- Valor Economico -
Owner of seven coffee brands and boasting a 21% market share in Brazil,
Sara Lee has set as goal increasing sales by 5% in 2009, despite of Abic\'s estimates of reduction in national consumption.
Owner of seven coffee brands and boasting a 21% market share in Brazil, Sara Lee has set as goal increasing sales by 5% in 2009, despite of Abic's estimates of reduction in national consumption. The Abic entity pointed out that coffee consumption grew only 3,2% in 2008 against average of 5%, hitting 17,6mil sacks of coffee. Retraction this year could be even higher, as reflex of the financial crisis and the fact that 97% of the national population above 15 years old already consumes coffee. As an alternative, Sara Lee and its main competitors - Santa Clara and Melitta - are betting on premium coffee and investments in marketing, promotion and distribution. The US firm that has set foothold in Brazil eleven years ago, summed investments of R$500mil from 1998 to 2006, and more R$200mil by late 2006 to this day, including the acquisition of Cafe Moka, from Sao Paulo, by mid last year.
The firm's focus in 2009 will be directed to the 30-years old brand, Pilao that boasts 530 selling points all over Brazil and 12,5% market share. Despite the estimative of retraction in national consumption, Sara lee has been conquering space overseas, strengthening its coffee shop Cafe do Ponto, directed to rich consumers that counts with 80 stores in Brazil.