pladis Expands McVitie’s in China with Locally Developed Snack Range
pladis is expanding McVitie’s in China with a locally developed snack range, as the company works towards building McVitie’s into a GBP1bn global brand. The company plans to expand the McVitie’s range into additional Chinese cities in 2027.
The products are manufactured in China through an approved pladis partner. The range will be distributed through major e-commerce platforms, including Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, as well as selected retailers such as Costco, Metro, RT-Mart, Yonghui, Lawson and FamilyMart.
As part of the expansion, pladis launched a locally developed McVitie’s Flipz range in China in August. Initially available in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the products combine the McVitie’s brand with the chocolate-coated pretzel format of Flipz.
The range is available in three flavors selected for the Chinese market: matcha honey, lemon Basque cheesecake and chocolate hazelnut. The products have also been developed in a smaller, bite-sized format to reflect local snacking habits.
David Murray, Chief Commercial Officer at pladis, stated: “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,”
The company already operates in China through its premium chocolate brand GODIVA, providing pladis with experience of the country’s retail market, e-commerce channels and consumer trends. These insights have contributed to the development of McVitie’s strategy for the market.
Managing Director, APAC at pladis, Manoj Loya, said: “China is a strategically important market for pladis, with one of the world’s largest and most dynamic snacking audiences. Consumers here are highly engaged with new flavours, formats and digital shopping channels, which makes China a natural place to build the next phase of McVitie’s growth,”
The China launch forms part of a wider strategy to extend McVitie’s beyond its traditional biscuit portfolio in international markets. The brand has already moved into additional snacking formats through products including McVitie’s Joy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with pladis indicating that further products and markets are in the pipeline.
