Shiseido to Promote Common Brand in Asia: Pres. Maeda

Ho Chi Minh City, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Shiseido Co. <4911>
plans to promote a common brand for the Asian market and launch items from
the label in fiscal 2011, President Shinzo Maeda said in a recent interview
with Jiji Press.
The products, targeting middle-income groups in the region, will be
produced in Vietnam and exported to Japan, China and other Asian countries,
Maeda said here during a visit for the opening of the company's first
cosmetics plant in this Southeast Asian nation.
While Shiseido boasts a competitive edge in the high-end cosmetics
market, Maeda said the company also aims to grow to become a top player in
lower-end products.
It is very important for Shiseido to establish a solid presence in
rapidly growing Asia, where more new customers are expected, Maeda stressed.
As for reasons to make Vietnam its production base, Maeda pointed
to the country's number of people aged under 40 and their high interest in
skin care, as well as the lower labor costs and the diligence of the
workforce.
He also mentioned the geographical advantage of the country,
situated at the heart of the Southeast Asian region.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, which include
Vietnam, are set to eliminate most tariffs in the ASEAN region by 2015,
which will create a huge common market with a total population of 500
million, the third largest after China and India.