Here’s why Mars Wrigley is cutting SKUs in Asia

The company eyes cutting its Asia SKUs from 1,800 to 1,250 this year.

Mars Wrigley is betting big on simplification across its Asia portfolio — a move that reflects both consumer realities and retail pressures in the region. 

Speaking at the Retail Asia Summit 2025 in Singapore, Kalpesh Parmar, regional general manager at Mars Wrigley Asia, said SKU rationalisation is now a core KPI tied directly to the company’s global leadership.

The push toward fewer SKUs didn’t emerge in a vacuum. Parmar pointed to Singapore’s FairPrice supermarket chain as a trigger. The retailer recently recalibrated its product mix, telling suppliers which SKUs would stay — and which would disappear. 

“FairPrice did its own homework based on rate of sale. Out of our 95 SKUs listed, many were delisted overnight. It was not about us doing category management anymore. The retailer leapfrogged,” Parmar said. 

The lesson: suppliers can no longer expect retailers to passively carry extended assortments. Brands must sharpen their portfolios and align more tightly with data-driven retail strategies.

Mars Wrigley’s own data backs up the case for simplification. Parmar revealed that the company’s classic Snickers bar alone accounts for roughly 90% of sales in its category. Whilst limited editions and seasonal variants bring excitement, the commercial core remains narrow. 

“Why do we need so many variants of Snickers or M&Ms?” Parmar asked. “Apple has shown us the power of simplicity. Our global KPI is clear: reduce SKUs every year.” 

Three years ago, Mars Wrigley had 1,800 SKUs across Asia. By this year, that number is targeted at 1,250, and the company aims to go below 1,000 next year.

Parmar acknowledged that whilst the company holds vast amounts of outlet-level data, it hasn’t been using it effectively. “The fact is, we all have the data, but we don’t use it so much,” he said. 

To change that, Mars Wrigley is investing in data analysts over senior managerial hires — betting that real insight comes from mining numbers, not just strategy decks. At the same time, simplification does not mean homogeneity. Parmar stressed the importance of keeping things local and purposeful. 

In Korea, Mars Wrigley partnered with K-pop star Mingyu to lift Snickers sales. In Indonesia, the company relied on local content creators instead of global agencies to launch a new brand — with strong results at lower cost.

For Parmar, the SKU reset is part of a bigger play: positioning Mars Wrigley to win in the investor-ready regions of India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. With population growth concentrated in these markets, Asia will remain the company’s biggest growth driver for decades to come. 

“The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business in Asia today,” Parmar said. “Simplification is not about cutting back — it’s about focusing on what matters.”