McVitie’s is stepping up its ambitions in China by expanding its range in the country to include locally developed snacks designed specifically for Chinese consumers.
The move marks a new phase for one of Britain’s best-known food brands, which believes growth will increasingly come from expanding the brand beyond its traditional biscuit base in the UK and Ireland.
In other markets, that evolution is already underway through products such as McVitie’s Joy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Owner Pladis believes China is one of the brand’s biggest long-term growth opportunities as it looks to build McVitie’s into a £1bn global brand.
Its new McVitie’s Flipz range is tailored specifically for the Chinese market with the chocolate-coated pretzels coming in three popular local flavours: matcha honey, lemon Basque cheesecake and chocolate hazelnut.
“McVitie’s may be famous for biscuits, but its next phase of growth will not come from biscuits alone,” said Pladis chief commercial officer David Murray.
“China is one of the world’s most exciting snacking markets. We’ve developed this range around local tastes and shopping habits because we believe long-term success comes from understanding what consumers want, not simply exporting products that work elsewhere.”
Flipz will initially be available in Shanghai and Guangzhou, before expanding to other Chinese cities in 2027.
The products will be made in China and sold through major e-commerce platforms such asTmall, JD.com and Douyin, alongside selected retail partners including Costco, Metro, and RT-Mart.
Pladis already operates in China through its premium chocolate brand, Godiva, and said this had helped shape McVitie’s growth plans in China.
China’s sweet biscuit market is worth around £5bn and has grown at annualised rate of more than 5% over the past decade. It is now the world’s third-largest biscuit market, behind only the US and Brazil.
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