Ramadhan boost for Al-Bayader business

Old traditions may continue, but there are modern day refinements which have benefited the UAE-based company, says CEO, Nidal Haddad.

"In the past, Iftar meals cooked and shared between family and friends would customarily be transported among homes by conventional, old-style cooking pots.

"Nowadays, families are more cost and convenience conscious and as a result demand for both our disposable aluminium containers and our range of microwave useable containers is growing strongly year on year, particularly during Ramadhan," he adds.

Haddad expects to triple sales in the aluminium category compared to the same period in 2006, which in itself witnessed 100 per cent growth over 2005.

Furthermore, Ramadhan performance is also expected to have a very positive knock-on effect to Al-Bayader's business as new users during the Holy month, have been found in the past to continue using disposable products having once experienced the benefits.

He also says that while disposable aluminium containers are becoming an increasingly indispensable part of the Iftar custom, disposable microwaveable containers are also rapidly growing in popularity, driven by the technology that today exists in most households.

"Several new products within Al-Bayader's 'Fun' range have been introduced especially for Ramadhan, and these are also being exported extensively across the GCC region for the first time," he says.

Another Ramadhan beneficiary is the transparent plastic plates and boxes category, sales of which are expected to grow six-fold this month, according to Haddad.

"This is because Arabic sweets are an integral part of both Ramdhan and Eid, for sharing and for gifting, and our range of crystal plates are increasingly being used for presentation purposes," he explains.

While Ramadhan provides a big boost to Al-Bayader sales, the upward trend is indicative of the significant overall growth of the company's business over the last year.

Al-Bayader's success has been built on providing customers with the highest standards in innovative packaging solutions, - with some 1200 disposable products in the portfolio, combined with reliable service and partnerships built on excellence.

Last month the company announced an AED 80 million expansion programme, the first phase of which comprises a new, AED 15 million, 15,000 square metre state-of-the-art logistics facility, located in Jebel Ali Free Zone. Work is on schedule for completion by the end of October.

The new premises will significantly improve the company's regional logistics and distribution capability as well as enabling new lines of products and services to be introduced before the end of the year.

Haddad says the potential for business growth throughout the Gulf region in particular, is very exciting as the population of around 36 million today is expected to grow by 40 per cent to 50 million by 2015.

"While the demographics of the region are changing so are people's lifestyles," he says. "The Arab region, and specifically the GCC countries, is known to have a young population. As we have seen during this Ramadhan, this increasingly affluent social group has adopted a more modern and quick approach to life, using convenience foods and international cuisine, through retail stores and food outlets.