Dubai Wholesale City (DWSC) has announced that Jaleel Holdings, a top (FMCG) wholesaler, will construct a cash and carry facility with an investment value of Dh100 million ($27.2 million) in the fully integrated wholesale hub.

Spanning an area of 300,000 sq ft, the premises will include a fully integrated state-of-art direct sale warehouse accommodating more than 250 employees, as well as a flagship store, storage and cooling facilities and manpower accommodation in the DWSC labour villages.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of DWSC’s participation in Gulfood 2018, in the presence of Abdulla Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Wholesale City, Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, COO of Dubai Industrial Park, Sameer K Mohammad, managing director of Jaleel Holdings, and senior management teams from the entities.

Belhoul said: “Dubai Wholesale City offers a comprehensive, modern, and well-integrated infrastructure and facilities that optimizes the production and distribution of products. We remain committed to accelerating the development of the trade and manufacturing sectors in Dubai and the wider UAE, and helping our business partners build and grow their businesses.

“We welcome Jaleel Holdings to Dubai Wholesale City. We are confident that their new facility will benefit from DWSC’s strategic location and superior infrastructure to enhance their position in the market and contribute to their growth story.”

Sameer Mohammed said: "We are pleased to partner with Dubai Wholesale City and believe that this new facility will help us to expand our presence in the region and strengthen our status as a pioneer in food trading.

“Today, especially in light of the strong competition in the UAE market, every entity is keen to achieve excellence and efficiency in production, distribution, and transportation in order to keep up with the development goals and targets of the country. In this regard, a fully-integrated destination such as Dubai Wholesale City supports the aspirations of business operators and investors with its offering of smart solutions and superior infrastructure.”

Jaleel Holdings is already one of the largest FMCG wholesale companies in the region, with a number of locations across the UAE. Its new location at DWCS will become its biggest facility.

According to the GCC Food Industry Report 2017 from investment bank Alpen Capital, the food industry remains one of the highest growing sectors in the UAE with food consumption projected to grow by 4.4 per cent to reach 10.1 million metric tonnes by 2021. - TradeArabia News Service