PHILIPPINES FOCUS: Is 2011 a year of change for the FMCG scene in the Philippines?

PHILIPPINES - Buoyed by the country hitting its highest GDP growth (2010) in 34 years, lower unemployment and low inflation rates, consumers in the Philippines were a very optimistic lot in the last quarter of 2010. However, Vicky Santos, managing director of Neilsen Philippines, says the picture in the first quarter of 2011 is starting to look slightly less rosy, which could spell bad news for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.