Arla Foods Opens Opens New Business Region in Asia
International dairy group Arla Foods has opened its new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It will be the main office for all of the company’s activities in Asia and as a regional leader will set the strategy for all activities within retail and foodservice in Asia.
With a population of 2.3 billion, Asia is crucial to Arla’s future growth. Moreover, Asia has a raw milk deficit which presents Arla with significant opportunities for dairy export as there is strong demand for dairy products.
China has been a strategic growth market for Arla for many years, while South East Asia (SEA) has been identified as a region that has the potential to become a new strategic growth market. For this reason, Arla will focus on China first and foremost but there are many similarities between the Asian markets, which the company hopes to take advantage of.
“The Asian markets are growing in affluence and have an increasing awareness of the importance of good health and the need for a choice of nutritious products. There is a growing appetite for family nutrition products, such as long-life milk and infant formula and for a variety of different cheeses. This presents us with strong possibilities for establishing synergies within our brand and product portfolio, marketing activities and innovation,” says Jesper Colding, senior vice president for Arla’s Asian business unit.
