HP Foods picks ex-P&G marketer for Amoy job

HP Foods has appointed John Garnett, a former Procter & Gamble global marketing director, to take charge of its Chinese food range Amoy.

Garnett will have overall responsibility for Amoy’s retail business in Europe. He replaces Stephane Dalyac, who left to return to his native France.

Garnett was responsible for the global marketing of P&G’s Pantene haircare range. The brand has j

ust been forced to drop its claim “Pantene Pro-V is the world’s best haircare system” after the ASA upheld a complaint from rival Unilever (MW October 31).

Amoy is a range of Chinese food products, which include soy sauce, noodles and “Straight to Wok” stir-fry products. Amoy claims it has 20 per cent of the Chinese food market in the UK. Earlier this year Amoy embarked on a sampling campaign to show consumers how easy it is to cook its stir-fry range.

Amoy was formed at the beginning of the last century by two Chinese families. The company was forced to move its operations to Hong Kong when communists took over China. The company now has operations in the US, Australia, Germany, the Middle East, Spain, Switzerland and the US

HP brands include HP Sauce and Lea & Perrins. Mustoe Merriman Levy is the company’s advertising agency; Carat handles media buying.