Italy is gearing up for a new intense year of activities to promote authentic food in UAE (United Arab Emirates), starting from the Italian Food Lab at the upcoming Gulfood trade show (February 18-22) and a new strategic agreement with the region’s largest retail group Lulu. In an interview with Italianfood.net, the director of the government-backed Italian Trade Commission ICE in Dubai, Gianpaolo Bruno, presents a series of initiatives ranging from in-store activities to a targeted communication campaign to support export sales of authentic Italian food and beverage to the Middle East, one of the most strategic regions in the world. The offer of Italian products, in the collective imagination, continues to be appreciated for its high quality and certainly appears among the top preferences of Middle Eastern consumers, says Bruno, who oversees the activity of the ICE agency (also known as ITA) in the Middle East. Exports of Italian agri-food products to the UAE totaled more than 317 million euros in 2016 after reaching an all-time record of 324 million euros the previous year, according to ICE figures. In 2017, Italian food sales felt the impact of a slowdown in domestic demand, mostly due to the continued normalization of oil prices and the climate of uncertainty related to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, the trade commissioner says. According to a recent study by Kpmg, Made in Italy products in the UAE are appreciated especially for their unique taste and flavors, the traditional recipes, and the high organoleptic quality of raw ingredients, Bruno said. This allows the many Italian restaurants in the country to establish themselves as a primary destination for residents and tourists.
The Italian Food Lab
ICE Dubai participates in Gulfood, one of the most prestigious and qualified B2B promotional platforms in the Middle East, and one of the most important trade shows in the world. The 2018 event will mark Gulfood’s 23rd annual edition. At the 2018 edition, ICE Dubai will bring the project “The Italian Food Lab”, launched in 2017. The program consists of a series of communication initiatives and workshops during the five-day event (February 18-22). The intent is to promote among the operators at the show some of the best quality Italian products, educate about the health and nutritional benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the characteristics of PDO and PGI certified products, and the damages to the sector coming from counterfeiting and unfair competition. A series of meetings will also introduce Italian manufacturers to the UAE market, explaining how to operate successfully in this region, together with a focus on regulation, labeling regulation and Halal certification. As part of the Italian Food Lab, ICE will make available a kitchen space to expert Italian chefs for cooking demos and tasting of the products presented by the Italian companies.
A landmark partnership with Lulu
ICE agency has recently signed a strategic agreement with top hypermarket chain Lulu. The promotional campaign aims to increase the presence of authentic Italian food products in the Gulf region, increasing the quantity and variety of Italian products available on the shelves, the ICE Dubai chief says. Lulu Hypermarket operates more than 60 stores in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) alliance of six Middle Eastern countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman). Lulu Hypermarket is part of the multinational group Lulu International, founded by Indian magnate Yusuf Ali, based in Abu Dhabi, which employs more than 35,000. It’s the largest Indian-owned conglomerate in the GCC countries, one of the main retail chains in Asia and the largest in the Middle East. The group operates around 140 stores across the GCC, for more than 2 million square meters, with a total turnover of 6.2 billion dollars. According to Deloitte, it’s one of the world’s fastest-growing groups (27th in the global ranking), thanks to widespread expansion plans in most Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrein, Kuwait and Egypt), as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia and India. The group, the largest local player and second only to France’s Carrefour in the UAE, owns a highly structured value chain with independent inventory facilities, long-term relations with suppliers and direct access to port infrastructures. It offers a very large assortment of food and non-food products, both under international and store brands. The agreement signed with ICE includes in-store promotional activities, cooking demos and culinary tasting, a diversified communication campaign on the main media platforms and social networks, and specific activities to increase the range of Italian products available in store.
Lulu sees higher demand for organic, healthy food
Consumers in the Middle East are no different than American and Europeans food lovers when it comes to choosing products that are good to their palate as much as to their body. The new trend in the Middle East is organic, less sugar, healthy products, protein drinks, and bars, says Soni Samy, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) import manager at Lulu Group. The younger generation, as well as the middle-aged people, are now more concerned about their health and very particular about what they eat, the manager tells ItalianFood.net. Even from the UAE government, there is an initiative to reduce weight and move towards a healthy lifestyle, he said, citing government investment in new parks with facilities for physical exercise, new cycle tracks and bicycles introduced in major parts of the city. Asked about what Italian food products are trending the most in the region, the manager said pasta is still the most popular item for locals, with plenty of Italian restaurants available.
