Thursday, 31 August 2017, Colombo: Sri Lanka has spoken! Citizens across the country, surveyed for the Kantar Worldpanel’s ‘Global Brand Footprint Report’, have yet again named Munchee as ‘Sri Lanka’s Number One FMCG Brand’ for 2017 as they did in the previous year! In 2016 too, this survey was conducted in Sri Lanka by the UK based International research company and Munchee was able to secure its position as Sri Lanka’s No. 1 brand for the year. The flagship brand of CBL (Ceylon Biscuits Limited), Munchee, has been consistently rated the leader in the FMCG market in Sri Lanka.
Every year, Kantar Worldpanel conducts an exhaustive study of FMCG brands across the globe and selects the strongest FMCG brands from each country. Rankings of Kantar Brand Foot Print 2017, reveals the strength of brands in 43 countries around the world, across the Food, Beverage, Health & Beauty and Home Care categories. The report is the largest of its type, covering 15,300 brands, 200 categories, 43 countries and 5 continents, representing 73% of the global population. The Brand Footprint Report further states that household consumption drives the majority of sales in the FMCG segment due in large part to long-term trends such as a growing urban middle class with rising disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences for traditionally Western products. Reflecting this trend, Munchee remains a household name in Sri Lanka, supported strongly by a strong distribution network, high quality and innovative products suited to the local palate.
On receiving this accolade, the Marketing Team at Munchee commented saying “We are grateful to the people of Sri Lanka for having given us their seal of approval! Universal approval from the nation is the ultimate endorsement of our brand quality and this gives us immense pride. We as Sri Lankans should be very proud of this achievement as the report reveals that in many countries the number one brand is a multinational brand whereas in Sri Lanka the number one brand is Munchee, which is of local origin. Being named Sri Lanka’s No. 1 FMCG brand is a testimonial to Munchee’s market leading position as the powerful local and home-grown brand that fulfills the taste, quality and innovation expectations of loyal consumers. We are proud to see that Munchee remains a household name in Sri Lanka, and we reiterate our commitment to empower consumers with a quality local products they can be proud of. This is quite possible with Munchee as the market leader in biscuits sub categories like Cracker, Marie, Nice, Chocolate Cream, Other Cream, Puff, Ginger, Milk Short Cake, Coconut related biscuits, and many others. Geographically Munchee is the market leader in all Provinces in the country.”
In the global survey, to select a country’s number one brand, key consideration was the consumer reach points, which is based on the number of households in the country (population); percentage of households buying the brand (penetration); and number of interactions with the brand across categories in a year (occasions).
Munchee’s secret to success has been its scientific and well informed brand decision-making; agility in evolving to suit the macro environment; leveraging on advanced technology; and resonating with an increasingly divergent buyer base, not just in terms of positioning but also format, pricing and promotions.
CBL (Ceylon Biscuits Limited) is one of the fastest growing and largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka that manufactures and markets many leading brands in biscuits, chocolates, cakes, cereal, organic fruit, soy and coconut based products, and many other categories globally. Recognized as a technology and innovation-led producer, CBL caters to a large overseas market and has a global presence across all continents with Munchee being present in over 55 countries. Today, CBL is led by a vision to become leader in confectionary in South Asia with global presence and recognition. Under visionary leadership, the company has aggressively expanded its operation, invested heavily in new plants, factories and technologies, and established a strong sales and distribution network.