'Opportunity to increase volume of trade between UK and Kuwait'

KUWAIT CITY, April 18: The Lulu Hypermarket, one of the major retail outlets in Kuwait and the region is organizing the British Food Festival at its Al Qurain and Al Rai venues in Kuwait.

The eight-day festival (from April 18 to April 25, 2011) was inaugurated on Monday by His Excellency, Frank Baker OBE, the British Ambassador to Kuwait, in the presence of Duncan Hoyland, Head of Trade and Investment at the British Embassy, Paul McKay, Chairman of the British Business Forum, Mohammed Haris, Regional Director of Lulu Hypermarket and Sreejith, the Regional Manager of the franchise.

The event was attended by a large gathering of the hypermarket's patrons, well-wishers, media representatives and company officials.

Speaking on the occasion, the British Ambassador praised the efforts of the Lulu Hypermarket management for holding the food festival which has put on display the high-quality and rich diversity food products from the UK.

The ambassador stated, "With this food festival, the Lulu Hypermarket is introducing to the local market some of the best and popular British products."

"In addition," he went on to say, "the festival will give the large number of Kuwaitis who regularly visit the UK an opportunity to enjoy in Kuwait some of the great food products they have grown fond of during their stay in Britain."

The ambassador added food festivals such as these also give an opportunity for businesses to increase the volume of trade between UK and Kuwait, which currently stands at over £2 billion annually.
An official of the Lulu Hypermarket said, the British Food Festival at Lulu Hypermarket provides a window to more than 2,500 products from the UK, including grocery and chiller items that are imported by air on a weekly basis, as well as canned and frozen products, and fresh dairy and bakery products, from some of the renowned names in the food and drinks industry.

British food products are produced to some of the most stringent health and safety regulations in the world and many of the food and drink products on display are much sought after items by discerning chefs and food connoisseurs around the world. Shoppers looking to eat heartily, healthily and variedly can visit the festival and explore the delicious and diverse nature of British food and drinks that are being promoted at special prices of up to 40 percent off normal prices, he added.

The official went on to say, catering to over 420,000 customers every day, the Lulu Hypermarket chain has grown to become the shopping center of choice among discerning customers looking for quality retailing. This popularity is attested by the fact that the brand enjoys close to 35 percent of the total retail market share in the GCC.

With a clear focus on consolidating its retail dominance in the region, the Lulu Hypermarkets chain is rapidly expanding in both existing as well as new markets around the Gulf region. The latest outlet of Lulu Hypermarket, which recently opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, takes the total number of retail outlets in the region to 89 and sets the hypermarket well on its way to reaching their target of opening 100 stores by the end of 2011, he disclosed.


© Arab Times 2011