TOPS targets more festive basket sales

Bangkok--Dec 1--Spark Communications There is a new trend this year in the sales of festive hampers and baskets towards quality, reflecting growing consumer confidence and purchasing power, says market leader TOPS Supermarkets. The most popular baskets this year are priced between 1,500 and 2,500 baht and the chocolate, beverage, canned food, liquor and fruit products are the most popular goods in the basket, says TOPS' Assistant Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations, Ms Phattaraporn Phenpraphat. "This is a marked trend over previous years. Buyers are looking for brand names, quality and freshness amongst the contents." she says. "Although quality has always been a factor, we are now finding it to be the overriding factor. With the policy, the best in fresh, food safety and freshness guarantee, we expect for the better growth this year." TOPS is market leader in Thailand in the festive basket sector, with more than 30 percent of the total sales. This year, says Ms Phenpraphat, TOPS expects a strong 20 percent growth in sales, with an emphasis towards the higher priced packages. "The theme for this year is 'Everlasting Impression'. We have an attractive offer running through to January 15th, in which purchasers enjoy discounts or vouchers on the festive baskets, and this has been very successful in stimulating sales." Buyers spending 10,000 baht receive 5 percent discount, or a voucher for 500 baht. Those spending 50,000 baht enjoy a discount of 7 percent or a voucher for 3,500 baht, while buyers spending 100,000 baht receive 10 percent discount or a voucher for 10,000 baht. There is also an interest in baskets that include products from the One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) programme. In October, TOPS signed an agreement with the Ministry of Commerce to market OTOP products through its 47 stores nationwide, and also to advise on quality standards and presentation to ensure that the products have maximum market appeal. "Last year, our OTOP festive basket was very popular, and we expect the same trend this year. Therefore, we have added more OTOP products and created more OTOP festive baskets to respond to consumers' needs." Ms Phenpraphat added. TOPS has worked closely with the BMA in preparation of this year's festive baskets, which has resulted in - Displaying all products' details on the basket - All goods are FDA approved - Products expiry dates are more than 6 months from the buying date - Every basket has "Freshness Guarantee or Refund" to ensure products' quality. TOPS supermarkets are operated by CRC Ahold, a joint venture between Central Retail Corporation and the international food provider Royal Ahold. Most of the TOPS outlets are located in Central and Robinson department stores, although there are additionally freestanding outlets. The supermarkets are designed for one-stop shopping, carrying a wide range of fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, fish, seafood, groceries, dairy and bakery products. TOPS also has its own brand-label products, "The Brand that Saves", which offer good quality products at attractive prices. End. -NM-

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