I am lucky enough to travel to Chile around four times a year. A country full of contradictions but equally a lot of opportunities for British companies, with a clear taste for British food and drink, and for UK brands in general. A 2 to 3-hour flight from Montevideo, where I live, Santiago is a great place to do business. Clearly that’s been the case for a number of British food and drink brands, which I find more and more of every time I travel.
Here are a few examples from my trip last week:
Tesco have presence in Tottus, one of the major supermarket chains.
The Tesco selection at Tottus can feel a bit random at times, but I am guessing there’s some testing being done here…
Chile has the highest per capita consumption of tea in Latin America, and you have to compete very hard for shelf space.
Some British brands are iconic in Chile. Twinings has changed its packaging to Portuguese and Spanish across Latin America, something many have complained about.
Coquinaria is a gourmet paradise in Santiago. Here’s their concession at Falabella in Parque Arauco.
A market of 18 million people, Chile is a good test market for British brands.
I got the inside story from the shop manager as to which British products sell well, and which don’t.
Middle and upper-class Chilean buyers are very design conscious. British products with careful branding and packaging stand a much stronger chance in a market that is hugely competitive.
Delighted to see products from Suffolk on display at Coquinaria Falabella! The expat market is interesting enough, but these brands must have a much wider appeal.
Anything that particularly surprised you?
Any questions?
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