East Asia

After a Hong Kong market test of Butter -flavored Pretz returned positive results, Ezaki Glico carried out a full-scale launch of Pretz, followed by Pocky.

In 1995, Ezaki Glico entered into an equity participation in two joint venture companies operating in Shanghai and Qingdao, respectively. These companies were originally formed by Nissin Seika Co., Ltd. and a Chinese enterprise. After the equity participation, Ezaki Glico became the largest investor in the ventures, and proceeded to change their respective names to Shanghai Glico Nissin Foods Co., Ltd., and Qingdao Glico Nissin Foods Co., Ltd. A biscuit production facility was first repurposed to produce Saien vegetable crackers. Ezaki Glico subsequently invested in ovens, chocolate production, and other facilities, and began introducing a range of new products to the Chinese market.

Pocky and Pretz were launched in Shanghai in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

In 1998, Ezaki Glico bought out Nissin Seika’s share in the joint ventures, and subsequently changed their names to Shanghai Glico Foods Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Glico Foods Co., Ltd. respectively. Then, in 1999, Shanghai Glico Foods Co., Ltd. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ezaki Glico. Two years later, in 2001, the company name was changed to Shanghai Ezaki Glico Foods Co., Ltd. It was from around this time that Ezaki Glico began consolidating its operations in China in Shanghai, which was a large market. In 2006, the Qingdao company was liquidated.

Shanghai Ezaki Glico opened sales offices in 10 Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Beijing, initiating a major expansion of its sales activities in China.

In 2005, to boost production capacity to match its business expansion, Shanghai Ezaki Glico built the No. 2 Factory in the Minhang District, not far from the No. 1 Factory. Furthermore, in 2006, Shanghai Ezaki Glico established Shanghai Ezaki Glico Nanfeng Foods Co., Ltd. as a production subsidiary in the Fengxian District, and completed the No. 3 Factory in 2008.

Ezaki Glico established a joint venture with Korean confectionery manufacturer HAITAI Confectionery & Foods Co., Ltd. in 2011, and in 2013, the joint venture began production and sales of Pocky in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout South Korea.

To expand its China e-commerce business, Ezaki Glico launched a flagship store in Alibaba Group's Taobao Mall (today’s Tmall), one of the world’s largest online shopping platforms. Furthermore, in 2019, Ezaki Glico entered into a strategic partnership with Alibaba Group.

For many years, Ezaki Glico exported its products to sales representatives in Taiwan. To promote the company’s Taiwan business actively into the future, Ezaki Glico established a wholly-owned local sales subsidiary in 2020.

As part of the global expansion of its health business, the company launched Almond Koka in China, where the populace is increasingly health-conscious.

Pre-sales of Bisco, which supports children’s healthy daily lives, were launched through e-commerce channels in 2021, with full-scale sales through general retail channels the following year.