Brunei: Simpor Pharma expands local client base

SIMPOR Pharma Sdn Bhd, the sultanate’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, is expanding its local client base by making its products available in supermarkets and other retail outlets.

articles031015ZK-Stock_Simpor_Pharma-015.transformedSimpor Pharma’s Managing Director Edward Ko said the company started to retail its energy drinks in Hua Ho Manggis last month. Simpor Pharma’s hand sanitisers are also being sold in Orbit Supermarket and several clinics.

The company is currently in talks with the Guardian Pharmacy retail chain to distribute Simpor Pharma’s health supplements.

“We hope to conclude the discussions by beginning of this month or next month. The priority is to have supplements in Guardian first before putting it in supermarkets,” Ko told The Brunei Times.

He said the company is planning to penetrate all the major supermarkets in Brunei. But the company needs to ramp up its marketing efforts and promote brand awareness before increasing its focus on local retail.

“We’re doing this step by step. It is important for us to introduce our product first. We want to promote awareness about the brand first and we’re doing so by offering some samples to people in the retail stores that we’re involved with,” he said.

Apart from that, the company is also joining various trade fairs such as the Third ASEAN Consumer Fair in June where the company launched its initial range of halal health supplements.

According to Ko, response from the local market has been encouraging particularly for its hand sanitisers.

“One clinic which distributes our brand of hand sanitiser has managed to sell 800 units per month which is quite good for us,” he said.

Apart from hand sanitisers and energy drinks, Simpor Pharma manufactures and sells supplements. These products, marketted under the SP brand, include Omega-3 fish oil softgels, Omega-3 fish oil and tumeric softgels, Omega-3 fish oil and folic acid softgels, multi-vitamin tablets, vitamin E softgels, B-complex tablets and vitamin C powder.

The company is a $26 million joint-venture between Canadian Firm Viva Pharmaceutical Inc, private equity fund Aureous (Brunei) Capital Sdn Bhd and a group of local investors. It aims to produce Syariah-compliant pharmaceuticals for export to Muslim markets in Asia.

The Brunei Times