Malaysia Food & Drink Report Q2 2014 - New Market Study Published

We believe that a mixture of declining global grain prices, subdued money supply growth and benign wage price pressure will combine to keep Malaysian consumer price inflation in check as we head into 2014. Malaysia's improving labour market dynamics not only bodes well for economic growth and private spending, but also is likely to help to keep labour costs stable, thus promoting investment.

Headline Industry Data (local currency)

* 2014 per capita food consumption value sales growth = +1.44% year-on-year (y-o-y); compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast to 2018 = +1.24%
* 2014 soft drinks value sales growth= +3.58% y-o-y; CAGR forecast to 2018 = +2.88%
* 2014 alcoholic drinks value sales growth = +4.64% y-o-y; CAGR forecast to 2018 = +4.23%
* 2014 mass grocery retail sales growth = +8.62% y-o-y; CAGR forecast to 2018 = +6.12%

Full Report Details at
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/775206_malaysia_food_drink_report_q2_2014.aspx?afid=301

Key Industry Trends

Hershey To Invest In Malaysian Production Facility: In a development indicative of Malaysia's potential as a manufacturing base for the region, US-based chocolate company The Hershey Company plans to open its first confectionery manufacturing plant in Johor, Malaysia. The MYR816mn (US$250mn) facility will incorporate innovations in automated confectionery manufacturing technology and high-speed wrapping equipment featuring proprietary, as well as specially engineered, wrapping technologies. The new plant is expected to address rising consumer demand for the company's products in Asia.

Asahi Brand Makes Significant Inroads In Malaysia: In August 2013, Asahi Breweries' Asahi Super Dry beer became the fastest growing premium beer in Malaysia, according to Juliet Yap, the marketing director of Carlsberg Malaysia, which brews and distributes Asahi's beer in Malaysia. According to Asahi Group Public Relations Manager Takayuki Tanaka, sales of the beer increased tenfold between 2010 and 2011, with sales increasing 14-15% in 2012. The strong growth can be attributed to its popularity with the 25-34 age group, Yap said.

Risks To Outlook

Tightening Labour Market Could Increase Inflation: We believe that the upside risks to Malaysia's inflation outlook are likely to arise from tightening labour market conditions. Malaysia's unemployment rate came in at a 10-month low of 2.8%, while its labour participation rate climbed to a record high of 67.8% in August 2013 (based on data going back to 2009). However, we caution that the potential for Malaysia's labour participation rate to continue to rise is diminishing over time.

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