Sermsuk uncorks Asean vision
Sermsuk Plc, the bottler of ‘‘est’’ soft drinks, is seeking Asean partners to market all beverages under its portfolio in the region next year.
It is negotiating with leading companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to distribute products there, said president Dhitivute Bulsook.
Partnership deals in these countries could be concluded by the end of this year.
‘‘Expanding our product portfolio into the international market is another mission after we manage to build a strong foothold for est at home,’’ said Mr Dhitivute.
Sermsuk now has three models to expand its est brand.
It will appoint dealers, form joint ventures with local partners or have a bottler in each country to distribute its products.
As the company is now owned by whisky tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, it is possible Sermsuk will benefit from the network of Thai Beverage, which has already set up branches in many Asian countries.
ThaiBev International has had a head office in Hong Kong for many years, while Sermsuk recently set up two companies in the Chinese territory for future expansion.
Moreover, Fraser and Neave, whose major shareholder is Mr Charoen, has a strong distribution network in Asean, particularly in both Singapore and Malaysia.
In an initial step, est products will be distributed in Indochina and then throughout Asean.
Only eight months after entering Thailand’s 44-billion-baht beverage market, est had a 15% market share and record sales of 5 billion baht.
Sermsuk has partnered Manchester City Football Club to launch a campaign called ‘‘Manch-est-er City’’ to deliver the ‘‘cool-est’’ experience for its customers.
They are said to have similar DNA. Manchester City have more than 133 years of colourful history, while Sermsuk is Thailand’s leading beverage company after more than 60 years of operation. The football club has undergone a major change in its organisation, just as Sermsuk has gone through its own corporate transformation.
Manchester City is one of the top clubs in the English Premier League and won the title during the 2011-12 season.
‘‘Manchester City have a challenging goal to become one of the top four football clubs in the world, while Sermsuk’s goal is to drive est to be the carbonated soft drink of choice among Thai consumers,’’ Mr Dhitivute said.
The campaign kicked off with City players Samir Nasri, Jack Rodwell and Gael Clichy appearing in a TV commercial.
Shares of Sermsuk (SSC) closed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 120 baht yesterday, down four baht, in trade worth 720,000 baht.