Blackmores looks to Asia
November 8, 2010
AUSTRALIAN health products
manufacturer Blackmores is
spreading its wings further offshore,
with the announcement this
morning of a new distribution
agreement with a Korean firm.
Korea will be Blackmore’s first
new international market since the
company entered Taiwan more
than three years ago.
Blackmores has also operated in
Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and
Hong Kong since the 1990s.
The new deal has been signed
with a company called CJO
Shopping, described as a “home
shopping platform incorporating
television, online and catalogue
sales direct to consumers.”
And as well as these direct to
consumer channels, CJO distributes
through a network of department
and drug stores, and operates its
own retail pharmacy chain across
Korea, called CJO Olive Young.
The first Blackmores campaign in
partnership with CJO Shopping will
launch next month and feature
Blackmores Omega Daily.
Blackmores ceo Christine Holgate
described the company as “a high
quality partner who will be able to
maintain the integrity and
positioning of our premium brand.”
Holgate said the deal would give
Blackmores “an opportunity to
better understand direct to
consumer marketing, which is a key
sales channel in Asia”.
Approximately 80% of vitamins
and dietary supplements sold in the
large Korean market are currently
sold through direct to consumer
channels, Blackmores said.
The company plans to launch a
small number of other Blackmores
products into the Korean market
over the remainder of the 2010/11
financial year.
MEANWHILE Blackmores is also
set to expand it Australian product
range, with the company’s Director,
People and Strategy, Richard
Henfrey, outlining a “healthy
pipeline” at an analyst briefing this
morning.
As well as the new Everyday
Stress product Blackmores is set to
release “two innovative probiotic
products” in the coming months -
Digestive Bio Balance and Women’s
Bio Balance.
Henfrey also outlined a
Blackmores strategy to deepen the
company’s online activities, with
the relaunched blackmores.com.au
website claimed to be the most
popular health information site in
Australia, with more than 100,000
unique visitors per month.
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