Mazola, a leading food products manufacturer in the Mena region, is gaining popularity in the North Africa region, which will be one of its main focus points for the coming year, said Simon Gottfried, the company’s vice president for Mena.

One of the other new North African markets where Mazola has expanded its export operations to is Sudan. Another region that has reported immense returns for Mazola is Jordan. The country’s economy is on the rise and so is the consumption.

The brand’s total sales and trade amount to Dh500 million ($136 million), with 30,000 MT total sales per year. The manufacturer is Number 2 brand of corn oil in Kuwait, Lebanon, and Saudi as well as having similar brand leadership for Mazola’s mayonnaise range in Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi.

The brand has been offering affordable products for consumers shopping through the military and co-op trade sectors, supplying quality oil, ghee and mayonnaise items. This has resulted in a 50 per cent increase in sales in July, with a high possibility of this percentage increasing further before the year ends.

According to reports, the expected regional growth rebound to 3.7 percent in 2016-17 is predicated on improving external demand for the North Africa region. North African exports are also expected to strengthen in 2015 and 2016 as the world economy improves.

African economies will continue to grow in 2015 due to private investment and consumption, which have been key drivers of gross domestic product (GDP) over the past years, states the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 released in January.

Africa’s GDP is expected to accelerate from 3.5 per cent in 2014 to 4.6 per cent in 2015 and 4.9 per cent in 2016. Increasing consumer confidence, an expanding middle class, improvements in the business environment and a reduction in the costs of doing business have also contributed to the continent’s economic growth. North Africa is expected to experience further acceleration in growth, from 1.6 per cent in 2014 to 3.9 per cent in 2015, respectively. The enhanced growth prospects for North Africa are underpinned by improving political stability in Egypt and Tunisia.

Mazola will continue to look for distributors for North Africa so that many more around the region can enjoy high quality products from the brand, said Gottfried. – TradeArabia News Service