Lamphunprovince with a full production capacity of 45,000 tons a year, five distribution centers, and so on.

Today, PepsiCo’s snack portfolio is the number one leader in Thailand’s salty snack market, while Lay’s holds the number one market share position in potato chip market, significantly ahead of its competitors. PepsiCo’s brands also lead the number one market share in extruded segment. Sunbites, the whole grain crispy snack launched in 2010, has also gained its popularity and strong growth rate as it responds to the growing health-conscious trend.

Mookda Pairatchavet, general manager for food for Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading, disclosed that,“Thailand’s salty snack market shows positive trend. The total market grew by 10 per cent year-to-date. To serve the rising demand, this year we decided to invest in the second plant located in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya province. This project received approval for investment promotion privileges from the Board of Investment of Thailand. In addition to the infrastructure investment, we will keep on supporting and investing in the local communities by partnering with more than 6,500 local farmers to develop quality potatoes and sharing good agricultural practice to them to improve crop yields.”