European market entry · Asian FMCG brands

Your commercial partner inside European retail.

We help food & FMCG companies from Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia enter the European Union through Central & Eastern Europe — from regulatory feasibility to a signed retail listing.

5+ EU markets covered 15+ years FMCG commercial leadership Top-5 EU retail chains negotiated directly 90+ SKUs managed across categories
Services

One partner for the whole route to the European shelf.

Most Asian brands fail in Europe not on product quality — but on compliance, pricing structure and retail access. We cover all three.

01 · Feasibility

Regulatory & commercial audit

Fast go / no-go assessment of your product range: EU food law, Novel Food status, additives, labelling requirements, customs & preferential origin (EUR1), and a realistic retail price ladder versus local competition.

02 · Market entry

Retail listing & negotiation

Direct commercial negotiation with international retail chains in Central & Eastern Europe — assortment proposal, pricing and margin structure, promo mechanics, logistics terms and annual agreements.

03 · Growth

Distribution & account management

Ongoing key account management on your behalf: importer and distributor setup, sales performance tracking, portfolio optimisation and expansion into additional EU markets once the first listings perform.

Markets

Central & Eastern Europe: the underserved gateway to the EU.

Lower listing costs, faster decisions and the same EU single-market access as Western Europe. A CEE listing is your proof of concept for the entire Union.

MarketPopulationKey retail partnersRole in your entry
Romania19MKaufland, Carrefour, Lidl, Auchan, Mega ImagePrimary entry market — direct retail relationships
Poland37MBiedronka, Lidl, Kaufland, AuchanLargest CEE volume opportunity
Hungary & Bulgaria16MRegional chains + international bannersFast follow-on expansion
Germany & Netherlands101MEstablished import & distribution networkScale-up once CEE proof of concept is delivered
Process

From first call to first purchase order.

STEP 1 / WEEKS 1–3

Feasibility check

Product & regulatory audit, landed cost model, retail price benchmark. Clear go / no-go recommendation.

STEP 2 / MONTHS 1–3

Entry strategy

Target channel & market selection, importer setup, pricing and margin structure, localised packaging plan.

STEP 3 / MONTHS 3–9

Retail negotiation

Buyer meetings, assortment proposal, commercial terms, listing agreement and first purchase orders.

STEP 4 / ONGOING

Account management

Sell-out tracking, promo planning, range extension and expansion into the next EU markets.

About

Built on real buyer-side and supplier-side experience.

Asia-Europe was founded by a senior FMCG commercial director with 15+ years of experience running retail and export business for European food manufacturers — negotiating directly with the buying desks of Europe's largest retail chains and managing export operations across the EU and beyond.

We know exactly what a European category buyer needs to see before saying yes — because we have sat on both sides of that table. That is the difference between a beautiful catalogue and a signed listing.

BackgroundFMCG commercial leadership, EU food industry
Retail networkKaufland · Carrefour · Lidl · Auchan
Export marketsRO · PL · DE · NL · AT + non-EU
CategoriesAmbient · chilled · frozen · plant-based · functional
ComplianceEU labelling · EUR1 / origin · food VAT & pricing
Working languagesEnglish · Romanian
Start here

Send us one product line. We will tell you if it can win in Europe.

The first step is a short feasibility conversation — no commitment. Share your product range and target ambition, and we will come back with an honest assessment.

contact@asia-europe.eu
  • → Response within 2 business days
  • → NDA available on request
  • → Meetings in English, online or in person
  • → Bucharest, Romania (EET, UTC+2)
  • → Partner network: TAITRA · trade fairs · EU importers