Thailand's moon cakes sales expected to reach Bt750 in 2013

BANGKOK, September 19 (TNA) - The Bangkok-based Kasikorn Research Center (KRC) says that Thailand's moon cakes sales are likely to slightly increase, in both their total volume and value this year, despite a drop in purchasing power among local consumers pressured by overall rising costs of living. The leading private think tank has estimated that moon cakes sales on the domestic market should slightly increase to about 750 million baht totally, in accordance with their slight sale volume increase and the rising trend of overall consumer products prices in Thailand, which has risen by 3-5 per cent. The KRC assessed that consumers who buy moon cakes to share within their families should purchase them in the fewer amount this year, while those who buy them for the traditional moon-worshiping ceremony should remain the same. Despite local consumers' weakening purchasing power, Thailand's moon cakes market remains active this year, wooing more retailers who have introduced different channels to attract their own targeted consumers, with their promotional campaigns focused on the "buy one plus" strategy in response to people's declining purchasing power. Moon cakes are yearly presented as gifts by people of Chinese descend in Thailand and around the world during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 19 this year. (TNA)