Gum giants jostle for position

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Gum sales have soared in Saudi Arabia.

Sales of functional chewing gum rocketed by 20% in Saudi Arabia alone last year to exceed SR12 million, while overall sales in the category rose by 5% to hit SR213 million.

The trends have remained largely the same this year as strong demand continues for sugar-free gum from global companies and products with value-added properties.

The key driver behind this growth comes from the mounting popularity of more expensive varieties. Despite chewing gum in public being considered rude in public, sales have been high and dynamic in the country.

"The chewing gum category in this region is very fast moving, and we're growing at an excellent rate year-on-year, much faster than the segment," reveals Mahitab Hamed, marketing manager, Wrigley Middle East.

Available through distributors in the region for 50 years, Wrigley Middle East was established in 1995. In the face of stiff competition from many newcomers, Wrigley's brands are viewed as premium products and continue to be associated with high quality, with Wrigley's Extra White gathering esteem in the functional gum category.

However, in a bid to respond to unfaltering innovation among rivals in the category, expansion of its portfolio is critical.

"We have just introduced the sugar free drops for non-chewers and although the candy segment is smaller than gum, our sales are improving and we are distributing our products widely," she says.

Present in more than 180 countries, the Wrigley Company has become a recognised leader in the category since it was set up in 1891, and the success of its Extra sugar-free range has generated the launch of cutting edge flavours including peppermint, spearmint, classic bubble, cinnamon, winterfresh, polar ice and wildberry frost.

"Extra offers a variety of mint and fruit flavours, and our latest launch, watermelon flavour, has been selling extremely well," Hamed comments.

Extra is currently Wrigley's number one brand in the Middle East, followed by Wrigley's Spearmint Gum, which has truly stood the test of time since its 1983 launch, and is the company's second oldest brand.

The company has also moved into new brands to provide consumers with benefits including breath freshening, tooth whitening and vitamin delivery.

The Professional Line - incorporating micro granules to gum and billed as the range capable of giving consumers that ‘just brushed' clean feeling - enjoyed a very successful launch in the Middle East, according to Hamed, particularly among GCC consumers.

Packaged with 10 pellets inside a hygienically sealed blister pack, the development of Professionals was an obvious move for the company, having championed the oral health benefits of chewing gum for almost 20 years.

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