Panpuri - building a world-class Thai brand

A flagship store is scheduled to open in Tokyo’s Ginza district next year, after one shop opened in Kobe this year. Domestically, the number of sales counters will be expanded from about 40 at present.
That is attributable to relentless efforts over the past 13 years to establish the Panpuri brand.
Vorravit Siripark, founder and chief executive officer of Puri, started the business when he was just 28 years old. From the start, he aimed to turn Panpuri into a global Thai brand, cashing in on the unique sense of Oriental botanical ingredients that are blended into a range of products for use from head to toe.
“I was lucky to start this business when I was young. Being young and having no knowledge of the industry, I had no fear. Everything was possible,” he said.
Luck was on his side, as four months after incorporating the business, the products it exhibited at an export fair won orders from Singaporean and Philippine buyers. The company’s products also caught the eye of hotels and vendors in Europe when they were exhibited at a fair in Bologna, Italy. It was then that the company decided to set up a distribution arm in Paris, to distribute its products on the European continent.
Having spent some time in Italy working towards his master’s degree, he had some friends there, and one decided to leave Cartier to man the distribution centre.
After years, annual revenue is hundreds of million today.
Vorravit attributed the company’s success first to the uniqueness of its products.

Clear brand character
“Our products, both their formulation and packaging, respond to customers’ needs. If customers are not impressed, even excellent marketing strategies cannot help,” he said.
The key factors are the clear brand character and team spirit.
“From Day 1, the team shared the vision that we would go to the Olympics, to make a Thai brand global. We went through the training together and shared the spirit to fight against ourselves. A team that shares your vision will ensure the success of your business concepts,” said the man who has been in charge of building the brand from the start.
He recalled obstacles at the beginning. The first was to find the right distribution channel, in this case a luxury shopping mall. He was on the waiting list at The Emporium for some time, only to win the first nod from Gaysorn, which houses the first outlet.
In the first year, the company had three personnel. In the second year, a designer was brought in – before the hiring of the first salesperson.
“Packaging is the key. Before Panpuri, there were many good products but they came with unimpressive packages. Thai people can excel, but they don’t know how to present themselves. It’s necessary that a good product is good from the inside to the outside,” Vorravit said.
He said design was a complicated process, and now Puri has an in-house team for this task. Altogether, the company employs 210 staff, and this is growing in line with business expansion. From 40 outlets in Thailand, the number will expand as new shopping malls open.
The uniqueness of Puri’s products helped win orders from the Anantara hotel and resort chain.
“It was difficult, but once you win a deal, it tends to stay for the long term. That deal helped me sell products to other hotel chains,” he said.
The company recently branched out to open its own spas, starting with one in Bangkok. After closing a branch in Madrid, it closes a new one at Eastern Oriental Penang. Two more are planned in Bangkok and Hua Hin. And Vorravit did not hide plans to explore other businesses, to promote the Panpuri brand further.
“To me, success means people will still queue up to buy my products even after my departure. My dream is to make it a world-class brand from Thailand,” he said.