Key role for Northern Irish company at Foodex Saudi 2013

Northern Ireland's Lowe Refrigeration, now a recognised market leader in the supply of hot and cold catering equipment for exhibitions and trade shows around the world, is the official supplier of display cabinets to Foodex Saudi 2013 in Jeddah in December.

Lowe Refrigeration, based at Lisburn in county Antrim, will provide refrigeration display units for rental by participants at the event in the Jeddah Centre, the biggest event in the Saudi food and beverage industry. The Northern Irish company has secured the business from event organisers Reed Exhibitions, the world's biggest event organiser. Foodex Saudi is backed by Ministry of Agriculture and runs from 8-11 December.

The Saudi contract builds on the company's success at SEAFEX 2013, the region's biggest seafood show, in Dubai, and Gulfood, also in Dubai, where it is the official supplier of refrigerated display units. Lowe will provide over 500 units to exhibitors at the prestigious event next year.

The company also supplied refrigerated units to the recent Dubai International Air Show, Sweets and Snacks ME, Speciality Food Exhibition in the Dubai World Trade Centre and the SIAL Middle East Exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

"We are now operating a fully complementary rental fleet of hot and cold equipment to the events market, probably the largest fleet of rental cold rooms in the world and many UAE events are excited to have the product available in the region," says Lowe's Rachel McCausland.

With a growing population, increased consumer spending and significant public sector investment in new malls, restaurants and hotels, the Saudi Arabian food industry is in the midst of a boom.

Food sales in the kingdom account for around half of the domestic retail market and are expected to be worth almost $70bn by 2016, with food consumption growing at 2.6 per cent annually from 2012 to 2017.

The exhibition includes the policy focused Saudi Food Forum. Despite being the largest food and beverage market in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the kingdom relies heavily on imports to meet its growing consumption requirements.

The Saudi Food Forum aims to devise strategies to sustainably manage the country's internal food consumption demands while improving its export potential.

Pic caption:Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster with Rodney Lowry, Managing Director, Lowe Refrigeration during a recent visit to the SEAFEX exhibition in Dubai.