Chennai: Cookie Man Foods India Pvt Ltd, an exclusive licensee in India for Australia-based Cookie Man Pty Ltd, is planning to launch a range of cookies developed especially for the Indian palate shortly. The company is also launching a new line of large-sized cookies made with rich ingredients called `super cookies' on the eve of the new year. It is currently undertaking a slew of marketing initiatives to promote and increase awareness about its "freshly-baked-in-front-of-your-eyes" cookies and their new variants.According to Mr John Lynch, director of Cookie Man Foods India Pvt Ltd, the R&D department of the company is currently working on four-five variants to suit Indian tastes including cashew cookies, various dry fruits, cherries etc. In fact, `masala cheesy' developed by the Indian company has been taken to Australia, he said. Similarly, the other products developed by the company will also be introduced in the 20 countries across the globe where Cookie Man is present. Development and introduction of new products will happen in full earnest only after six months, by when all the 50 odd variants from the original range will be introduced in India, he added.
To celebrate its first anniversary in India, the company is launching super cookies starting with the `chocolate chunk and walnut crunch' flavour, to be followed by `Mango Tango', `Pina Colada', `Sticky Date' etc during the year.
It is also holding a series of events leading up to the new year around the Christmas Tree it has set up in Spencer Plaza, including surprise gifts, story-telling and face painting for children, carol singing, magic shows, a slogan contest etc.
The company has recently tied-up with Konica Colour Labs for joint promotion. Every bill above Rs 1,000 at any of Konica's 19 outlets in Chennai, will now come with a free coupon for 500 gm of Cookie Man cookies, while there's a `buy one, take one free' offer for all developing and printing orders above Rs 100. Konica will also display the banners and other promotion materials of Cookie Man at its outlets. The company is sponsoring the wishing-well in superstore Shopper's Stop in return for display and sale of its festive packs in the store. The company is also sponsoring a branded crossword on Chennaikids.com and conducts events in exclusive children's stores like Jus' kidding, apart from in-store free sampling.
Encouraged by the success of its first store in Spencer Plaza, Chennai, which sells Cookies worth Rs 40,000 per day, the company is opening two more shops in the city by March 2001, followed by 40 outlets across the country in the next three years.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.