Although ice-cream sales in Thailand have shown very strong growth so far this year, surveys indicate people are far less likely to buy ice-cream on impulse, and manufacturers are blaming the weather.

Thailand's impulse purchases of ice-cream grew only 3.6 per cent in the first four months of the year, compared with a growth rate of 20 per cent in the same period last year.

According to international market researcher ACNielsen, overall sales of ice-cream, in-cluding impulse and take-home purchases, grew at a very strong rate of 25 per cent throughout last year to reach Bt8 billion in sales.

Jerome Charachon, vice president for foods and ice-cream at Unilever Thai Trading, said fluctuating weather, including cool weather in January and strong rain in April, became the No-1 factor forcing a big slow-down in impulse-buying. Unilever is the manufacturer and distributor of Wall's ice-cream.

Charachon said that normally, almost 80 per cent of ice-cream is bought on impulse, and 20 per cent is taken home. But while impulse buying slowed in the first four months, take-home buys saw dramatic growth of 30 per cent.

The market situation in the first four months was also complicated by a major loss of custom suffered by one of the players in the market. The company lost its business network and about 40 per cent of its custom.

He said Wall's now had a 60-per-cent share of both the impulse and take-home markets for ice-cream, up from 52 per cent in the first four months of last year. The brand achieved 30-per-cent growth last year and another 20 per cent between January and April this year.

Wall's began cashing in on the nutritional benefits of ice-cream yesterday with the launch of Wall's Moo high-calcium ice-cream, offering an alternative calcium source for children. It will also become the spearhead brand to drive Unilever's latest focus on Thai children's nutrition.

"We'd like to both encourage Thai children to drink more milk and help mothers provide for their children by giving them an extra source of calcium," Charachon said. "Ice-cream contains key components such as milk that provides protein and calcium, making it an energy source for good health."

He said the calcium contained in Wall's Moo is equivalent to a glass of milk, giving parents an ideal option for serving kids three glasses of milk a day.

Chanya Rodrakquan, marketing development director for ice-cream at Unilever Thai Trading, said the company would spend almost Bt100 million on advertising and marketing Moo high-calcium ice-cream. "Wall's wants to enhance Thai children's nutrition by

educating them about the necessity for calcium, to encourage development of healthy eating habits," she said. A road show called "Moo-nderland" will visit 60 schools in Bangkok to provide games and activities to educate children about calcium and its nutritional value.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation