British-based snack maker to expand McVitie’s through locally developed products as part of global growth strategy
McVitie’s is stepping up its ambitions in China with a strategy that looks beyond the biscuits that made the British brand famous, as owner pladis seeks to build McVitie’s into a £1 billion global brand.
While limited McVitie’s biscuits are already available in China, pladis is now expanding the brand through locally developed snacks designed specifically for Chinese consumers.
The move marks a new phase for one of Britain’s best-known food brands. While McVitie’s remains synonymous with Digestives in places like the UK and Ireland, pladis believes future international growth will increasingly come from expanding the brand beyond its traditional biscuit range. In other markets, that evolution is already underway through products such as McVitie’s Joy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, underscoring the brand’s ability to flex across formats and occasions internationally.
China is one of the brand’s biggest long-term growth opportunities. As part of that strategy, pladis will launch a locally developed McVitie’s Flipz range this August, produced in China and developed for local tastes.
Available initially in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the range combines McVitie’s branding with Flipz’s chocolate-coated pretzel format and will launch in three flavours selected for the Chinese market: matcha honey, lemon Basque cheesecake and chocolate hazelnut. The products have also been developed in a smaller, bite-sized format to reflect local snacking habits.
Rather than exporting existing products from Europe, pladis has developed the range around Chinese tastes and shopping habits, from flavours and portion sizes to how the products are made and sold.
The products will be manufactured in China through an approved pladis partner and sold through major e-commerce platforms including Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, alongside selected retail partners including Costco, Metro, RT-Mart, Yonghui, Lawson and FamilyMart.
pladis already operates in China through its premium chocolate brand, GODIVA, giving the business experience of China’s retail market, e-commerce channels and consumer trends.
The company said those insights had helped shape McVitie’s growth plans in China, while allowing the brand to develop its own distinct position in the market.
David Murray, chief commercial officer at pladis, said: “McVitie’s may be famous for biscuits, but its next phase of growth will not come from biscuits alone.
As we grow internationally, we’re looking at how the McVitie’s brand can play a bigger role across snacking, reaching new consumers through new products and formats.
China is one of the world’s most exciting snacking markets. We’ve developed this range around local tastes and shopping habits because we believe long-term success comes from understanding what consumers want, not simply exporting products that work elsewhere.
We’re building McVitie’s for its next chapter of growth. China is an important milestone on that journey, and we already have more markets and products in the pipeline.”
Manoj Loya, managing director, APAC at pladis, said: “China is a strategically important market for pladis, with one of the world’s largest and most dynamic snacking audiences. Consumers here are highly engaged with new flavours, formats and digital shopping channels, which makes China a natural place to build the next phase of McVitie’s growth.
“By developing McVitie’s Flipz around local tastes, local channels and local snacking habits, we are creating a proposition that is designed for China from the outset. It is an important strategic opportunity for McVitie’s and for pladis as we continue to grow our brands across Asia.”
pladis sees substantial long-term potential in China, where the sweet biscuit market is worth around £5bn and has grown at a 5.6% CAGR over the past decade. As the world’s third-largest biscuit market, behind only the US and slightly behind Brazil, China represents an attractive white-space opportunity for pladis: a market of significant scale where McVitie’s can combine international brand recognition with products developed around local consumer tastes, channels and occasions.
The initial rollout in Shanghai and Guangzhou will be followed by expansion into additional Chinese cities in 2027.
The launch highlights how McVitie’s is evolving internationally. While the brand remains best known for biscuits, pladis increasingly sees its future growth coming from a broader range of snack categories.
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