Guests and officials during the launch of ‘Let’s Eatalian’, a festival of Italian foods yesterday.
Doha: Lulu Hypermarket Qatar – country’s leading retailer – yesterday launched the second edition of ‘Let’s Eatalian - Authentically Italian Products Promotion in Qatar 2020-2021’ in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Trade Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy in Qatar.
The event was inaugurated at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Messila branch by the Ambassador of Italy to Qatar H E Alessandro Prunas in the presence of the Italian Trade Commissioner to Qatar Giosafat Rigano, Director of Lulu Hypermarkets Dr. Mohamed Althaf, Officials from ITA, Italian Embassy, Lulu Hypermarket and dignitaries from various Italian companies operating in Qatar.
Talking to media persons at the inauguration ceremony, Italian Ambassador Alessandro Prunas said that the inauguration was a follow-up of partnership the Embassy had started with Lulu Hypermarket two or three years ago. “This partnership is like a bridge between Qatar and Italy. Through Lulu Hypermarket, a number of Italian products are able to reach Qatar’s local markets.”
He praised Italian products’ high quality and reasonable prices. “Italian foods are well-known for their quality but sometimes perceived a bit expensive because of their quality. Lulu Hypermarket’s agreement with Italy’s farmers association has caused a cut in a number of costs and now these products are being delivered directly to Qatari market through Lulu Hypermarket.” He said that it was good for both consumers and producers, expressing his gratitude to Lulu Hypermarket for promoting Italian products in Qatar.
Italian Trade Commissioner to Qatar Giosafat Rigano said that in the first ten months of 2020, F&B exports of Italy to Qatar had witnessed a 3.5 percent rise touching ¤33m. He said that ITA promotional investment in Qatar was yielding huge results. He also thanked Lulu Hypermarket for the cooperation.
At the event, Director of Lulu Hypermarkets Dr. Mohamed Althaf said that they had received “tremendous response” from consumers regarding Italian products.
“With the help of ITA, the Italian Embassy, as well as our partners in Italy, we have almost tripled our volumes now, but the best results will come very soon,” he said, adding: “What we have achieved so far is the fact that Italian products are not only popular (in Qatar) but also affordable.”
The Ambassador of Italy to Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas, and Director of Lulu Hypermarkets, Dr. Mohamed Althaf, jointly inaugurating ‘Let’s Eatalian’, a festival of Italian foods at the Messila branch of Lulu Hypermarket, in Doha yesterday. Pics: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Althaf said that Italian food products are known for their quality, safety food standards etc. “Lulu Hypermarket has made them affordable at the same time.” He said that the number of Italian products was growing along with their sales in Qatar. “Some products which are being imported by Lulu Hypermarket were not available in the region before.”
Terming Lulu’s partnership with ITA and Italian producers as “fantastic”, Althaf said that in next couple of months Lulu’s export facility in Milan would be fully operational giving tremendous boost to export of Italian food products to Qatar. He further said that Lulu Hypermarket was importing container load of products from Italy having wide range from organic food to gluten-free and many other food items.
The ‘Let’s Eatalian’ festival, in its totality, will run approximately for a year starting from October 2020 till September 2021 in four quarterly editions strictly in line with the blueprint set by the ITA and the Italian Embassy. The promotional campaign has showcased a wide range of Italian products at very attractive prices at all Lulu Hypermarkets, and customers will have the opportunity to discover the rich food of Italy through tasting and sampling. Customers could buy freshly made pizzas, pastas, lasagna, tiramisu and many other popular Italian delicacies.
There are many kinds of products involved in the promotional campaign that celebrates the Italian excellence in food sector viz., canned vegetables, pasta, rice, cheese and dairy products, biscuits, coffee, olive oil, fresh fruit and vegetables, chocolate, sauces, spices, condiments and many more.
The pre-defined second phase of the promotional campaign, which will run until December 26, is dedicated to the Italian culinary and food tradition and largely focused on boosting the sales of authentic Italian food products in Qatar. Rather than a festival of Italian food, it is more of a celebration of the rich heritage of advances made by Italy in various realms. It is also the manifestation of the great vision that ITA and the Italian Embassy already conceptualised.
Lulu Hypermarket has been conducting Italian Festival since last 16 years in succession. Lulu Hypermarket has long-standing business relations with many Italian companies and has been importing Italian products since year 2004 in Qatar.
Italian cuisine is characterised by its simplicity, with many dishes having only two to four main ingredients. Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation. Pasta, vegetables, olive oil and fish are a major part of the Italian cuisine. With Italian food trending worldwide, it is a great opportunity to explore a wide range of new products, favourite classics and time-tested popular brands of foods.
With a view to make the Italian food more popular among the local community, Lulu Hypermarket has initiated extensive promotional campaign through instore branding, newspaper and radio ads, social media, booklets and google ads.
