Invest Northern Ireland has announced the official entry of the ‘Water Within,’ a water brand owned by Ballyclare-based Antrim Hills at Dubai Duty Free, the emirate's airport retailer.

With this move, ‘Water Within’ has become the only water brand from Northern Ireland to be launched at Dubai airport.

Speaking at the launch, Invest Northern Ireland’s CEO Alastair Hamilton said: "This is a very important contract for this family-owned business and will see the Water Within range on the shelves of one of the leading airport retailers in the world."

The company's first export business in the UAE, was sealed with Dubai Duty Free as part of a visit programme to the UAE.

“The company was first introduced to Dubai Duty Free by Invest NI at Gulfood in 2014 and Water Within is now the only water brand from Northern Ireland available in this market," noted Hamilton.

According to him, relationships are a very strong part of the Middle East culture and Antrim Hills has invested a lot of time to develop these and win this significant business.

"This new contract is a further example of the scale of business opportunities in the UAE for Northern Ireland companies prepared to invest in growth in international markets and puts this company in a strong position to secure further business in this market," he stated.
 
Peter Geary, CEO of Antrim Hills, said: "Over the last number of years we have worked hard to develop our brand and communicate the uniqueness of its natural artesian source."

"Working closely with Invest NI and the in-market advice we have received from its team in Dubai has been immensely important to our business over many years," stated Geary.

"This overall support, coupled with our success in achieving highly sought-after ESMA accreditation in the form of the Emirates Quality Mark, has enabled us to gain new customers in the UAE and explore opportunities in many other international markets," he added.-TradeArabia News Service