Malaysian Tropical Fruits Export: Expectations of European Importers and Distributors

The purpose of this study is to examine the expectations of European importers and distributors, namely large scale importers, importers/ wholesalers and large scale retailers in identifying the potential of Malaysian tropical fruits export. The European market is the focus of this study because it is recorded that European Union is one of the top importing nations of tropical fruits. An industry study which included 11 large scale importers, 35 importers/wholesalers and 12 large scale retailers was conducted to understand the expectations of these foreign tropical fruits importers and distributors. This includes integrating previous research findings related to fruit and vegetable studies in the European market to have an in-depth understanding of the supply chain of fruits market in European countries. Unlike branded consumer products that use pull strategy, tropical fruits export depends on push strategy, and the key channel members in distributing tropical fruits are large scale importer, importers/wholesalers and large scale retailers. These channel members might deal directly or indirectly with Malaysian tropical fruits exporters. Thus, it is critical to understand the distribution structures and expectations of these key channel members. This paper focuses on elaboration of the key players (large scale importers, importers/wholesalers and large scale retailers) in international distribution network of tropical fruits in European market, in particular the Netherlands market which serves as a gateway for tropical fruit distribution. Findings from this study also serve as useful guidelines for tropical fruits producers and exporters who aim at penetrating European markets.