On June 21, 2024, at Tops Food Hall @CentralwOrld (Bangkok), Central Retail organized an event at to promote Vietnamese lychees, showcasing the in-season, branded fruits with complete information, including GlobalGAP certification, geographical indication stamps, and full logos, to Thai consumers.
The event had the honor to welcome the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Pham Viet Hung, Trade Counselor Mr. Le Huu Phuc, Central Group Executive, Central Retail Corporation Representatives, and Thai consumers.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Jariya Chirathivat, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Central Group, shared: “Central Food Retail, under Central Group, takes great pride in sourcing the finest food and ingredients globally,” she declared. “This is the sixth year we’ve organized a Vietnamese lychee promotion, and we’re thrilled to continue offering these high-quality, flavorful fruits to Thai customers.”
Emphasizing the company’s commitment to trade relations, Ms. Chirathivat added, “As a leading retail corporation, strengthening trade ties between Vietnam and Thailand is a top priority. We actively promote Vietnamese products through Central Retail’s extensive distribution network.”
H.E. Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Viet Hung commented on Central Retail’s collaborative efforts with Vietnamese businesses: “This lychee promotion exemplifies Central Retail’s dedication to promoting Vietnamese products in Thailand, contributing to the enhancement of Vietnamese export to Thailand”
“Facilitating these exports is crucial,” he continued, “as Vietnam and Thailand are major trading partners striving to achieve the ambitious bilateral trade target of 25 billion USD by 2025.”
To successfully export Bac Giang lychees to the Thai market, Mr. Paul Le, Vice President of Central Retail in Vietnam, said that the company has carefully selected each lychee according to strict standards, improved packaging, and cold storage to ensure the highest quality product reaches Thai consumers. With increasingly improved cold storage and packaging management, Vietnamese lychees are also expected to be exported worldwide soon.
This year, unfavorable weather conditions impacted Bac Giang’s lychee output, leading to higher input purchase prices and fluctuating logistics costs. However, Central Retail, determined to maintain Vietnamese lychee promotion and build trust with Thai consumers, opted to minimize price increases. The selling price remains close to last year’s at 399 baht/kg, with an additional promotional offer of 299 baht/kg (equivalent to 200,000 dong/kg). The journey began in 2017 with the first shipment of Bac Giang lychees exported to Thailand and introduced through Tops, Tops Food Hall, and Tops Fine Food branches. Today, Thai consumers are familiar with buying and consuming high-quality Vietnamese lychees through the modern shopping channels of Central Retail’s food retail chain.
