Food & Drink UAE-backed Getir plans sale of shopping platform Turkish grocery delivery startup Getir is planning to sell its Istanbul-based online shopping platform, known as n11, as part of its restructuring strategy, a media report said. “There are many options on the table being discussed with investors. One of them is the sale option for n11,” Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source. A Getir spokesperson […] April 26, 2024
Manufacturing Saudi Arabia’s food factory count rises to 1,300 The total number of food factories operated by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon) has reached 1,300, across 36 cities. The increase signifies the growing capacity of the domestic food industry and its localisation efforts, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Food industry companies have recorded a growth rate of more […] April 24, 2024
Retail Spinneys targets market cap of $1.5bn on Dubai listing Supermarket operator Spinneys will have a market capitalisation of between AED5.11 billion to AED5.51 billion ($1.39 billion-$1.5 billion) after its initial public offering (IPO) price range was set between AED 1.42 and AED 1.53 per share. The total offering size is expected to be between AED1.3 billion and AED 1.4 billion, the company said. Spinneys last […] April 23, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Almarai profit rises despite Egyptian pound devaluation Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy producer, Almarai, said profit rose 9 percent year on year as a result of higher volume growth and the ability to absorb the adverse impact of the Egyptian pound devaluation. Net profit reached SAR692 million ($184 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with SAR635 million a year ago, driven […] April 22, 2024
Food & Drink Saudi Arabia aims to double local honey production Saudi Arabia has invested SAR140 million ($37 million) to support its nascent rural honey industry, the government said this week. The country has raised subsidised production by 41 percent since 2021 and wants to double output by 2026. The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as Reef Saudi, said its funding supported over 10,500 people […] April 22, 2024
Food & Drink Mubadala-backed Getir weighs asset sales Turkey’s grocery delivery startup Getir is considering asset sales as part of its ongoing restructuring talks, according to a media report. The company, operating in five markets, including the UK, aims to sell off assets such as US online grocer FreshDirect, acquired last year, and BiTaksi, a ride-hailing app in Turkey, Sky News reported, citing unnamed […] April 17, 2024
Exclusive Retail Spinneys bets big on sales growth for own-label goods Supermarket operator Spinneys is betting big on strong sales of its private-label products as it prepares to go public next month, CEO Sunil Kumar told AGBI on Tuesday. Its private label – or own-brand – ranges cover food, toiletries and household goods. The retailer also has exclusive rights to sell Waitrose-branded products from the UK […] April 17, 2024
Agriculture $16m pumped into coffee farms as Riyadh chases lofty target Saudi Arabia has invested millions of dollars in the development of the local coffee sector over the past four years, but it is still 80 percent off its production target for 2026. The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program (known as Reef Saudi) has allocated a total of SAR61 million ($16 million) to support over 3,700 […] April 10, 2024
Analysis Food & Drink Dubai restaurant scene ‘at risk of hitting saturation point’ Food and beverage operators in Dubai have warned that the emirate’s restaurant market is increasingly saturated as one company calls time on a prominent location. Gates Hospitality, which operates venues across the Middle East, announced this week that two of its restaurants in Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Folly and Publique, would close at the end of […] April 9, 2024
Video length: 5:33 VIDEO Leisure & Hospitality Merex’s revival of ‘challenging’ City Walk and La Mer Merex Investment is redeveloping its lifestyle beachfront destination La Mer and using its successful transformation of City Walk in Dubai as a benchmark for the revival of its failing assets. La Mer is to be renamed J1 Beach, with 13 new dining and club venues due to open in September 2024. Occupancy rates at City […] April 4, 2024
Food & Drink Gulf SWFs named as potential suitors of The Ivy Gulf sovereign wealth funds are among a host of buyers said to be interested in taking charge of the group behind the UK’s prestigious Ivy restaurant. A £1 billion ($1.26 billion) sale is expected to be complete by the end of June. Troia, the company that owns the Ivy and some 50 other restaurants, is […] March 25, 2024
Opinion Agriculture The memory of water: Saudi Arabia’s troubled history Growing crops and preserving water is a balancing act for Saudi Arabia March 20, 2024
Food & Drink Almarai’s $4.8bn push to advance Saudi food security Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, will spend more than SAR18 billion ($4.8 billion) under its new five-year strategic plan to achieve food security, which is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal. “Investment in the food industry contributes to achieving food security in the kingdom and the region,” the company said in a […] March 19, 2024
Analysis Food & Drink UAE businesses dispute predicted Ramadan downturn UAE businesses are optimistic about Ramadan’s prospects in spite of a projected 10 percent decline in spending over the holy month. The anticipated dip is partly linked to considerable consumer expenditure after the pandemic and during recent festive sales, according to a study by Redseer Strategy Consultants. “The last two years were a period of […] March 10, 2024
Food & Drink Alcohol brands blocked from Dubai target Abu Dhabi Independent alcohol brands blocked from the Dubai market are entering the UAE by breaking into the more open Abu Dhabi market, industry insiders have said. The alcohol market in the UAE is regulated at the emirate level, and each has different levels of access and competition. Dubai’s market is a duopoly. Two distributors – Maritime […] March 8, 2024
Food & Drink Kuwait’s Alshaya lays off Mena Starbucks staff Kuwait’s Alshaya Group, one of the Gulf’s largest franchise owners, is cutting jobs at its Starbucks outlets. The coffee brand has suffered from calls for a boycott since the start of the Gaza conflict. “As a result of the continually challenging trading conditions over the last six months, we have taken the sad and very […] March 5, 2024
Food & Drink Egyptian food producer plans European expansion An Egyptian food producer is planning to expand into European markets on the back of a significant rise in US sales. City Farm, a frozen fruits and vegetables processor, intends to open representative offices in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands first. CEO Mahmoud Lamei said the plan followed “remarkable success” in the United States and […] March 4, 2024
Video length: 05:02 Food & Drink Agthia increases stake in Egyptian snack group Agthia Group has raised its stake in the Egyptian snacks company Auf Group to 70 percent, the latest UAE investment in the North African country. The food and beverages group, which is majority owned by the Abu Dhabi government through the state investor ADQ, acquired a 60 percent stake in Auf Group in 2022. In […] March 1, 2024
Trade Brazilian exports to Kuwait rise in readiness for Ramadan With Ramadan around the corner, trade between Kuwait and Brazil has been brisk – the Latin American country plays an important role in supplying the food needed for Iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal that Muslims enjoy during the holy month. Brazilian exports to the Gulf country spiked in November as Muslim importers began to prepare […] March 1, 2024
Video length: 05:02 VIDEO Food & Drink Made in UAE: consumers turn to local food brands UAE consumers are increasingly turning to locally produced products, according to the head of a multi-billion-dirham food and beverage conglomerate. Consumption patterns in the region are changing rapidly, prioritising healthy lifestyles, time-saving and convenience while maintaining authentic tastes. “If you can produce something locally, give them good value for money, they are much more open […] February 27, 2024
Trade UK cheese sales buck trend in F&B exports to the GCC British cheese continues to grow in popularity with regional consumers, but it could not prevent total food and drink exports from the UK to the GCC declining in 2023. Exports were down by almost 7 percent year on year to £816 million ($1 billion). The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs attributed the […] February 22, 2024
Food & Drink Morocco gets $188m to build three desalinisation plants Moroccan fertiliser company OCP Group has secured $188 million worth of funding to build three new seawater desalinisation plants as part of the government’s emergency plan for drinking water supply. The state-backed company signed an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to fund its green investment programme. The construction of the new desalinisation plants […] February 21, 2024