Middle East

The local workforce has returned, with employees actively seeking convenience as they rebalance their professional and personal lives. Therefore, retail demand for ready meals and prepared salads continues to steadily rise in the United Arab Emirates…

In 2023, closed loop pre-paid cards witnessed a decline in transaction value and volume, consistent with a continuing trend as consumers increasingly shift towards payment apps. Despite some consumers still having significant value loaded onto their…

Following a two-year period of decline, sauces, dips and condiments returned to positive growth in retail volume terms in 2023. In 2021 and 2022, demand was negatively impacted by disruptions to the global supply chain, which pushed up production…

Local consumers are becoming increasingly focused on health and wellness trends, resulting in an increase in demand for sauces with healthy claims. Health-conscious consumers are selecting alternatives to traditional high-calorie sauces, as well as…

The market for sweet spreads continued to see positive growth in volume terms in 2023, albeit at a slower pace than the previous year. This was mainly due to the stabilisation of sales via the foodservice channel, following a boom in the aftermath of…

Consumers in the United Arab Emirates are increasingly seeking healthier options of sweet spreads, including those with reduced sugar content and fewer additives. In addition, nut and seed based spreads are gaining popularity in the local market,…

Charge cards follow a typical pattern in Saudi Arabia, where such cards have a set consumer base consisting of, mainly, affluent Saudi citizens who use these cards while travelling. Therefore, the rebound of travel and tourism following the pandemic…

The cost of living continues to rise in Israel, and economic uncertainty is leading to wariness about investing in the domestic economy. Inflation reached the highest levels since 2008 in January 2023. Electricity prices rose by 9% in August 2022,…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals will no longer be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the on-trade industry is booming once again. Despite high inflation in 2022, prices, particularly edible oils, have dropped, however, the industry…

In 2023, Kuwait is facing economic challenges due to both global inflation and the restrictions on expat entries, causing a slowdown in demand for cooking ingredients. Inflation, notably soaring cooking oil prices, directly affected both…

Demand for cooking ingredients and meals remained under huge pressure in 2023 as the impact of Lebanon’s severe socioeconomic crisis continued to undermine the spending power of much of the local population. However, the situation is improving slowly…

In 2023, Oman's cooking ingredients industry has shifted due to higher prices from global inflation. Consumers are now leaning towards healthier choices, affecting demand for traditional cooking ingredients. Freshness remains a priority, leading to…

In 2023, Qatar anticipates a surge in cooking ingredient sales following the positive impact of post-World FIFA Cup tourism and ongoing efforts to attract investments. The country's luxury-driven society is set to further boost consumption. Urban…

Credit cards are not as popular as debit cards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however, the category still shows a fair performance. One main issue which credit cards face in the KSA is a question mark around their compliance with Sharia Law.…

Debit cards continue to make up a large portion of all financial cards in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, debit cards are even more prevalent than credit cards in the KSA, owing to a number of factors, such as wide acceptance and convenience of use, as well as…

Edible oil prices continue to rise as a result of both local and domestic pressures and high inflation, which drives up the cost of amenities essential for manufacturing, such as water and electricity. Recent droughts and poor sunflower seed harvests…

Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps to transform itself into a cashless society – starting even before the event of the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered digital evolution in industries globally. In this regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…

Ready meals continues to benefit from the convenience trend in Israel, reflected in healthy current value growth in 2023. The enduring popularity of pizza has enabled it to register the strongest current value growth. Still, many local consumers…

Pre-paid cards are benefitting from the Kingdom’s move towards a cashless society – especially so in certain areas. For example, as seen with the uptake of pre-paid cards for the payment of workers’ salaries, notably so for domestic workers. In this…

Price increases resulting from supply chain issues and the rising costs of raw materials and production are discouraging many Israeli consumers from buying sauces, dips and condiments in 2023. For example, at the end of 2022, Strauss increased the…