Cadbury pushes for bigger market share with Bournvita re-launch

By The Citizen
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Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a major player in Nigeria's food/beverages sector, has taken a big step forward to reinforce product presence in the market with the re-launch of its flagship brand, Bournvita.

The new Bournvita is the company's response to the need to grow the food industry in Nigeria despite the challenging business environment, Mr. Roy Naaman, managing director/chief executive of Cadbury Nigeria said.

He said his company is committed to meeting the needs of consumers by evolving improved product quality as the needs of consumers evolve with time.

Naaman has assured the consumer market that the new Cadbury Bournvita has been improved with the aim of providing the very best in nutrition and vitality. The product has been infused with vitamins and minerals which aim to develop both the body and mind, he said.

Stakeholders and the consuming public are impressed by the move by Cadbury Nigeria to reposition its products in a highly competitive food/beverages industry. Product launching, re-launching and constant re-branding are considered a welcome strategy to respond to consumer needs and reinforce the company's operating momentum.

Testifiers to the high quality of Cadbury bournvita include Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, wife of the Lagos State governor, who noted that most of the company's products are consumed by Nigerian families, including her children, which attests to the company's good quality products.

Mrs. Yetunde Oni, the Acting Director General of National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), was impressed by the company's ability to feed the Nigerian market with fast moving and innovative consumer goods for over 50 years. She congratulated Cadbury Nigeria for the new product it had just released into the market, which she said indicates the company's commitment to grow the Nigerian food industry despite the difficult operating environment.

The new Bournvita has been described as what Nigerian children and families need for increased nutritional requirements. The product has now been made creamier with increased quantities of cocoa and milk added.

Having been repackaged to fight malnutrition in Nigeria, the new Bournvita is seen to be reaching consumers at a very appropriate time. The growing number of Nigerian families unable to balance their diet under the present economic hardship may therefore get some relief from the new bournvita. Some consumers, who have tasted the new product, affirm that it is improved in quality, as less quantity of it is now required to mix a given quantity of water.

Food and beverage companies are facing a highly competitive marketwhich is flooded with imports and constrained by low consumer demand capacity. The economy has come to a stage where a large segment of the consumer market has been lost by the operators due to inability to afford basic consumer goods that used to be taken for granted on family tables.

A tight selling market and high operating cost are working adversely on margins. Cadbury Nigeria is using its dominant household product names to defend market share and with its Bournvita re-launch, it is stepping forward to grow the market share.