McVitie’s is stepping up its ambition in China with a strategy that looks beyond biscuits, as owner pladis is aiming to build McVitie’s into a £1 billion (US$1.34 billion) global brand.
McVitie’s biscuits are already available, but in limited volume, in China, pladis is now expanding the brand through locally developed snacks designed specifically for Chinese consumers.
The move marks a new phase for one of UK’s best-known food brands. While McVitie’s remains synonymous with Digestives, pladis believes future international growth will increasingly come from expanding the brand beyond its traditional biscuit range. In other markets, that evolution is already underway through products such as McVitie’s Joy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, underscoring the brand’s ability to flex across formats and occasions internationally.
China is one of the brand’s largest potential market. As part of that strategy, pladis has launched a locally developed McVitie’s Flipz range in August, produced in China and developed for local tastes. It is now available in Shanghai and Guangzhou, with the new range combining McVitie’s branding with Flipz’s chocolate-coated pretzel format in 3 flavours namely matcha honey, lemon Basque cheesecake and chocolate hazelnut. The products have also been developed in smaller, bite-sized format to reflect local snacking habits.
Rather than exporting existing products from Europe, pladis has developed the range to cater to Chinese tastes and shopping habits, from flavours, portion sizes, to how the products are made and sold.
The products will be manufactured in China through an approved pladis partner and sold through major e-commerce platforms like Tmall and JD.com, alongside selected retail partners.
Currently, pladis already operates in China through its premium chocolate brand, GODIVA thereby giving it ample experience in China’s online and offline retail market.
David Murray, Chief Commercial Officer at pladis said, “McVitie’s may be famous for biscuits, but its next phase of growth will not come from biscuits alone. As we grow internationally, we’re looking at how the McVitie’s brand can play a bigger role across snacking, reaching new consumers through new products and formats.”
pladis sees substantial long-term potential in China, where the sweet biscuit market is worth around £5 billion (US$6.7 billion) and growing at 5.6% CAGR over the past decade. As the world’s 3rd largest biscuit market after the US and Brazil, China represents an attractive white-space opportunity for pladis.
The initial rollout of McVitie’s Flipz in Shanghai and Guangzhou will be followed by expansion into additional Chinese cities in 2027.
pladis is a Turkish-owned biscuit giant that was formed following the acquisition of the brand’s former parent company, United Biscuits in 2014. pladis also owns the biscuits and crackers brand Jacob’s.
