UK-based consumer health company Haleon has announced plans to invest about C$118 million (£65 million) in a new oral-health manufacturing facility in Shanghai to support growth in what it says is the world’s largest gum-health market.
China’s gum-health market is valued at approximately C$1.56 billion (£860 million). In its press release, Haleon says more than 70 per cent of adults in China experience some form of gum issue, and that increasing awareness of symptoms such as bleeding, redness and tenderness is driving demand for clinically proven gum-health products.
“China is a strategic priority for Haleon. Building on our established R&D capabilities and strong local team, this investment reflects our long-term commitment to bringing the very best of our global science and innovation to improve the health and wellbeing of Chinese consumers,” said Brian McNamara, chief executive of Haleon.
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Shanghai’s Lingang New Area
The new oral-health facility will be located in Shanghai’s Lingang New Area, a rapidly growing industrial hub.
Haleon’s product portfolio spans six major categories: oral health; vitamins, minerals and supplements; pain relief; respiratory health; digestive health; and therapeutic skin health. Its brands include Advil, Centrum, Otrivin, Panadol, parodontax, Polident, Sensodyne, Theraflu and Voltaren, which the company says are used by more than one billion consumers worldwide and recommended by health professionals.
The investment follows Haleon’s full acquisition of its TSKF joint venture in China last year for about C$1.27 billion (£700 million), giving the company direct control of its over-the-counter business in the country.
(Currency conversions are approximate. £1 = about C$1.82.)