https://www.afr.com/business/ret ... any-20181010-h16gnr
Nestle launches A2 baby formula challenging The a2 Milk Company
by Carrie LaFrenz
The world's biggest infant formula maker Nestle is launching its own brand of A2-only baby formula in Australia and New Zealand as it looks to muscle in on the dominant position of high-growth stock, The a2 Milk Company.
While many dairy makers have held back from selling products that only have the A2 beta-casein protein, perhaps sceptical about its benefits and cautious of undermining their regular milk sales, a2 Milk has proved to be a huge growth story. Revenue has surged from $NZ62.5 million in 2011-12 to $NZ923 million in 2017-18. The company's market capitalisation has swelled to more than $7 billion.
Now the Swiss giant wants in on the space and is launching its NAN A2 brand in Coles and online in Australia this week. It has plans to sell its S-26 Atwo brand in New Zealand in November at select Countdown stores and online.
A2 milk contains all of the proteins found in standard cows' milk except for the A1 beta-casein protein. Proponents of A2-only milk say the A1 protein causes indigestion.
This major push by Nestle comes on the back of its launch into China in February with its Illuma Atwo formula brand. The NZ and China formula products are Wyeth Nutrition brands, while the Australian product is labelled Nestle Nutrition.
'The original manuscript'
Tarun Malkani, Nestle's global business head for Wyeth Nutrition, told The Australian Financial Review it is still early days in China but it is performing to expectations, while Australia is also an important market.
"We are going to win [market share] on the strength of the brand," he said. "It comes down to the power of the brand. In this case it happens to be the A2 offering, but its still about the brand.
"The A2 beta-casein protein is the original form of protein before cows were domesticated thousands of years ago. And now cows have both the A1 and A2 proteins. So we are going back to the original manuscript.
"But at the end of the day we have to make sure consumers have a choice. This is a viable lead in the market and consumers have asked for it, so we have a responsibility to give them an option along with the other options in our portfolio."
The company offers product from starter formulas to toddler milks and cereals.
Citi analyst Sam Teeger said Nestle backed-Wyeth had the largest share of the infant formula market on Chinese e-commerce platforms in 2017 of about 10 per cent, making its entry into the A2-protein category currently dominated by the Jayne Hrdlicka-run a2 as significant.
Another analyst said there will be some nerves around this Australian A2 launch but a2 Milk has a first-mover advantage and "premium platinum status."
"[For] top brands like a2 and Aptimil, it appears very hard to get product Australia-wide right now," Mr Teeger said.
Consumer demand
The a2 Platinum baby formula was launched late in 2013 and is the No.1 Australian infant formula with a market share of 36 per cent, according to the company. But it is Chinese mothers who have fanned the company's success further. China has one of the world's lowest breastfeeding rates.
Mr Malkani said early success in China had confirmed demand for the product and underlined the decision to expand into new markets. "This gives us reason to believe this is not a gimmicky flash in the pan," he said. "This is something consumers have a need for and that is why we have taken the step to go outside China to other markets."
Mr Malkani is mulling the entry of A2 product in the United States, along with other countries. "If we believe the dynamics in the market suggest that A2 is a viable option, then we will put the energy behind this," he said.
Mr Malkani said he along with all other baby formula makers are awaiting more detailed news from Beijing around China's new e-commerce law set to come into effect on January 1.
At the end of August the Chinese government passed a new law providing the framework to e-commerce trade covering operators, contracts, dispute resolution and promotion for domestic and cross-border transactions (CBEC). The law covers larger platforms such as Alibaba's Taobao but also those selling goods via social networks like WeChat.
"Certainly China is very important to us," Mr Malkani said. "We recognise the government wants to ensure their growing e-commerce channels are operating appropriately. We don't have any specific details now of this law, I don't believe anyone does. But we appreciate the importance of it and we will monitor it closely."
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没用了，太迟了，不会有人买账的。
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不仅是先发优势，这个产品包装设计得太差了，A和2遮遮掩掩的重叠在一起，旁边又一个大大的1,让消费者烧脑解读的产品一般都要扑街。
这罐子暖暖的颜色，让人觉得是咖啡。
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其实对A2M是好事 说明 雀巢 承认 A2 protein 确实比较好
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设计太差了。。。
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以为是新闻版，看到英文。。。楼主是把一篇中文报道翻成英文的吗？
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理财版都不虚要翻译的，哈哈。。。
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对对对，中文英文有钱就行
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中国消费者已经认定，a2是高端品牌。
雀巢只能算正规厂家，三线品牌。
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这个，不错
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雀巢公司不如收购 A2公司
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这倒是靠谱的思路，雀巢过去也是这么做的。
不过现在想买a2，从二级市场和大股东手里买，要溢价很多啊。至少要准备150亿美元吧，雀巢未必买得起。
如果我是a2大股东，150亿美元，我都会嫌低。
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看看明天的股价就知道市场是什么反应了。
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围观
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老二喝完存货可以断奶了
啥时候把尿布也戒了，还能再省点钱
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就想知道A2M 能不能熬过明年1月1
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辣鸡雀巢怎么能跟我A2比？ 这种玩意就是给我A2 做做广告的玩意
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A2 到底哪里好了？ 喝起来那么甜，一冲全是泡沫
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NAN的包装太难看了
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nan奶粉不好吗？
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雀巢这个奶粉是从美国进的大包粉，在欧洲在重新加工，是干法制作。然后拿到澳洲卖。雀巢在新西兰根本没厂，超市的雀巢奶粉产地全是欧洲。a2是新西兰湿法制的奶粉，新西兰奶牛吃草，美国奶牛吃饲料。a2甩雀巢10条街。
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