As part of its ongoing support for local startups and entrepreneurs, Al Meera Consumer Goods Company QSC (Al Meera) has announced the launch of the “National Product” initiative, in collaboration with Bedaya Center and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC). The announcement came during the recent launch ceremony held at Al Meera’s Gulf Mall branch to bring forth a number of economic initiatives designed to empower entrepreneurs in the country and contribute to Qatar’s economic diversification. The ceremony took place in presence of Sheikh Thani Bin Thamer Bin Mohamed Al-Thani, Al Meera Chairman and Mr. Cobus Lombard, Al Meera Acting Chief Executive Officer, as well as Sheikh Jassim Jabor AL-Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Consumers Affairs at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) and Ms Reem Al Suwaidi – General Manager of Bedaya Center.
The initiative is set to offer local producers and startups in the food industry with prominent shelf space at its Gulf Mall shopping center, thereby providing entrepreneurs in the country with a premium platform to introduce their products to the market and sell them to consumers.
Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Mr. Salah Al-Hammadi, Deputy CEO at Al Meera, said:
“The ‘National Product’ initiative comes in the context of Al Meera’s commitment to supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with an ideal platform, through which they can establish and grow their presence in the marketplace and usher in a new wave of opportunities for cooperation and business partnership that directly contributes to the diversification of Qatar’s national economy.”
He added: “At Al Meera, our procurement policy lays emphasis on sourcing goods and services from the local market in line with our key strategic direction of contributing to social, community and local business partnerships. Through this outstanding step, we are not only taking the idea of proactively supporting entrepreneurship in the country to the next level, but also setting up a role model for national institutions and corporations in Qatar to follow, with the aim of collectively achieving the economic development objectives as envisaged in the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
As part of the ‘National Product’ initiative, Al Meera’s shopping shelves at Gulf Mall will be home to the products of several emerging brands until the end of this year including Memo’s Factory (sweets), Raslan Qatar (sweets), Rawme (drinks), Alreem Dairy Products (snacks), Mom’s Sweets (sweets), Evergreen (drinks), and Hawun Spices (spices).
The ‘National Product’ initiative is Al Meera’s latest effort in its pursuit to support local producers and activate the SMEs contribution to the economic diversification of Qatar. In late 2016, the Company signed a MOU with QDB which identified a range of areas for partnership, including supporting emerging local startups in the grocery and consumer goods niche, as well as extending quick-access support to them across a range of facilities, such as finance, support and advisory services, through QDB.