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Nutricia
| Hans van der Wielen CEO NUMICO P.O. Box 1 2700 MA Zoetermeer The Netherlands Tel: +31 79 353 9000 Fax: +31 79 353 9620 Websites: www.nutricia.nl www.numico.com
Products
include: Follow-up
Formula Complementary
Foods |
Nutricia, the largest Dutch baby food manufacturer, bought Cow & Gate (UK) in 1981, Milupa (Germany) in 1995 and, more recently, Lyempf (Netherlands). With its various acquisitions, the company renamed its holding company NUMICO in 1998. In its mission statement on the web, NUMICO states that, “Our vision is to be a profitable and growing worldwide leader in specialised nutrition”. It also prides itself on being pro-active in establishing its own more stringent standards where it perceives national, regional or international standards to be lacking. The financial results for 2000 indicate that its sales of infant products are up by 11% to Euro 923 million. This represents 20% of the company’s overall turnover. A strong increase in sales for the Asia Pacific region has also been forecasted. “We have imitated Nature”, NUMICO’s top executive Hans van der Wielen announced in March 2000, in the Dutch newspaper, Trouw. Although there was no scientific evidence, NUMICO claimed to have made “an exact copy of mothers’ milk” and planned to market it via doctors and the Internet. The Internet is “a wonderful way to communicate directly with our users”, he added. Earlier, in a Dutch television interview in July 1999, Mr van der Wielen admitted that “the profit margin of baby food is more than 50%”. . . Nutricia was one of seven formula companies which the Italian Competition Authority found guilty in 1999 of unfair marketing strategies for agreeing to restrict competition on powdered infant milks and special milks for babies up to six months of age. The milks were made available only in pharmacies, at prices two to three times higher than in other European countries. This section covers Nutricia, Cow & Gate and Lyempf products. Since Milupa continues to market under its own brand names with little mention of Nutricia, it is analysed separately. The brand name Bebelac is marketed in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia under the Lyempf company name. Promotion in health care facilities
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In Taiwan, company reps from Lyempf contact mothers by telephone to give information about infant feeding and promote their products.
In Hong Kong, Cow & Gate reps approach mothers by telephone and through a mothers’ club to provide information about infant feeding.
Company reps give free samples of Bebelac and Nutrilon to mothers in health facilities in Bolivia and Malaysia..
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Nutricia distributes its promotional leaflets to mothers at pharmacies and through mail in Taiwan.
In Italy, Nutricia promotes sales in shops through discounts to customers for Nutrilon 2 Plus, Nutrilon Pepti and Nutrilon Pepti Plus. The company also offers gifts with purchase of Nutrilon 1 Premium.
Bebelac samples are given to mothers in shops in Taiwan and Malaysia.
Nutricia company reps visit shops to promote their brands in Malaysia, Russia, the UAE and Mexico. In some instances, they give sales commissions to shop owners. A shop in Malaysia used a product launch with special displays for Bebelac.
In Hong Kong, Nutricia offers discounts to consumers for Cow & Gate Follow-On.
Promotion in health care facilities
Health care facilities in Taiwan and Malaysia re-distribute Bebelac samples to mothers.
In the UAE, health facilities display Nutricia calendars and posters, most of which include a brand name like Nutrilon or Bebelac.
A clock with the company logo hangs in the corridor of a health care facility in Taiwan. Product leaflets are displayed in a health care facility in Taiwan.
In health care facilities in Taiwan, company reps give out Nutricia bags with tissues, feeding bottles and towels bearing the Bebelac brand name.
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In Bolivia, Italy and the UAE, Nutricia distributes gifts such as desk calendars and pens bearing the company logo and the Nutrilon brand name.
Large, glossy brochures in the UAE on “the pre-term infant” by Nutricia show a chubby baby bottle-feeding and advertise seven formulas with pack shots. There are similar brochures on Nutrilon Low Lactose and Nutrilon AR (Anti Regurgitation). These beautiful brochures make it seem as if regurgitation is a new and alarming problem and, Nutrilon AR is the solution: “70% of the infants have less/no complaints of regurgitation after using Nutrilon AR”.
UAE health workers receive Bebelac samples.
Glossy promotion publications of Bebelac 1 and Bebelac FL for the medical profession in the Middle East and Africa show a huge pack shot, blond and blue-eyed babies with the title, “Recommended by those who care”.
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The Nutricia Clock with the Bebelac graphic.
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The labels of Nutricia products in most countries show pictures of cuddly bears and flowers making bottle feeding look very attractive. (Nutrilon labels in Bolivia are good in the sense that they are free of promotional illustrations.)
Nenatal and Pepti-Junior labels in the UAE show glossy, colourful feeding bottles.
Labels on Bebelac FL in Malaysia imply WHO endorsement: “The nutrient level complies with the recommendation of WHO”.
In Italy the labels for Omneo 1 state, “Complete milk that meets all the nutritional needs of a suckling infant.”
Many of the Nutricia follow-up labels in Italy, Russia and Malaysia resemble the company’s infant formula labels.
In Italy, Nutricia sponsored three health workers to attend a four-day National Congress of Paediatrics. It also sponsored a congress in Trento.
In the UAE, Nutricia provided financial support to a health care facility for architectural planning.
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