Mooncake sales up on last year

The demand for mooncakes is up by 15-50 per cent over last season, bakeries nationwide have reported.

Kinh Do Joint Stock Company deputy director Nguyen Xuan Luan said firms throughout the nation had ordered a big volume of mooncakes to present to their staff and partners.

He said the demand was greater than in previous years, with high-grade cakes favoured. For example, 240,000 boxes of luxury Golden Moon had been ordered, up 20 per cent on last year.

The company had also sold many Thang Long-Ha Noi mooncakes for VND1.8 million (US$94) per box of four cakes, he said.

An ABC Bakery spokesperson said many State-owned companies had put in orders for charities.

The volume ordered by hotels and restaurants in HCM City had increased by 35,000 over last year, with workers having to do extra shifts to fill the orders.

The demand for luxury cakes had also increased, especially those made to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi, he said.

Bibica Company deputy marketing director Phan Van Thien said about 1,000 boxes of luxury cakes had already sold out, despite a price of VND800,000 ($42), up 40 per cent on last year.

Export suppliers had noted no increase or decrease in demand.

Thien said Bibica exports to the EU and the US were the same as last year.

The customers were regulars, importing to serve Vietnamese overseas.

Meanwhile, export prices had increased because of higher transport costs, he said.

Kinh Do Bakery also reported export volumes to Germany and the US were the same as last year.

However, many bakeries who usually export have not received orders this year.

One of these is Sweethome Bakery whose director Luu Lap Chanh said he would not export mooncakes this season because of higher costs and strong competition from China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. — VNS

Tags: mooncake, Tet trung thu, Tet trung thu 2010, Vietnam festivals, Vietnam mid autumn festival