Asean ‘middleweights’ growing in importance

Exporters and suppliers should also tap “middleweight” cities and regions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in addition to so-called mega-cities, Nielsen said in a new report.

In its “Rethinking Asean: Dispelling 8 Myths About Consumer Markets” report, Nielsen said that middleweight markets -- regions with populations of between 500,000 and five million inhabitants – were exhibiting the fastest consumer demand growth in the Asean Economic Community.