Unicity to Hold Global Convention in Thailand
Friday, Jan 29, 2010
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| Unicity to Hold Global Convention in Thailand |
| Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn-January 25, 2010 Monday -The NationUS-based direct-selling giant Unicity International has selected Thailand to host the Unicity Global Convention, which will welcome more than 25,000 delegates from 28 countries around the world. Supported by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, the convention will be held between February 4 and 6 at Impact Convention Centre, Muang Thong Thani. Unicity Marketing (Thailand) is the first direct-selling company to host such a global convention event here. The convention is expected to generate revenue of more than Bt1 billion. Christopher Kim, executive vice president of the Thai company, said the Kingdom had assumed a leading regional role for many countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Singapore. The Thai office handles product shipment, order-taking, promotion, IT support, regular operations support and training. Kim said more than 200 Unicity staff, especially from Japan, come to Thailand every month to be trained regarding business-building and product information. He added that Unicity International's Global Convention was held every two years. At this year's meeting, delegates will get information about new product launches, training programmes and success stories. The company is launching a line of skincare products called Aestival, consisting of a cleanser, toner and day and night lotions. The product was developed by Unicity in Japan, with packaging in Thailand. "We expect between 25,000 and 30,000 delegates, of which between 3,000 and 5,000 will be foreigners," Kim said. Unicity International has about 300 different products in its portfolio, including Bios Life, which controls cholesterol levels; Super Chlorophyll Powder, a water-soluble chlorophyll concentrate; and Nature Tea. In Thailand, the company carries between 50 and 60 products, including nutritional supplements, skincare products, air and water filters Kim said that Unicity Marketing (Thailand) started its direct-selling business in 2002 with only a few thousand distributors and sales of less than US$100,000 (Bt3.3 million) in the first year. "Our business was quite difficult in the primary stage, as we needed to lay the foundation for importing products and training staff. But the business has grown dramatically since 2005," he said, adding that the company was able to grow its sales by 300 per cent in 2008 and by 200 per cent last year. Kim said the Thai company has more than 300,000 agent/distributors today. It would like to grow sales by at least 100 per cent this year and to double the number of active distributors. "We ranked seventh or eighth in the local direct-selling industry in term of sales in 2007. We're now No 5. And for American companies we're No 2, after Amway," he said. Unicity International was formed in 2001 by the merger of two network marketing companies: Rexall Showcase International and Enrich International, which had strong expertise respectively in nutrition and skincare products. The Rexall Drug Company started the first chain of franchised drug stores in the US and has been a recognised brand in there for more than 100 years. Rexall Showcase International, the network marketing division of Rexall, was an 11-year-old company at the time it merged with Enrich International. At the time of the merger, Enrich International was an 18-year-old company. Both companies were recognised as leaders in the preventive healthcare, anti-ageing and wellness markets. Unicity International's headquarters is in the US state of Utah, with operations in Canada and other markets, including Venezuela, Columbia, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Brunei. |
