Zespri’s China sales strategy ‘thriving’

Zespri chairman Peter McBride (third from right) and director Teresa Ciprian (far right) with Trade Minister McClay (fourth from right) and Zespri executives at the HSBC New Zealand-China Trade Association business awards in Auckland on Wednesday night.

Kiwifruit marketing giant Zespri won the supreme China Business Award and Exporter of the Year at the HSBC New Zealand-China Trade Association business awards on Wednesday.

For more than a decade Zespri has been exporting fruit to China, but the past three seasons have seen sales volumes more than double, with sales of more than $400 million last year.

Zespri chief operating officer Simon Limmer says signing e-commerce and Importer of Record agreements, along with moves to work more closely with larger, quality-focused retail customers, have been key factors to sustain that growth.

'We're incredibly proud of these awards and we're delighted we can go back to our growers and tell them our sales strategy in China is thriving.

'Our forecasts this season suggest China could overtake Japan as our biggest market for kiwifruit and the potential for further growth is extraordinary but none of this could have been achieved without a lot of hard work and strong vision.”

While the Zespri brand is the most-recognised fruit brand in the cities where its fruit is sold, the kiwifruit marketer is expanding distribution into more tier two cities, opening a regional office in Beijing and launching regional representation in Guangzhou, Xian and Chongqing.

Zespri now employs over 50 staff in China to support that growth.

The company has also invested heavily in ecommerce, with China on track to become the world's largest ecommerce market, as well as working more closely with key retailers.

Last year, online distributor Fruitday became the first ecommerce retailer to buy directly from Zespri, while JD.com recently set up a flagship store for Zespri Kiwifruit to serve its 225 million consumers.

Simon says becoming the Importer of Record in China had also made a huge difference to Zespri's business, mirroring the model used in Japan and major European markets.

'It gives us more flexibility and responsiveness in China and lets us develop those connections with retailers and online consumers.”

Zespri is also looking into sourcing premium quality kiwifruit from China with trials in their second year in Shaanxi Province, which could provide 12-month supply to Asian markets in the NZ offseason.

By supporting the Chinese kiwifruit industry and partnering with Chinese businesses and government, Zespri has made huge strides to establish a sustainable, long-term business, adds Simon.

Zespri's sales volumes to China have more than doubled for the past three seasons, with sales of more than $400 million last year.

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