Universal Studios, Nabil Foods partner in Saudi market

Manufacturer of frozen and chilled foods, Nabil Foods, will be introducing its new line of kid-friendly products in Saudi Arabia this year in partnership with Universal Studios.

Established in 1945, the Jordan-based company currently houses over 700 employees across the Middle East and houses over ten production lines.

In an exclusive interview with Argaam, Ahmed Sallakh, CEO of Nabil Foods, talks about the company’s expansion plans in the Kingdom along with its expectations of becoming one of the three main players in the Saudi market by 2025.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Describe your presence in Saudi Arabia, including market share, operations, offices and workforce?

A: Nabil recently partnered with Arabian Trading Supplies (ATS) for the retail channel. ATS is one of the biggest distributor groups in Saudi Arabia, aiming to increase our presence and market share.

We also have a country manager based in the Kingdom, who is responsible for the food safety (FS) business through Multi-Brands, a company specializing in food services and Horeca and major global restaurant chains. For the last two years, we have been growing strongly reaching the impressive mark of almost 50 percent.

Q: How was 2018 for Nabil Foods financially in Saudi Arabia?

A: 2018 was a successful year for Nabil in Saudi Arabia with growth in both FS and retail business. We have launched three new retail lines in the Kingdom, including Franks, Chicken and Beef Burgers.

For 2019, we are planning to launch our kids’ line in partnership with Universal Studios using Minions characters.

Q: How do you keep up with the stiff competition from other food brands in Saudi Arabia?

A: Nabil has always been investing in sales and distribution aiming to have a full coverage in the market. We have also developed a new package artwork where we are communicating our heritage at the same time, thus introducing a new modern look to the brand. We also have yearly marketing calendars to be executed in different occasions.

Today customers are more price conscious and at the same time still want to bring home high quality products for their families. The Saudis want a perfect combination of tradition, quality and price.

Q: How have you incorporated Saudization in your company?

A: Our distributors in Saudi Arabia are very strict, following all the country regulations not only regarding the Saudization but standards, regulations and procedures as well.

Q: Have you extended any support to the Saudi SMEs for raw materials supply?

A: We source 100 percent of our products from the Halal approved sources by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the organization that regulates and control all the suppliers from all over the world dictating the highest standards of quality, hygiene and Halal.

Q: Any plans of expansion in Saudi Arabia?

A: Our expectation is to grow 40 percent in sales in 2019 with a similar growth in 2020, aiming to be the market leader in our local range of products, Kubbe, Samousa, Kebbab. We also aim to double our market share, to be one of the three main players in the Saudi market by 2025.

Write to Paromita Dey at paromita.d@argaamplus.com