Bangkok--30 Jan--JWT Public Relations Expansion continues in domestic and international markets Prantalay Marketing Company Limited, the leader in frozen seafood innovations and distributor of ‘Prantalay’ seafood products, announces its sales achievement of 1 billion Baht in 2007, as well as unveils the company’s new business core concept “Healthy with Innovations” to promote the 100 SKUs range of seafood products processed under the leading-edge innovations. Highlights of operational strategy for year 2008 include; change of packaging, utilizing environmentally-friendly materials; expansion of export markets, focusing big-spender countries such as Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, the company aims to challenge an even higher success to achieve the all-year sales target of 1.2 billion Baht in 2008. Mr. Anurat Khokasai, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operation Officer of Prantalay Marketing Co., Ltd - the leader in frozen seafood innovations and distributor of ‘Prantalay’ seafood products — reveals that Prantalay has made an impressive total sales achievement of over Bt.1 billion in the past year which shows that the company has grown 25% from the year before. To attain such significant success, complementing with the company’s consistent growth over the past four business operating years, Prantalay always focuses on the building of consumers’ awareness and understanding, which leads to more acceptance of products and increases the total sales that the company has hoped for. Prantalay is now gearing up to expand into more markets and aim to achieve 1.2 billion baht for the total sales or by 20% in growth. The main factor resulting to Prantalay’s continuous growth is the effectiveness of the key message that accentuates in the company’s leadership of new seafood innovations applied to respond to the needs of consumers. The Ready-to-Cook frozen products featuring new fresh seafood, ranging from fresh whole fish to lobster, and the Ready-to-Eat products such as spaghetti, E-San seafood sausage, U-dong noodle and Khanom Chin Curry, are great examples to illustrate Prantalay’s modernity and innovations delivered directly to the customer’s door. With the launch of ‘I Love Sushi by Prantalay’ the sub-brand that focuses on the freshness of authentic premium Japanese Sushi products distributed through modern trade and delivery channels, Prantalay has spread its wings to even-larger business expansion which grows rapidly every year. The modern trade channel of distribution through partners such as Tesco Lotus, Big C, Carrefour, 7 Eleven, and many more, enables relevance to the modern day lifestyle of consumers that requires promptness and convenience when it comes to foods. With modern trade channel alone, the company can achieve 10% to 20% sales growths of Prantalay Frozen & Chilled Ready-to-Cook and Ready-to-Eat seafood products. Mr. Anurat continues that the main strategy to support business expansion in 2008 will headline the company’s leadership in the innovations of new seafood processing for the Ready-to-Cook and the Ready-to-Eat product categories. The new concept of “Healthy with Innovation” will focus on the understanding of benefits to consume seafood as a way to promote health, while delivering an outstanding solution to serve the modern lifestyle of today’s consumers. Prantalay also include several changes to improve and develop each and every detail of the brand to create outstanding differentiation to compete in the markets. On Prantalay’s newly designed, environmentally-friendly packages will contain Nutrition Fact to educate the consumers on the value of the product. The company R&D team will be enhanced with knowledge training in order to produce exciting products with new cutting-edge innovations to battle the market. The post-sale survey will be performed to monitor customers’ satisfaction toward Prantalay’s products and use as a means to expand the database covering information of existing customers, as well as prospective consumer targets in the future. “Prantalay has a plan to expand the coverage of its sales points this year to add to the existing 300 sale points in modern trade channel. Sales space in front of supermarkets is one of the locations that can contribute to increase sales for ready-to-eat produce like sausage, fried meat ball, and sushi. The ‘I LOVE SUSHI by Prantalay’ products have also experienced satisfactory growth, both in modern trade and delivery channels. Because of its carefully-selected grade-A raw material and the production standard that agrees with the standard demanded by Japanese consumers residing in Thailand, the premium sushi product have enjoyed a warm welcome from both Thai and Japanese customers in Sukhumvit area since its launch late last year, recording a sales growth of 20 percent. The market of sushi sold through restaurants is valued at over Bt6 billion currently, including Bt500-600 million sold in modern trade channel, and is expected to grow by 30 percent this year,” says Mr. Anurat. “With more than 6,500 sales points, Prantalay currently has a nationwide distribution network that emphasizes on consumer accessibility. Out of this, nearly 6,000 are retailers located in communities while the remaining are sales points established in modern trade stores, convenience stores, and mini marts. The company hopes to increase these sales points to 7,500 this year,” he adds. “Besides, Prantalay has received very good response from last year’s expansion into overseas market with 800 tons of export into Japan. The company will, therefore, expand its export further in Asia, particularly to markets with high potential like India, the Middle-East, and Saudi Arabia that have high purchasing power and high demand for seafood,” Mr. Anurat continues. “In part of marketing communications, the company has set aside a budget of Bt30 million this year for public relations, sales promotion events, and direct marketing activities to reach its target consumers and to emphasize the key message of the brand as the seafood products that is fresh, clean, produced under high-standard procedure, and ‘Healthy with Innovation’. In addition, the campaign will also help expand the customer base of Prantalay products. With the nourishing factors and the business strategies for this year, I feel confident that ‘Prantalay’ will end the year with no less than Bt1.2 billion of sales,” he concludes. For more information, please contact: JWT Public Relations, JWT (Thailand) Khun Prasit Kritsadaariyachon (Bob), T: 02-204-8216 or 081-586-2813 Khun Porntip Wiriyakitpattana(Bee), T: 02-204-8210 or 086-813-1981