(Yicai) July 2 -- UK consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser Group said it will spend CNY300 million (USD41.3 million) to establish a global research and development center in Shanghai, which will likely become operational in 2026.

The Shangai R&D center will support the development of Reckitt's brands, including Durex, Dettol, Move Free, and Finish, in the Chinese market, the Slough-based firm announced on June 25. It will provide customers in China with more locally-made innovative products while also promoting them worldwide, it added.

Reckitt hopes to enhance its R&D capability in China by setting up the center in Shanghai, its ninth such global hub, Senior Vice President Arjun Purkayastha recently told Yicai. The company has various R&D laboratories in the country, but they are relatively scattered, he noted.

Combining these labs is important because science comprises many subjects, while the end consumers mainly see the finished product, Purkayastha added. Reckitt hopes to realize cross-discipline exchange and cooperation through the Shanghai R&D hub, he said.

Reckitt designs 95 percent of its products for Chinese consumers and hopes to increase this to nearly 100 percent, Purkayastha pointed out. The firm makes 80 of its goods in China and hopes this percentage can also increase each year, he added.

If Reckitt wants to serve Chinese consumers better, provide them with better innovations, design for and produce in China, and match the country's pace, the decision to establish a local R&D center is straightforward, according to Purkayastha. The firm needs to increase investment to speed up its local development, he noted.

China is one of Reckitt's biggest markets worldwide and has a strong growth momentum, said Chief Executive Kris Licht. 'In China, Design for China' is at the core of the firm's long-term strategy to meet Chinese consumers' ever-growing needs, he pointed out.

Editors: Xu Wei, Martin Kadiev