Nutrilite pads Amway's sales

       Amway (Thailand) Co, the country's largest direct sales company, projects its Nutrilite food supplement business will grow at least 15% to 4.8 billion baht in sales this year as the health trend is still popular among Thais.
       Marketing director Ratana Channara said the fact that more Thais are taking care of their health will drive strong growth in the local food supplement market. Nutrilite sales were solid even during the economic slowdown.
       In the past, people spent on vitamins,calcium tablets, and nutritional or diet drinks. Now, Amway notes, they consume more collagen and dietary supplements that claim to enhance their appearance.
       Ms Ratana said the overall food supplement market would grow around 10%this year from 22.8 billion baht last year.Nutrilite will account for 14% of the market and be the second-largest player.The worldwide dietary supplement market is currently worth US$65 billion or 2.3 trillion baht and gaining every year.
       "We see high potential in the food supplement business, both globally and locally. Since it launched in Thailand,Nutrilite's sales have grown steadily the past 10 years," said Ms Ratana.
       Besides the health trend,300,000 Amway business owners will drive the item.
       In 2010, Amway expects Nutrilite revenue growth of at least 7%.
       "We've made a conservative projection for next year because its revenue base is quite big. However, we will revise the figure again in the middle of the year,"she said.
       Amway also plans to launch two new food supplements for the elderly next year. Ms Ratana said Thais are living longer because of medical advancements,and the lifespan of a Thai woman is more than 70 years, up from 60 in the past.
       Since Nutrilite is marking its 75th global anniversary this year, Thai Amway is celebrating the event with a 100-million-baht TV commercial campaign.It is also staging the Nutrilite Super Tour on Oct 20, where it expects to attract at least 15,000 visitors.
       Direct sales business should improve in the last quarter in line with an improving economy, and many players are doing aggressive marketing. During the first nine months, the overall market grew 7-10% to 45 billion baht, said Kittiwat Ritteerawee, Amway's general manager for business relations and marketing.