UAE Chocolate Market Estimated at 564 Million AED;
Sweets Middle East Offers Expansion Opportunities to Regional and International Companies
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Cocoa sales across emerging markets are helping to support the sweets and confectionery market during a time of economic slowdown, confirm industry experts.
Sales in traditional chocolate loving countries are levelling off, but sales in the Middle East and Asian regions are resisting downturns.
Figures released by AC Nielson's Retail Audit estimate the UAE chocolate market at AED 546 million with a growth of 27% by value and 14% by volume.
According to Dubai World Trade Centre, co-organisers of the region's only trade show for sweets and confectionery, the established culture for chocolate in the Middle East is seeing rising levels of sophistication.
Sweets Middle East 2008 will run from 3-5 November at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and includes an impressive line up of chocolate and cocoa products from both regional and international manufactures in addition to sweets, confectionery, bakery, snack food and ice cream goods.
"The Middle East market for chocolates, sweets and confectionery is rapidly expanding. Some of the growth factors include the influx of more foreign chocolate products, as markets open up to foreign businesses. There is also an increasing preference for 'luxury' desserts offered by most hotel chains across the region," said Joanne Cook, Industry Group Manager - Exhibitions & Events Management at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Internationally, industry analysts have seen rising numbers of award winning European chefs, hoteliers, caterers and manufacturers look for innovative ways to capitalise on the 'chocoholic' nature of burgeoning markets.
Further efforts to increase product appeal and sales have resulted in several large chocolate manufacturers experimenting with traditional regional ingredients like dates, ginseng and green tea.
Meanwhile in Europe, figures released by the German confectionery retail and industry association in August show chocolate and confectionery sales rose only 2.3 percent to 632,200 tonnes in January to June this year - sales by volume rose by 5.4 percent to 4.283 billion euros. These figures are indicative of why western chocolate manufacturers are looking to markets where growth is starting to accelerate.
"Sweets and confectionery manufacturers from the USA and Europe are looking to facilitate growth by entering into markets in the East," said Naveen Kumar Seth, Managing Director of Candica Industries Ltd, local high end sweet manufacturers. "Sweets Middle East 2008 offers several advantages that make it an ideal platform for manufacturers to connect with Asian and Eastern markets.
Many international products and brands will be on display at Sweets Middle East from stand alone exhibitors to companies participating in the 9 national pavilions. These include Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the USA, as well as two new pavilions from Cyprus and Malaysia, which ranks in the top ten of the world's cocoa producers.
Sweets and confectionery trade shows have been a successful institution across international markets and Dubai World Trade Centre is set to position Sweets Middle East as leading specialist industry show in the region.
Sweets Middle East will run from 3-5 November in halls 7&8 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is for Trade and Business Professionals only and will be open from 10am - 6pm daily. General public and persons under the age of 18 will not be permitted entry. Registration is available onsite or alternatively visitors can pre-register in advance at www.sweetsmiddleeast.com. www.sweetsmiddleeast.ae
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About Sweets Middle East
Website: www.sweetsmiddleeast.com
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Koelnmesse GmbH present Sweets Middle East 2008, held in halls 7 & 8 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3 - 5 November 2008.
The 2007 edition welcomed 7 national pavilions, 140 companies from 25 countries and a total of 3,585 trade visitors attending from 69 countries.
DWTC together with Koelnmesse, supported by the International Sweets and Biscuits Association (AISM), have based Sweets Middle East on a very successful model, ISM in Cologne. Accordingly, the Dubai event will showcase a wide, global range of confectionery, bakery, snack products, ice cream and raw pastes.
About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
Website: www.dwtc.com
As the organiser of Sweets Middle East 2008, Dubai World Trade Centre offers over 28 years' experience of delivering world-class events in the Middle East, providing local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. Our team organises 15 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an ideal platform for business development in the region.
Our commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors. DWTC works with the leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all exhibitions deliver full value and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector.
For more information, please contact:
Ruth Christian
Account Manager
Wallis Marketing Communications
P.O.Box 502281
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 390 1950
Fax: +971 4 367 2800
Mobile: +971 50 774 0669
Email: ruth.christian@wallismc.com
Yvonne Zeljkovic
Marketing Manager - Exhibitions
Dubai World Trade Centre
P.O.Box 9292,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Tel: (Dir): +971 4 3086183 ,
(Gen): +971 4 332 1000
Fax: +971 4 3188607
E-mail: yvonne.zeljkovic@dwtc.com
Web: www.dwtc.com
© Press Release 2008
