It’s a little of a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory situation for us today as we speak to the world’s leading manufacturer of chocolate, mints and fruity confections. 

You might have guessed it – we’re speaking to Mars Wrigley, the firm behind world-famous brands including M&M’s®, Snickers®, Twix®, Skittles. 

With a presence in over 180 countries, and nearly 1,000 of its snacks consumed every second, the firm had said in 2022 that it generated revenues of US$45 billion. 12 of its brands generate over a billion US dollars on a yearly basis.

In Asia, Mars Wrigley operates as a business unit overseeing 20 markets with its strategic eight being Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. But why is this the case and what is the role of its Singapore business in this regard? 

Also – the firm mentioned that the ‘treat and snacks’ category is a US$32 billion business in Asia excluding China, India and Japan. 

But what is the basis behind the valuation? How does the firm assess its growth trajectory and aim to get customers to expand their average basket size?

Meanwhile, Mars Wrigley also embarked on a journey to digitally transform its supply chain in the prior years, but how far has that translated into cost savings for the firm here in Asia? 

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Kalpesh R Parmar, Regional General Manager, Mars Wrigley Asia.