Vietnam confectionary market competition heats up

A KIDO bakery in Hanoi. Photo: baotintuc.vn

Hanoi - The competition in the Vietnamese confectionery market has become fiercer with the return of KIDO Group (KDC) two years ago.

KIDO Group transferred its confectionery business to a foreign partner with a commitment to not participate in the sector for five years. After a six-year absence, it officially returned to the confectionery industry in October 2021. After heavy investment in the KIDO Bakery brand, the company now aims to be the No. 2 position in the bakery industry in Vietnam within the next three to five years.

KIDO this year is targeting its highest pre-tax profit since 2017. Accordingly, the company has set a net revenue goal of 15 trillion VND and a pre-tax profit of 900 billion VND for 2023, up 20 per cent and 76 per cent respectively compared to the previous year.

KIDO also carried out a strategy to restructure the business this year into four sub-groups focussing on cooking oil, ice cream, confectionery and fish sauce.

According to Tran Le Nguyen, general director of KIDO, the step is to create conditions for the company to link with multinational companies in each segment.

KIDO's products will not be only consumed domestically but also exported, which will help improve the company’s profit margins. If the price of raw materials is stable, the profit will increase even more.

KIDO’s board of directors has also submitted a plan to shareholders for approval to reduce the rate of special pidend in 2022 to 10 per cent in cash, instead of 50 per cent as previously approved. KIDO said the pidend reduction is based on the reality on the ground as well as new investment plans this year. KIDO has recently completed the acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in the Tho Phat Dumplings brand and plans to increase its ownership of Hung Vuong Plaza to 76 per cent.

According to the latest data from market research company Euromonitor, KIDO is currently the market leader in the ice cream industry with a share of 44.5 per cent, of which the Merino brand accounts for 24.2 per cent and the Celano brand accounts for 19.2 per cent.

KIDO is also leading the margarine industry in Vietnam with a market share of 74.9 per cent and ranks second in cooking oil with about 30 per cent of the market share.

PAN Group is another top confectionary brand in the country. At its annual general meeting of shareholders, Nguyen Duy Hung, chairman of PAN Group’s board of directors, said the business plans of each member company and PAN Group itself have been developed under careful guidance.

Specifically, PAN Group’s consolidated revenue and profit in 2023 will increase by 8 to 9 per cent compared to 2022 to more than 15.15 trillion VND and 991 billion VND.

PAN Group’s leaders have identified food and confectionery as its core business segments with a revenue growth of 15 per cent thanks to the gradual recovery of domestic demand. Pre-tax profits from the company’s core business activities are expected to double over 2022 (excluding extraordinary profits from plant transfer transactions).

PAN Group is considered a big player in the country’s agriculture, fishery, and confectionery industries with many big brands under its control. In particular, in the confectionery segment, it completed the acquisition of the famous Bibica in the middle of last year with ownership increasing to 98.3 per cent.

Besides KIDO and PAN Group, the country’s confectionery market also has the participation of other big names such as Mondelez Kinh Do (UK), Orion (the Republic of Korea), and domestic brands such as Huu Nghi and Hai Ha.

The race of big names in the confectionery industry is not only happening in the domestic market that has an average growth rate of only 5 to 8 per cent a year. For faster growth, many companies choose to find new markets through export.

Nguyen Quoc Hoang, general director of Bibica, told the company’s investor conference last year that this was not the time for Bibica to be on the defensive.

The statement of the head of Bibica, as well as the market developments and the targets of remaining domestic confectionery companies, show giants in the local confectionery industry are considering long-term and sustainable plans to export.

Kido Group blasts back on local confectionery scene Local manufacturers are upping the ante in Vietnam’s lucrative snack and confectionery market to gain the market share from foreign brands.