Thailand’s largest conglomerate. Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, has announced that it will overhaul its Lotus supermarket chain in order to align to new shopping habits in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic while refreshing its brand image.
The “Lotus’s” supermarket that recently opened in Bangkok is currently testing this strategy. The “s” in the new suffix stands for “smart,” as explained by the company. Throughout the store are “Scan & Go” panels, where buyers scan QR codes to purchase products and have them delivered when they prefer. This lets customers handle items in person before purchasing and shop without lugging bags home. The store offers a range of other digital-physical hybrid services, including “Click & Collect”, which allows customers to make purchases online and pick them up in-store, and home deliveries.
The digital pivot is part of CP Group’s efforts to refresh the chain’s image and shed its association with Tesco (bought in 2020), which Thai consumers associate with cheap, low-quality goods. The conglomerate is unifying its supermarkets under the Lotus’s brand, removing the Tesco name and redesigning its logo. It expects to rebrand its entire estate of 2,100-plus stores in Thailand by 2022.
In 2021, the group aims to expand by an additional 300 to 400 branches in different formats, including in the “mini-supermarket” category.
(Source: Nikkei Asia)
CP Group to Digitalize Lotus Supermarket Chain
Our Services
Orissa International provides consulting services to companies that want to develop a market entry strategy for Southeast Asia or implement their business expansion into the region. We have very strong domain knowledge of markets and industry sectors, and a business network of over 16,000 distributors, resellers, and system integrators, built through advising and guiding more than 5,000 companies with their market expansion into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines over the last 25 years.
Understand the Market
Enter the Market
Grow Your Business
