English Biscuit Manufacturers (Private) Limited was

established as a joint venture company in 1965 with the name of PEEK FREANS PAKISTAN
LIMITED. In 1966 the UK sponsor company was renamed as Associated Biscuits International
Limited (ABIL), while the venture was renamed to English Biscuit Manufacturers (Private) Limited,
which stands to date.

EBM started manufacturing and marketing of world famous Peek Freans range in 1967 in order to
provide Pakistani consumers with good quality, nutritious and hygienically packed biscuits.

True to its corporate claim of 'The Legend Leads', EBM led the biscuit industry in Pakistan for
over 30 years by its pioneership in providing innovative and high quality biscuit tastes for every
taste bud.

The trade mark Pied Piper made its mark about 30 year ago, but it still remains in the hearts,
minds and souls of the people through the variety and excellent quality of biscuits manufactured
under its umbrella. EBM enjoys the distinction of being the first food company in Pakistan to
promote biscuits as a "food between meals".

EBM has been in the business of manufacturing and marketing branded biscuits in Pakistan for
over 30 years. The brand name 'Peek Freans' is a household name, and people blindly believe in
the quality of the products made under this brand.

EBM is also the first Biscuit Company in Pakistan to have achieved ISO - 9001 Certification in
correspondence with its Institutional Slogan 'The Legend Leads'. The achievement also endorses
company's firm commitment to high standards of quality.

Under the brand range Peek Freans the company today carries the largest variety of biscuit
products including Marie, Gluco, Click, Sooper, Smile and Tiffin, to name a few.

On advertising front also, EBM and its subsidiary CFL set new trends and particularly developed
classic and innovative concepts around the icon of 'Pied Piper' which today is an integral part of
all packaging.

EBM has always recognized, as a corporate philosophy, its moral and social obligation to
associate itself with all such causes which promote national health and thus pioneered the
concept of sports promotion in Pakistan which included first time live telecast of major
International Sports events like Cricket, Boxing, Tennis, Hockey as well as regular sponsorships
of sports tournaments for Scrabble, Golf, Bridge and Snooker. Company sponsored Bridge team
known as 'Peek Freans' has been country's leading team and won national championships on
numerous occasions while also represented Pakistan in International Tournaments. Apart from
the above mentioned sports, the company has also participated in extensive social activities such
as: Regular support for noble causes — the cause of special children. EBM sponsored Special
Olympics held in 1999-2000 is one such example.

EBM Causeway — A road that connects the main city to the Industrial Area is another example of
the Company's involvement in the social services. This route saves 10 - 15 minutes in driving
time. Regular support to organizations like Fatmid, SIUT ( Sind Institute of Urology and
Transplant) and IBP (Institute of Behavioural Psychology), formation of the Pied Piper Club,
which organizes various extracurricular activities and entertainment events for children, are some
more examples.

EBM is also one of those companies which contribute to the national economy by means of
earning foreign exchange through marketing and export of its products to USA, Canada, UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Dubai,
UAE and Qatar and plays its role in earning valuable foreign exchange, thus contributing to the
growth of economy. The potential for exports has also increased with the opening in CIS
countries.

A glance at EBM's brand portfolio indicates that it covers almost every segment of the market. Be
it young or old, men or women, EBM strives to cater to every taste. A new state-of-the-art biscuit
plant was installed at the Hattar Industrial Estate in 1995. This was an addition to the
manufacturing setup in Karachi, which helped in meeting the swelling demand for EBM products.
This was done by setting up a separate entity with the name of Coronet Foods (Private) Limited
(CFL).

Market positioning

Biscuit market can be largely divided into two main categories, viz., branded and unbranded. Until
1999-2000, 50% of the market was dominated by branded biscuits, in which EBM had a sizeable
share. The rest was taken up by various small companies.

Biscuits in Pakistan have now assumed the role of "FOOD BETWEEN MEALS" in nearly every
household.

The estimated annual gross sales in the organized sector is estimated to be approximately
Rs.3700 million with an annual growth of approximately 18%. The Gross Sales when converted in
tonnage roughly work out to 50,000 tons for branded biscuits whereas total biscuit consumption is
around 100,000 tons.

The key players in the organized segment of the market are EBM (English Biscuit Manufacturers
(Private) Limited), Coronet Foods (Private) Ltd, Continental Biscuits (LU), Montgomery Biscuits,
Silver lake and Mehtab Industry (Krunchi) constituting approximately 70% of the branded Market.

Recently, EBM as a group has enjoyed some extremely successful re-launches of brands like
Butter Puff, Tiffin, Gluco and Whole Wheat Slices. These, along with Rio, Click, Marie and Marie
are some of the brands which have shown tremendous response in recent times and are still
skyrocketing on the growth chart. Consequently, EBM has recaptured its lost market share. With
the existing trends and norms of our society, the most common medium of entertainment for the
masses is television. Consequently, television is also the most effective way of communication. In
1998-1999, EBM was a distant second in terms of Electronics Media spending. However,
realizing the significance of electronic media, the tables were turned in 1999-2000, when EBM did
not only recapture the major share of voice on local channels but also made a definite impact on
satellite viewers.

Well thought-out marketing and media plans have contributed vastly to this shift. With the cable
and satellite viewership trend on its way at a fast pace in our country, it was crucial to have
presence on this front in addition to the local channels.

Through creative thinking and innovative strategies, in August-2000, EBM became the first
corporation of its kind in Pakistan to have media presence on satellite (Star Network).

The aggressive media campaign on satellite television resulted in a drastic increase in demand
for EBM biscuits. Many others followed the footsteps of EBM's success, attesting yet again to the
theory, "you can always learn from competition". In today's dynamic and fast changing market
environment, the success of any business depends on how responsive it is to change, and how
well aware its keepers are of competitors' activities. With the success of various product
launches, EBM has proven that high quality products backed by smart marketing strategies, are
the essential ingredients for success in a highly competitive environment.

EBM has, in the past and with the help of the Almighty, will continue to provide consumers with
products of the highest quality and variety. If the current trend continues to soar, it will not be too
long before EBM represents Pakistan on the global front with the premium quality and variety of
biscuits which will be second to none.

http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/issue2001/issue33/etc9.htm