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 the food brand. While McVitie’s remains synonymous with Digestives in places such as 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.
“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," said David Murray, chief commercial officer at pladis
pladis sees substantial long-term potential in China, where the sweet biscuit market is worth around £5bn and has grown at a 5.6 per cent CAGR over the past decade.
The initial rollout in Shanghai and Guangzhou will be followed by expansion into additional Chinese cities in 2027.