Global retailers eye Vietnamese suppliers for private-label expansion

The trend was highlighted by Mirash Basheer, director of LuLu Group Vietnam, in a recent interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper.

He shared that the group would join the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2026, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City in early September.

Vietnam remains one of LuLu Group's most strategic sourcing destinations thanks to its robust manufacturing base, competitive pricing and consistent product quality, said Basheer.

LuLu Group operates more than 270 supermarkets and hypermarkets across multiple countries, primarily within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, while also maintaining operations in India, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In 2026, the retailer plans to expand procurement from Vietnam across a broad range of products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, coffee, cashew nuts, spices, seafood, frozen foods, beverages, coconut-based products and value-added processed foods.

Vietnamese suppliers have made significant progress in recent years by investing in modern production facilities, obtaining internationally recognized certifications, strengthening quality management systems, improving food safety standards and enhancing operational efficiency, he stressed.

Amid the rising consumer demand for high-quality products at competitive prices, LuLu is searching for Vietnamese manufacturers capable of producing goods for its expanding portfolio of private-label brands.

The company has also observed that Vietnamese businesses are becoming increasingly proactive in product development, packaging innovation and meeting the customized requirements of private-label contracts.

These factors play a key role in supplier selection, he said.

“We are looking for manufacturers with stable production capacity, internationally recognized certifications, competitive pricing, rigorous quality control systems and the ability to customize products to meet the specific needs of different markets,” Basheer said.

Nordic market offers opportunities but sets high standards

The Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden is set to organize a delegation of Nordic businesses to attend the expo in an effort to strengthen commercial ties between Vietnam and Northern Europe.

Food importers are expected to make up the majority of the delegation, according to news media ScandAsia.

Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, which also covers Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, said direct engagement between Nordic buyers and Vietnamese exporters has already helped introduce several Vietnamese products into retail chains and restaurants across the region.

Among the products that have successfully entered the Nordic market are frozen Vietnamese bread, lotus leaf-wrapped sticky rice with shrimp and ST25 fragrant rice.

The export portfolio has continued to diversify with products such as cassava, green papaya, frozen Vietnamese crab soup mix, dracontomelon juice and mixed lotus seed herbal tea.

Specialty rice varieties are also attracting growing interest from buyers.

However, Thuy emphasized that companies seeking to enter the Nordic market must comply with stringent requirements on product quality, packaging, labeling, traceability and shelf life.

For products that remain unfamiliar to Nordic consumers, packaging should clearly explain what the product is, how it is prepared and its key selling points.

Frozen products must also maintain an uninterrupted cold chain throughout transportation and storage to preserve quality.