Musgrave announced today that it is doubling its SuperValu product range sold on noon, the Middle East’s largest online grocery marketplace and on the noon.com dedicated fresh grocery platform.
The announcement will now see 250 SuperValu products available across the UAE on noon, soon to include items from SuperValu’s fresh food range.
The partnership between Musgrave and noon first commenced in June, making the Irish food retailer the first direct distribution partner with Saudi e-tailer noon.
As the partnership continues, Musgrave said it aims for up to 500 products to be available by the end of 2022 on noon Grocery.
Trade Meeting
The announcement was made at a trade meeting held at noon’s office in downtown Dubai, attended by Ireland’s Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Minister Robert Troy, Ali Kafil-Hussain, chief of staff at noon.com, and Liam Hyland, director of export and international trade at Musgrave.
Leading Enterprise Ireland’s trade visit to the Middle East, Minister Troy, said, “I want to congratulate noon and Musgrave International on what is a significant step forward in their partnership and will help introduce people across the UAE to a significant range of quality Irish food products that are widely enjoyed back in Ireland."
“This Government, through its agency Enterprise Ireland, is committed to supporting Irish businesses expand and diversify into new markets as well as to reinforce an established presence in existing markets," he added.
"Announcements such as the one today are a strong endorsement of Enterprise Ireland’s work in the region," said Minister Troy.
E-Eommerce Growth
Musgrave noted that Dubai remains a hub for e-commerce growth in the MENA region.
With the pandemic changing consumer habits, the growth of digital shopping has accelerated, resulting in many companies investing in online sales activity and omni-channel methods, it said.
Ali Kafil-Hussain, chief of Staff, noon, said, “Grocery is increasingly moving online, especially as e-commerce penetration has surged significantly in this region. noon Grocery, our next-day fresh grocery delivery service, currently stocks more than 60,000 products.
"Focusing on grocery as a priority area, we have invested heavily in cold-chain capabilities, including a state-of-the-art dedicated grocery warehouse, to ensure the best produce arrives at our customers’ doorsteps in the freshest way possible," he said.
“When we launched the SuperValu range by Musgrave earlier this year we received an overwhelming response from our customers in Dubai, particularly those in the expat community, who were delighted to now be able to get a part of home delivered to their second home here in the UAE," Kafil-Hussain added.
Covid-19-led Digital Shift
According to a study by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the UAE’s retail e-commerce market reached a record $3.9 billion in 2020, a 53% year-over-year increase driven by the Covid-19-led digital shift, while e-commerce accounted for 8% share of the retail market during the same year.
Accompanying Minister Troy on the trade visit, Kevin Sherry, executive director of Enterprise Ireland, said, “The world has its eyes on the Irish market, and the Middle East has increasingly been adopting innovative solutions from Ireland’s companies."
"The success of this partnership between Musgrave and noon shows us that the UAE presents incredible commercial opportunities for Irish companies," he said.
"The region is continuing the shift to online shopping, presenting new ecommerce opportunities. Enterprise Ireland are proud to have supported Musgrave with the introduction to noon, and in achieving very positive growth in just four months since market launch,” Sherry added.
2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
