How Lima Bintang Entered Vietnam And Became Exclusive Supplier To Its Biggest Cinema Chain
Indonesia
Vietnam
Philippines
Singapore
Challenge
Lima Bintang was established in Jakarta four years ago to sell its brand of theatre snacks. In early 2019 the company landed a contract to supply the country's biggest cinema chain with popcorn and sought out Emerhub to assist them to deliver.
The company manufactures its caramel and popping oil in Indonesia and imports corn and salt from America. Lima Bintang's major client in Vietnam is CGV Cinemas.
Gema Sabdo, the director of Lima Bintang, said consumers across the world had different preferences. "Americans, for example, prefer the taste of saltier original-flavored popcorn. Indonesia is a medium. In Vietnam we love sweet!" "We have to adapt and adjust our product to cater to the market."
The company needed to establish their entity in Vietnam, recruit their first employee, and handle the first shipments into the country. "These early stages have been about proving we can meet the demand and deliver the product on time. The culture in Vietnam is a bit different from Indonesia so we have had to work to understand that."
"These early stages have been about proving we can meet the demand and deliver the product on time. The culture in Vietnam is a bit different from Indonesia so we have had to work to understand that." - Gema Sabdo, Director of Lima Bintang<br /> <br /> "We have to adapt and adjust our product to cater to the market." - Gema Sabdo, Director of Lima Bintang<br /> <br /> "Companies that specialize in headhunting can make connections with the talent that foreign companies need. It's very difficult to come into the market and make those connections easily." - Gema Sabdo, Director of Lima Bintang
Solution
Emerhub provided comprehensive market entry services including company incorporation in Vietnam, talent recruitment for their first local employee, and import/customs clearance services for their initial product shipments. The solution addressed the cultural and operational differences between Indonesia and Vietnam, helping Lima Bintang adapt their product offering to local taste preferences and navigate the logistics challenges of operating in a new market.
Results
Lima Bintang successfully entered the Vietnamese market and became the exclusive supplier to CGV Cinemas, the country's biggest cinema chain. The company was able to prove they could meet demand and deliver products on time in the new market.
Gema said the company had plans to further expand into the north of the country: "Logistics are tough in Vietnam. It is a long way between the two major cities. We plan to have a base in Hanoi in the future to do better."
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