Go to Fleetwood and learn to adapt to different market tastes

salmiakFleetwood based Fisherman’s Friend has over the last 40 years proven you can maximise your export success by adapting the products to suit the local taste pallet and customs It’s an old-fashioned love-it-or-loathe-it product which people of a certain age might take as a cough remedy. At seven times the strength of your average menthol chew, it is not to every taste. But for every 100 of the feisty little lozenges pouring off the production line in Lancashire, 97 will end up abroad. The Germans get through packs of Fisherman’s Friend in much the same way that we consume crisps or chocolate bars. Young Germans see it as a funky pick-me-up, a sort of chewy Red Bull. The Scandinavians enjoy a salty version designed for a palate that thinks pickled fish is yummy. In many Far Eastern countries, the lozenges are regarded as a luxury item on par with a box of chocolates. Thailand loves fruity Fisherman’s Friend in chewing gum form. So it goes on. The company has clearly embraced the different local favourite taste and aligned the flavour range to each country yet the lozenge has remained the same, small size bottom shape lozenge just with “another flavour”. Even children enjoy the English perceived “very strong lozenge” The success journey continues to Asia where next target market is China. The company saw a 72 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £1.9m for the year to 31 December 2013. This is compared with a pre-tax profit of £1.06m in 2012. Meanwhile, operating profit soared by more than 380 per cent during the same period. Turnover also increased at the historic business from £39.9m in the previous year to £43.4m.

Kit Kat opens its first speciality store in Tokyo

KIT KAT JAPANHow Another English Iconic product – Kit Kat has just open it’s first “Kit Kat store” in the busy Seibu Ikebukurohonten department store in Tokyo, Japan. Here Kit Kat has become part of the life style, more and not only “have a break” like here in the UK. (Picture from Tokyo TimeOut)

The Kit-Kat flavours are created by gourmet chefs, including seasonal flavours, limited edition and flavours based on local delicacies for specific regions in Japan – 16+ different flavours developed for the Japanese market alone. (Picture from Japanator)

Kits kat range JapanThe different flavour assortment is now the “big trendy thing”, so Nestle keeps launching flavours particularly for the Japanese market such as Soy Sauce, Melon and Pumpkin…The product are not officially launched in the UK however you can find them in The Japan Centre in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue if you want you find how the Japanese like their “Kit Kat”

These successes outside the home market uses the same logo, same product shape and branding value and have proven that growth comes by listen and learning from the local markets. You might not like a “Salmiak” or “Soy Sauce” taste but why not offer what the consumers would like and grow your export sales.

The morale of the Fisherman’s Friends export success is that if you adapt your products to local tastes and engage with your customer though eight local language websites, you are bound to grow your export – it can be done!

 

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