Another major player in the snack industry said the outlook for the retail business as a whole should be better this year as the economy started to recover in the second half of last year, meaning that consumers are more willing to increase spending for the Lunar New Year.
"There will be no problem doubling or tripling our monthly sales in January from previous months," said Tony Cheng (鄭添進), marketing manager at I-Mei. Cheng declined to reveal the exact sales figures.
I-Mei -- which produces drinks, dairy products, confectionery, ice creams, frozen foods and wedding cakes -- said it will introduce dual-colored egg rolls as well as handmade biscuit gift sets sold exclusively in 7-Eleven stores this year, as some people may decide to do their New Year shopping at convenience stores.
The production value of Taiwan's confectionary industry was worth around NT$10.3 billion in 2002 and NT$7.4 billion for the first 10 months last year, according to Ministry of Economic Affairs' statistics.
The industry estimated that the sales created solely in the Lunar New Year month could account for 30 percent of the market's annual sales, amounting to more than NT$7 billion.
"Lunar New Year is the most significant festival for the food industry," said Tony Chan (詹東榮), spokesman of Lian Hua Foods Corp (聯華食品) known for its dried seaweed products and nut snacks. "We can generate sales of NT$300 million solely in this period, double sales in usual times."
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