Hanoi (VNA) – Japanese-based retail giant AEON is targeting bulkpurchases of high-quality materials from Vietnam, Shiotani Yuichiro, General Directorof AEON Topvalu Vietnam, said at a conference to connect Vietnamese firms withAEON’s supply chain held in Hanoi on April 25.
AEON wants to shift its material zones from China to several Southeast Asiancountries like Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam which offer lower prices, he said,adding that the corporation is planning to expand production of instant noodle,fried buns, and products made of chickens and salmons.
He stressed that the conference helps realise the Memorandum of Understandingon supporting the export of Vietnamese products to the Japanese market throughthe distribution system of AEON inked between the Ministry of Industry andTrade (MoIT) and AEON. Under the MoU, AEON committed to raising Vietnam’sexport turnover to 500 million USD in 2020 and one billion USD in 2025.
According to Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, Vice Director of the Hanoi Investment, Tradeand Tourism Promotion Centre, the centre has accompanied the MoIT in a projectto enhance the engagement of Vietnamese firms in the foreign distributionsystem by 2020.
Only six Vietnamese products were introduced at AEON supermarkets at the AEONgood week event in Japan last year, however, they brought home nearly 6 billionVND (258,700 USD) in revenue, she said, adding that AEON, the MoIT and hercentre will organise the same event in June this year at AEON’s 40supermarkets, targeting 10 billion VND (431,000 USD) in earning.
Vietnamese firms should be well prepared before breaking in Japan- a choosymarket that has strict requirements for product quality and competitive prices,she added.
At the conference, AEON experts gave consultations to the Vietnamese supplierson technical standards and product quality with specific goods so that they canenter AEON’s supply chain.-VNA