Nestle “cautiously optimistic”

Saturday, 14 December 2013 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s first FMCG retail lab now live at Colombo Nestlé premises
Expanding in Sri Lanka: Nestlé Global Second in Command
FMCG up with GDP: Rishad

The world’s leading wellness multinational Nestle is upbeat on Sri Lanka, albeit “cautiously”. “We are investing and expanding in Sri Lanka. We are looking to grow in Sri Lanka markets. I am not at liberty to comment on the forthcoming investment values here but we are certainly planning. In fact, we are cautiously optimistic,” said Nestlé S.A.Executive Vice President and Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East Nandu Nandkishore - the Swiss-based Second-in-Command of Nestlé Global who is now in Colombo.

Nestlé’s Executive VP Nandkishore was addressing Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen at the inauguration of Sri Lanka’s first ever Retail Innovation Centre (RIC) created by Nestlé Lanka PLC, located at its Colombo 10 premises. The RIC concept by Nestlé is based on Nestlé’s Retail Innovation Technology and appears as series of typical boutiques, tea boutiques and shops filled with retail merchandise which in actual practice, is geared to train FMCG distributors, consumers and shop-owners as well as to act as a testing ground of Lankan consumer behaviour on Nestlé Lanka’s rollouts. In essence, being a retail consumer and distributor testing laboratory. Also present on the occasion were Nestle India Ltd. Managing Director Etienne Benet and EDB Chairman and Nestlé Lanka PLC Vice President Corporate Affairs & Communication Bandula Egodage. In 2012, Nestlé Global reported $ 103.4 billionn in sales with net profit of $ 11.9 billion. “FMCG is closest to our consumers’ lives among many products,” said Minister Bathiudeen and added: “The FMCG sector growth is understandable since we see continuous GDP growth, with 7% expected this year. We are looking at FDIs, in many sectors, including infrastructure.” Minister Bathiudeen also distributed several Certificates of Achievement to achievers in Nestlé Lanka’s distribution network, which cons 6,748 groceries in Nestlé’s large grocery channel contributing to 22% of Nestlé’ Lanka PLC’s annual national sales. Also within the Nestlé domain are 13,000 tea shops across the island which adds more than 5% to Nestlé’s annual sales here. The RIC has FMCGs (both branded and unbranded) as well as SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). “This is basically a retail innovation centre to train our customers (sales distributors) to improve their experience in retails stores and hygiene conditions,” said Nandkishore.