Swisse Wellness CEO hails ‘game-changing’ deal with PGT Healthcare: ‘It enables us to become that global wellness brand’

By Stephen DANIELLS

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Joint venture Health care Us

Premium products, mega-spend marketing, and global ambitions are driving growth for Swisse Wellness, says its CEO, days after inking a ‘game-changing’ deal with PGT Healthcare giving it access to over 50 countries.

Speaking with NutraIngredients-USA at SupplySide West, Radek Sali said that the  agreement with PGT Healthcare LLP​, the international joint venture between P&G and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, “enables us to become that global wellness brand, where we see that extraordinary opportunity for brands with personality to really drive category growth.

“For us it’s a game changer. There isn’t a power brand in wellness so we see a huge opportunity for that.”

“Twenty countries are confirmed for the launch over the next three to five years,”​ he said “PGT will be investing heavily in our brand – it’s a licensing arrangement. It allows us to access countries outside of the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where we’ll continue to manage things directly.

US

Australia’s #1 multivitamin brand hit US mass retail earlier this year​, and has since grown its presence to numerous retailers, including Wallgreens, CVS, Target, and more.

“The really exciting thing for our retailers has been that we’re in a mature category in Australia, and we’re growing at over 40%.

“It’s pretty similar dynamics in terms of growth between the US and Australia,” ​he said. “In the US it’s about 7 or 8% growth in the last 12 months. It’s about 11 or 12% growth in Australia, and we’re responsible for about 50% of that.”

So how does a new entrant differentiate itself in a mature market? “We bring people premium products that deliver on what they say,”​ said Sali, who was named the Health and Pharmaceutical Executive of 2012 by CEO Magazine​. “We make sure we base all of our formulations on science. We invest in double-blind clinical trials, we have a number of those published, so when people try our products they notice a difference and they come back.

“It’s the total package; not just the one side where you have a big budget to excite the mass consumer [Nicole Kidman is Swisse’s global Ambassador], but we make sure we deliver and we retain our consumers. We have about 70% of our customers who try our product come back.”

The company’s current US offerings are limited to dietary supplements, but plans are to launch sports nutrition products under the Swisse brand mid-next year, he said, and the company is working on trials with retailers for its skin care products. 

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