Nick Reitmeier, Vice Executive President of Foothalls International Food & Alcohol Buying at Central Food Retail Co, Ltd. under Central Group, Thailand addresses the conference

Speaking at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on May 7, Nick Reitmeier, Vice Executive President of Foothalls International Food & Alcohol Buying at Central Food Retail Co, Ltd. under Central Group, Thailand, said the annual event aims to give Vietnamese firms a chance to explore the demand of local consumers, thus promoting their products and increasing export to Thailand.

He said Vietnam has a lot of high quality products, but there is a lack of knowledge about these products in Thailand, as well as brand building from Vietnamese businesses, he said.

He said Vietnamese businesses must thoroughly research the Thai market and understand that famous brands in Vietnam may not have the same popularity in Thailand.

Vietnam exports many high-quality raw materials for foreign businesses, but Vietnamese branded products are not well-known, he noted.

Local businesses should differentiate themselves from domestic brands in Thailand, communicating their high quality to Thai consumers and paying attention to package design, he added.

During the conference, more than 120 enterprises of Ho Chi Minh City learned about standards for goods sold in international distribution and import systems of Thailand.

At the event, many enterprises said that to enter Thai supermarkets, businesses must meet many strict regulations from legal framework of the Thai government to different regulations of distributors.

At the same time, businesses must continuously modernise the production process to improve their products’ quality and reduce costs to maintain competitiveness, they said.

According to the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC), various promotion activities have been held to help Vietnamese firms access modern distribution channels, meet strict requirements of markets and introduce their products to consumers in different countries.-VNA