Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/29/2015 -- Qatar's economic prospects remain the most positive in the region. We forecast real GDP growth of 5.7% for 2014, accelerating to 6.6% in 2015 as the new Barzan gas development is scheduled to come on-stream in Q115 . On the consumer side, the outlook for food and drink companies remains really strong on the back of forecast real private consumption growth of 13.0% in 2014 and 10.0% in 2015, compared to an annual average of 6.2% between 2009 and 2012.

Headline Industry Data (local currency)

- 2014 food consumption growth = +5.7%; compound annual growth rate (CAGR) 2014 to 2018 = +5.4%.

- 2014 bottled water value = +13.5%; CAGR 2014 to 2018 = +12.1%

- 2014 mass grocery retail sales = +7.2%; CAGR 2014 to 2018 = +6.8%

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Key Industry Trends And Developments

Un i lever Boosting Regional Presence : Speaking in May 2014, Unilever CEO Paul Polman stated 'We are open to mergers and acquisitions opportunities in the region if they help in strengthening our portfolio. as the Middle East does make a substantial contribution to our global sales. The growth from the US and Europe may be in the range of 1-2%, whereas we see almost 80-85% coming from emerging markets. We are open to hiring more staff in this region if required and need be; we currently employ 4,600 workers. We are working on building and expanding three factories in the region - Dubai (personal care), Egypt (savoury products) and Maghreb (detergents).'

Carrefour Anchors New Luxury Mall : In summer 2014 it was announced that Carrefour has become the first retail anchor to be confirmed at the new luxury Mall of Qatar, expected to be the largest shopping area in the country when it is completed at the end of 2015. The new hypermarket will become Carrefour's flagship store in the Gulf region and will include unique products, a new bakery line and higher quality food. The store is being tailored to meet the needs of wealthier shoppers expected to visit the mall.

The Qatar Food & Drink Report features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s market assessment and independent forecasts for food and drink expenditure, consumption, sales, and imports/exports and forecasts for the mass grocery retail sector. The report also includes analyses of major regulatory developments, the background macroeconomic outlook and competitive landscape comparing national and multinational companies by leading products and services, sales, investments, partners and expansion strategies.

BMI's Qatar Food & Drink Report provides industry professionals and strategists, sector analysts, business investors, trade associations and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the food and drink industry and the mass grocery retail market in Qatar.

Key Benefits

- Benchmark BMI's independent food and drink industry forecasts for Qatar to test other views - a key input for successful budgeting and strategic business planning in the Qatari food and drink market.

- Target business opportunities and risks in Qatar through our reviews of latest industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments.

- Exploit latest competitive intelligence on your competitors, partners and clients via our Company Profiles (inc. SWOTs, KPIs and latest activity) and Competitive Landscape Tables.

Coverage

BMI Industry View

Summary of BMI?s key industry forecasts and views, covering food and drink manufacturing and consumption and the mass grocery retail market.

Industry SWOT Analysis

Analysis of the major Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within the food, drink and mass grocery retail sectors and within the broader political, economic and business environment.

BMIs Food and Drink Risk Reward Index

BMIs Risk Reward Indices provide investors (food and drink manufacturers and mass grocery retailers) looking for opportunities in the region with a clear country-comparative assessment of a market?s risks and potential rewards. Each of the country markets are scored using a sophisticated model that includes more than 40 industry, economic and demographic data points to provide indices of highest to lowest appeal to investors, with each position explained.

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