Following up on its success with the Nespresso coffee machine, Swiss food and beverage giant Nestle SA (NESN.VX) Thursday said it will launch a tea machine franchise, Special.T, in France later this year.

Analysts welcomed the move but said the market launch of the product--which puts it into stiffer competition against market leader Unilever PLC (ULVR.LN)--is likely to be a niche product at the beginning.

"Special.T is another clear demonstration of Nestle's innovation capacities," said Petraea Heynike, Nestle's Executive Vice President. "After Nespresso and Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Special.T is another major innovation in beverage systems, by which we pioneer the market of portioned tea and thus strengthen our commitment as the world's largest beverage company."

The product launch will start in September. The machine, which offers 25 tea varieties, will be sold via the Internet. A European rollout is planned at a later stage.

-By Goran Mijuk, Dow Jones Newswires, +41 43 443 80 47; goran.mijuk@dowjones.com
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