French bakery group Jacquet-Brossard has won its first listing in China as it continues its international expansion.
The company, part of French agri-food co-op Limagrain, is set to start selling mini-cake products at an unnamed retailer in the east of the country.
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Speaking to just-food at the ISM confectionery expo in Cologne, Alexandre Poussard, the company’s corporate development director, said the “quality” of French products would give the business an edge in China
“We want to concentrate on the main cities with the French retailers and also the leaders in China,” Poussard said. “Also we are keen on getting listings with niche retailers in China that are specialising in imported goods.”
The cakes are being sold under the group’s new Jacquet brand, launched six months as it reviewed the performance of its international business.
Poussard said its Brossard brand had been “too expensive” for consumers in some markets.
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By GlobalDataHe explained Jacquet mini-cakes would contain fewer products and be priced cheaper than Brossard lines. The Brossard brand will stay in some markets where it had enjoyed some success, such as Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.
Jacquet-Brossard exports products to 35 countries from sites in France and Belgium. In October, the company said it had started to trial cake and bread products in the US. Poussard said the tests were still ongoing. “We are giving ourselves another 12 months to see if we have a potential winner in the range.”
A key market for the company is Brazil, where it launched products imported from France last year. However, in the meantime, Jacquet-Brossard has been building a factory in the south of the country and the site is set to begin production this year.
Jacquet-Brossard reported a global turnover of EUR292m (US$395.2m) for the 12 months to the end of June, an increase of 5% on the previous year. Some 15% of sales were made overseas.
