British Ambassador H E Jonathan Wilks CMG, Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf and others during the opening of British Food Week at Lulu Mall, Giardino, The Pearl-Qatar. Pic: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Leading hypermarket chain LuLu Group has launched British Food Week at its outlets across the country offering a wide variety of food products imported from the UK.
The popular annual British food festival, which runs until May 24, across Lulu stores and online and gives people in Qatar the opportunity to enjoy the extraordinary variety and high quality of British food produce and brands.
It’s time to enjoy the best of British food traditions this summer at the Lulu British Food Festival. The week-long culinary journey was inaugurated by H E Jon Wilks CMG ambassador of UK to Qatar at the Lulu Mall, Giardino- The Pearl-Qatar.
Present on the occasion was Lulu Group International Director Dr. Mohamed Althaf, senior British embassy officials, members of the Qatar British Business Forum, senior officials from Lulu Group, dignitaries from leading business groups in Qatar and others.
The British Ambassador to Qatar H E Jonathan Wilks CMG said that British Food Festival gave a big boot to export of food items from UK to Qatar. He said that annual festival also created opportunities to consumers in Qatar to try some new products and get too familiar with brands which hit the market recently.
“The festival hosts a large number of food suppliers from UK introducing their products to visitors,” said Wilks. He said that there were big demands of good British products in Lulu outlets which attract a larger number of people who used to come there to know the new products.
Lulu Group in GCC countries is well established to sell more and more British products. We are very positive feel from the general situation, and British Week at Lulu is a good opportunity to improve our presence in the market and to do export, said the Ambassador speaking about healthy ranges of food products, Wilks said that more people are opting to healthy foods, gluten free, low sugar and eco products among others year-by-year. He said that Lulu and British suppliers are responding the demand by providing the products of their taste. Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf said that Lulu had been holding British Food Festival in the past 18 years, promoting British products.
“Many new products are added to the festival of this year. The Lulu foods import which was started with about £20m has reached over £80m which shows the demand of British products in local market,” said Althaf. He said that Lulu set up its own business center in Birmingham, the UK to facilitate food import under its plan to support food security programme of Qatar.
Althaf said that the UK and GCC countries are expected to sign a free-trade agreement soon which will further boost the import of foods and other products from the UK to Qatar. “The festival of this year is unique in a way that it is witnessing the participation of 25 British companies which set up their booths for showcasing and promoting their products,” said Althaf.
The shoppers will be able to make the most of the finest British summer treats, from amazing British cheeses to freeze-packed berries to teas, British organic milk, flavour some yogurts, and specialty breads. The promotion will run across the Lulu Hypermarkets in Qatar.
Children from King’s College Doha added colour to the inaugural ceremony with live musical performances. The store was adorned with British flags and pictorial representations of iconic landmarks, creating a British ambiance of architecture, culture, and tradition.
The award-winning logistics and warehousing facility of Lulu Group in Birmingham support their hypermarket chain, providing shoppers with a wide range of affordable British products, according to a press statement.
