INTERVEW: Ezaki Glico to Develop Confectionery into Necessities

Osaka, Jan. 12 (Jiji Press)--Ezaki Glico Co. <2206> hopes to
develop confectionery products that will become necessities rather than
those chosen out of personal preference, focusing on health and packaging as
well as taste, President Katsuhisa Ezaki notes.
The Japanese confectionery maker has recently seen demand from
women for products that easily fit in their purses and from men for business
card-sized products, Ezaki said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.
Health, natural and gourmet are the keywords, Ezaki said.
Although healthy foods do not usually come with nice tastes, it is
important for a food maker to craft products that have both, he said.
Consumers are essentially fickle, said Ezaki, noting that many do
not buy confectionery products every day even if they like them.
Citing its "Breo" tongue-cleaning candy as an example, the
president said his company hopes to develop products with such distinctive
features that can become necessities and be picked up by consumers once a
week or once a month.
Asked about overseas activities, Ezaki said that business
conditions of the company, which operates in Thailand and Shanghai, are
getting tougher year after year.
The rules on company management are different there from those in
advanced countries, and regulations often change suddenly, he said.
Although Ezaki Glico sells low-price confectionery in both markets,
just as it does in Japan, the environment there does not allow the company
to make fair profits, he said.
In China and Southeast Asia generally, there is room for sales
increases because the confectionery markets there are not yet mature, Ezaki
said, but he added that it would be difficult to ramp up profits in line
with sales.


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