Seminar seeks to boost exports to Thailand through Central Retail Group
VOV.VN - A seminar was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 21 to help Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) promote exports to the Thai market.
The event, which was jointly held by the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) and the Central Retail Vietnam Group, provided an ideal venue in which SMEs could come together to strengthen connectivity, seek new partners, as well as introducing their products to the supermarket chain GO! through Central Retail Group.
Tran Phu Lu, deputy director of ITPC, pointed out that Thailand has so far retained its position as the nation’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, with bilateral trade turnover last year reaching US$18.726 billion.
Thailand ranked ninth out of 140 countries and territories investing in the Vietnamese market, with the total accumulated capital by the end of February reaching roughly US$13,029 billion.
At present, a number of local firms have been successful in exporting to the Thai market, such as Bibica, Dai Viet, Hai Binh, Trung Nguyen, Vinamit, and Chinsufoods.
Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, head of Government Relations (South & Central) at Central Retail in Vietnam, revealed that consumption trends taking place in Thailand have undergone some changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the trend of online shopping growing strongly and a specific focus on high-quality products at reasonable prices.
Hien therefore advised local firms to improve product quality and designs, whilst also grasping consumer tastes to compete with regional peers while exporting their products to the market.
Truong To Uyen, director of purchasing department at Central Retail, also recommended that local businesses provide sufficient certificates of food hygiene and safety in order to penetrate the supermarket chain GO!
Uyen emphasised that Central Retail is a member of Central Group, a leading multinational retail company that boasts a retail network spanning all provinces throughout Thailand, Vietnam, and Italy, adding that the total number of the group’s retail stores has reached more than 3,800 so far.
The products that qualify for the GO! will have the opportunity to reach a large number of consumers and be exported through a network of stores located in different countries, she added.
