Initial Sales of "Yakult" to Begin in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. (President, Sumiya Hori) has announced that initial sales of its product, “Yakult,” will begin in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, from September of this year.

Vietnam’s remarkable economic growth has been continuing since 2000, and with advancements such as its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January of this year, Vietnam has continued to move forward with its integration into the global economy.

In June of 2006, the joint venture company, Yakult Vietnam Co., Ltd., was established based on the strategic alliance agreement between Yakult Honsha and Groupe Danone of France for the purpose of business expansion in Vietnam, and at present, Yakult Vietnam’s local factory is under construction and production is scheduled to begin in April 2008.

However, ahead of full-scale sales upon completion of Yakult Vietnam’s factory, “Yakult” will be imported from Yakult Indonesia and initial sales will be undertaken in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s largest economic and commercial city.

With the start of sales of “Yakult” in Vietnam, the Yakult Group’s network overseas will be expanded to 29 countries and regions.

An outline of the sales plan for Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, is as follows:

1. Product Name: Yakult 
2. Size / Package: 65ml / 5 bottle packs of polystyrene containers
3. Planned Retail Price: 18,500 Vietnamese dong / 5 bottle pack (approx. 136 yen)
4. Start of Sales: September 2007
5. Sales Area: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
6. Sales Channel: Home delivery sales by Yakult Ladies and store sales in supermarkets and other retail locations

[ For Reference ]

1. Outline of Yakult Vietnam
   Company name: Yakult Vietnam Co., Ltd.
   Established: June 2006
   Location: Suburbs of Ho Chi Minh (Binh Duong Province), within the VSIP (Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park)
   Representative: Michio Kashiwaya
   Employees: 32
2. Outline of Vietnam 
   

   Population	Approx. 83.1 million (end of 2005)
   Area	329,000 square kilometers (about 0.88 times the size of Japan)
   Capitol	Hanoi
   People	Kinh (Viet) 86%, 53 other minority tribes
   Rate	Vietnamese dong: 1 dong = 0.00737 yen (rate as of July 31, 2007)

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