Five years ago, Procter & Gamble launched a new product in Romania, the Pringles potato chips. After only two years, the US company pulled the product from the market, but the chips are now back. The first time around, low purchasing power and the small chips consumption were Pringles' main enemies, but another factor has emerged in the meantime: competition from Chio.
This time, Pringles is not being imported directly by P&G, but by the company's sole distributor on the Romanian market, Interbrands.
"The problem with the product's launch was bad timing, because the market was not ready," said Ioana Pielescu, trade marketing coordinator with Interbrands. "At that point, it was not a marketing error, it was only bad timing. But the experience was useful, as everyone learnt what things should or should not be done," she added.
The official Pringles launch will take place early next week, but the Interbrands official would not volunteer any details related to the sales estimates. The product's launch and support will be a joint operation of the two companies.
"We have brought the chips back because we feel this is much better timing," Pielescu maintained.
Coincidentally or not, Intersnack Romania, producer of the Chio chips, has recently launched a similar product, at least in terms of packaging.
The can keeps the product intact and, once opened, the lid can also be closed, so that the products preserve their taste, according to industry officials.
"We've always had this product, as part of our international portfolio. We are just testing the market for now, to gauge the acceptance and, depending on what we find, we may expand it," said Cristian Rey, general manager of Intersnack Romania.
"We are investing in the Chio brand, not necessarily in this particular product," Rey added. Neither product is similar to the other potato chips available on the market. The two types of chips are made from potato flour, and are much more expensive than the classic chips. That is precisely why they can only be found in supermarkets and hypermarkets.
claudia.covaci@zf.ro
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