Research and Markets: Bahrain Food And Drink Report Q3 2008 - Kraft's New Production...

Research and Markets: Bahrain Food And Drink Report Q3 2008 - Kraft's New Production Plant Expected To Contribute US$120mn Annually

DUBLIN, Ireland--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5e656b/bahrain_food_and_d)
has announced the addition of the "Bahrain Food and Drink Report Q3
2008" report to their offering.

This Food and Drink Report provides independent forecasts and
competitive intelligence on Bahrain's food and drink industry.

After beginning construction in early 2007, Kraft Foods MEA
finally opened its first Middle Eastern production plant in Bahrain in
April. As discussed in this new Bahrain Food & Drink Report for Q308,
Kraft's decision to build the plant in Bahrain represented somewhat of
a coup for the local food and drink industry. The Bahraini government
has worked hard to create an attractive business environment in order
to attract greater investments and diversify its economy away from the
hydrocarbons industry in anticipation of future price falls. The need
is particularly pressing in Bahrain in light of its relatively small
oil reserves, but its diversification efforts are also more advanced
as the nonoil sectors already account for more than 85% of real GDP.

Kraft's 60,000m(2) plant is located in Bahrain's International
Investment Park and represents an investment of US$40mn. Kraft has
said that this new production plant is expected to contribute US$120mn
annually in wages, raw and packaging materials and operations. This
investment represents the first direct investment by Kraft Foods in
the Gulf region and is one of the largest food and beverage
manufacturing plants owned by a multinational company in the GCC.
Patrick Satamian, the vice-president and area director of the Middle
East and Africa said, 'The Bahrain plant opening gives us a
competitive edge in growing our market share in this region as it will
enable us to meet consumer demand more efficiently and quickly.' The
new Kraft plant should also allow for greater production efficiencies
and ability to respond to local preferences and customer demands and
will allow the company to introduce products that have not yet been
available in the region because they were unsuitable for import from
overseas plants.

Despite the fact that Bahrain is a politically stable country that
is generally seen as pro-Western, companies can still experience
difficulties as illustrated by Danish dairy company Arla Foods. In
March Arla was once again entangled in a Middle Eastern controversy as
it faced a renewed consumer backlash against its products. Arla has
said that its butter and cheese sales have been affected by a fresh
boycott, as the company cut production in Denmark by 150 tonnes per
week due to falling Middle Eastern orders. The 2006 boycott of Danish
goods followed the controversy surrounding the publication of cartoons
depicting the Prophet Muhammed by a Danish newspaper, which were
extremely offensive to many Muslims. Following the recent
re-publication of these cartoons in several Danish newspapers, some
Muslim leaders in the Middle East have called for a new boycott. Yet
there are conflicting reports regarding the extent to which the new
boycott is being followed. According to local press reports, shoppers
in Bahrain are continuing to buy Danish products, with stores
continuing to stock these in response to this demand, which indicates
that the boycott may not be as damaging as it was in 2006 and also
reflects the tolerance Bahrain is known for.

Key Topics Covered:

- Executive Summary

- Business Environment

- Regional Food & Drink Business Environment Ratings

- Table: Middle East Food & Drink Business Environment Ratings -
Q308

- Bahrain's Food & Drink Business Environment Rating

- Table: Global Food & Drink Business Environment Ratings -
Bahrain's Peer Group

- SWOT Analysis

- Food And Drink

- Bahrain Food And Drink Industry SWOT

- Mass Grocery Retail

- Bahrain Mass Grocery Retail Industry SWOT

- Macroeconomic Outlook

- Table: Bahrain Economic Activity

- Food

- Industry Forecast Scenario

- Food Consumption

- Table: Food Consumption Indicators - Historical Data & Forecasts

- Trade

- Table: Bahrain Food & Drink Sectoral Trade Balance (US$mn) -
Historical Data & Forecasts

- Industry Developments

- Market Overview

- Agriculture

- Key Food Processors

- Drink

- Industry Forecast Scenario

- Soft Drinks

- Hot Drinks

- Industry Developments

- Market Overview

- Soft Drinks

- Alcoholic Drinks

- Agriculture At A Glance

- Table: Bahrain - Major Agricultural Production, 2005

- Table: Bahrain Rural/Urban Population Breakdown

- Agricultural Commodity Price

- Retail

- Industry Forecast Scenario

- Table: Bahrain Mass Grocery Retail Sales - Value By Format
(US$bn) - Historical Data & Forecasts

- Grocery Retail Sales By Format - Historical Data & Forecasts

- Industry Developments

- Market Overview

- Table: Structure Of Bahrain's Mass Grocery Retail Market By
Number Of Outlets

- Structure Of Bahrain's Mass Grocery Retail Market - Sales Value
By Retail Format (US$bn)

- Value Of Sales Per Outlet 2006 - Estimates (US$mn)

- Competitive Landscape

- Key Players

- Food And Drink

- Table: Key Players In Bahrain's Food And Drink Sector

- Mass Grocery Retail

- Table: Key Players In Bahrain's Mass Grocery Retail Sector

- Company Analysis

- Food

- Bahrain Flour Mills Company (BFMC)

- General Trading And Food Processing Company (TRAF)

- Drink

- Awal Dairy Company

- Masafi

- Mass Grocery Retail

- EMKE Group - LuLu Hypermarket

- Fu-Com International/Geant

- Carrefour MAF - Bahrain

- Appendix

- Food & Drink Business Environment Ratings

- Ratings Methodology

- Ratings Overview

- Ratings System

- Indicators

- Limits Of Potential Returns

- Risks To Realisation Of Potential Returns

- Weighting

- Weighting

- BMI Food & Drink Industry Glossary

- Food & Drink

- Mass Grocery Retail

- BMI Food & Drink Forecasting & Sourcing

- How We Generate Our Industry Forecasts

- Sourcing

Companies Mentioned:

-Bahrain Flour Mills Company (BFMC)

-General Trading And Food Processing Company (TRAF)

-Awal Dairy Company

-Masafi

-Mass Grocery Retail

-EMKE Group - LuLu Hypermarket

-Fu-Com International/Geant

-Carrefour MAF - Bahrain

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5e656b/bahrain_food_and_d

Research and Markets
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