Vithoon Sila-On displays S&P’s new Simply Gifts and Simply Thai collections, which will launch during the coming New Year season.

The Simply Gifts collection consists of S&P's various lines of cookies and cakes, such as its classic pandan and jam ring cookies in newly designed packages.

Vithoon Sila-on, deputy vice president of business development, hopes that the new design, including cookies for children packed in colourful Disney motif cans, will appeal to customers who want to buy gifts for relatives and friends.

The Christmas and New Year holiday period accounts for about 10 per cent of the total annual turnover of its bakery business. Vithoon said yesterday that this year, the S&P Syndicate was looking for revenues of Bt150 million over the quarter on the back of the Simply Gifts and Simply Thai collections. Last year, the S&P Syndicate earned a total of Bt204 million from a turnover of Bt3.36 billion.

Simply Thai - launched on Monday - is the company's attempt to promote Thai confectionery.

"But it is not traditional Thai dessert. We have modernised it," said Vithoon. "Being a Thai company, this is our bid to conserve Thai culture, but with a contemporary twist."

Vithoon was unable to provide the exact investment amount.

But the holiday campaign is nothing new for the company. S&P has been offering Thai dessert since it was founded 33 years ago, said Vithoon.

He hopes the new Thai fusion desserts will sell well for all occasions and as gifts particularly during the New Year - Western and Thai - and even as Buddhist tam boon presents.

"In our Classic Cookies collection, the cookies come in elephant, peacock, horse and buffalo shapes. We hope that the buffalo cookies will sell particularly well," joked Vithoon, referring to the Thai focus of its new product line.

Vithoon revealed that Simply Thai will initially be sold in ten S&P branches due to limited production capability.

There are about 250 S&P bakeries and 80 S&P restaurants nationwide. Bt100 million is budgeted for next year's 30-branch expansion, said Vithoon.

Last week, S&P reported a net profit for the first nine months of Bt139.47 million, up from Bt135 million in the same period last year.

On October 16, Minor International acquired a 16.6-per-cent stake in the S&P Syndicate for Bt204 million, increasing its holding to 19.85 per cent. There has been talk of strategic alliances in the supply chain and back-office duties such as IT and call centres.

When asked if its new pizza joint venture Pizzanotti posed a threat to Minor Food's Pizza Company, Vithoon denied any direct competition, saying that the new company sells thin Italian pizza and not the extra-cheesy American variety.

"Besides, they bought into our company, but we hold no stake in theirs," he said with a laugh.

Ki Nan Tsui

The Nation