NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11 - Scangroup Limited has announced the launch of Smollan East Africa Limited to offer field marketing services, market intelligence and brand activation.

The company which has been set up as a joint venture with Smollan Group of South Africa will initially focus on serving the East Africa region of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi from its head office in Nairobi. 

“This expertise will offer our multinational clients an opportunity to outsource their field marketing services in the region to ensure adequate stock levels in all retail outlets and supermarkets. This will reduce out-of-stock situations and ensure superior shopper contact in order to boost sales,” said Scangroup Chief Executive Officer Bharat Thakrar.

Field marketing encompasses all logistical support and in-store activities to ensure that brands remain in-stock and highly visible to consumers.

The launch of Smollan East Africa is the latest in a series of joint ventures by Scangroup, which plans to introduce world-class marketing services in the markets in which it operates in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Other recent Scangroup joint ventures have seen the successful launch of market research and insights company Millward Brown East Africa , strategic public relations consultancy Hill & Knowlton East Africa, and Squad Digital, a specialist digital marketing consultancy. 

Scangroup’s largest shareholder, WPP (the world’s leading communications services group) is also a significant minority shareholder in the Smollan Group with a 33 percent stake acquired in 2008.

Doug Smollan, Chairman and Chief Executive, Smollan Group said:  “We are excited to be extending our footprint and partnering with Scangroup initially in East Africa to offer world-class field marketing services.  Scangroup has an unrivalled portfolio of client relationships in East Africa, and this provides us with a very strong base from which to develop and grow this company.”

The Smollan Group is a diversified marketing services company, focused on providing visibility, mobility and intelligence for a vast spectrum of well-loved brands.

Founded in 1931 by rugby Springbok Fred Smollan, the Smollan Group opened its doors initially as a Gauteng-based sales agency.

With its pedigree in field marketing, the Group has evolved to offer a diverse range of outsourced marketing services to multiple channels across a broad spectrum of industries.

The group has operations in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, India, China, Malaysia and now East Africa.