At A Glance

By placing consumer needs at the heart of growth strategies and encouraging its employees to take calculated risks, Coca-Cola’s new CEO says the company is on-track to becoming a “total beverage company”.
 Speaking at the Asean town hall meeting in his recent visit to Thailand, James Quincey, president and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company reemphasised the strategic imperative of transforming the company by quickly evolving its product portfolio to meet diverse and fast-changing consumer needs. While innovation and digitalisation were key enablers, consumer centricity remained the most critical success factor, he said.
 “The world is changing and with our 131-year history, we see this as an opportunity as a business to continue our leadership and evolve to meet the requirements of our consumers around the world today, including Thailand. Through this long-term, consumer-centric strategy, Coca-Cola is offering more low-to-no-sugar products and increasing availability of smaller packages globally. We want to continue to be part of our consumers’ everyday lives by giving them new experiences and enabling them to control sugar consumption as per individual need,” he said.    Coca-Cola has already begun this transformation process globally, through the evolution of more than 500 product recipes, while maintaining the same tastes that consumers have grown to love. In Thailand, the recent launch of “Coke Zero No Sugar” – with an improved recipe that aims to deliver the original Coca-Cola taste – reaffirms this new company direction.
 Blessed with a growing middle class and sustained GDP growth, Thailand and other Asean markets would continue to play an important role for the company globally, he said. In Thailand, Coca-Cola’s business will continue to operate under its traditional system where the parent company has long-term partnerships with two bottlers – ThaiNamthip and Haad Thip. Quincey said both bottlers had state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, extensive distribution coverage and relationships with customers to accelerate the sustainable growth for this “new and innovative ecosystem”. This would benefit Coca-Cola, its partners and suppliers in its value chain, he said.

Luxury key at new BMW dealership

BMW Thailand and Nelson’s Autohaus say they are bringing a premium automotive experience to a strategic eastern economic province with the grand opening of BMW Studio Nelson’s Autohaus in Rayong.
Nelson’s Autohaus, an authorised BMW dealer, has unveiled the dealership at Central Plaza Rayong to expand its potential reach in the Thai luxury car market while also extending “premium mobility experiences” to customers in the eastern region.
Lars Nielsen, sales and marketing director, BMW Thailand, said, “BMW Thailand is delighted to be working with Nelson’s Autohaus in delivering the ultimate in premium service experiences to our customers in Rayong and nearby areas. This collaboration is an important milestone for both BMW Thailand and Nelson’s Autohaus, our strategic dealer in the eastern region, and will propel our business towards greater success as we uncover opportunities to offer our luxury vehicles to a wider range of customers.
“In light of an impressive sales performance by Nelson’s Autohaus throughout the past year, we believe that the launch of BMW Studio Nelson’s Autohaus in Rayong is not only proof of BMW’s dynamic growth but also a move that strengthens both BMW Thailand and Nelson’s Autohaus.”
Randy Nelson, director of Nelson’s Autohaus, commented, “Nelson’s Autohaus has enjoyed 16 years of strong partnership with BMW Thailand. We have received generous support in terms of concepts and methods in providing world-class customer services, which is one of the most important factors behind our achievements. The opening of BMW Studio Nelson’s Autohaus is an achievement we are proud of and a chance for us to provide top-notch services to locals in Rayong.” He said the company would build on the expertise and experience it had accumulated from its operations in Chon Buri, as well as its vision to move forward and grow, “by treating our customers as family”.