Phattaraporn Phenpraphat, vice president for marketing and public relations, said yesterday that its gift baskets were designed to fit different lifestyles of customers and come in yellow, red and dark blue.

The company, which operates Central Food Hall, Tops Market, Tops Super, Market Place by Tops, Tops Supermarket and Tops Daily, has put its customers into four groups - corporate, health-conscious, alcohol consumers and cookery lovers.

Healthy products and premium products tend to be the most popular as people are becoming more concerned with their health, Phattaraporn said.

The company began categorising customers last year after collecting data on consumers' behaviour through its Spot Reward Card scheme, which started two years ago.

By focusing on designs and trends as well as marketing campaigns, it saw sales grow 40 per cent in November compared with last year.

Promotions include discounts and shopping prizes such as gift vouchers for buying kitchen goods and Yamaha motorcycles.

According to ACNielsen's marketing information, Central Food Retail is the leader in the gift-basket market with a share of 30-40 per cent estimated to be worth Bt1 billion - a 10-per-cent increase from last year.

Central Food Hall offers 160 varieties of gift basket with prices ranging from Bt1,750 to Bt38,600, while Tops Supermarket offers 340 types priced from Bt395 to Bt12,150.

Products in the baskets include local goods and others imported from abroad.

Nitida Asawanipont

 The Nation