UAE order helps sports nutrition firm to expand

ASPORTS nutrition company is expanding its overseas markets after securing a £150,000 order from the United Arab Emirates.

Solihull-based Grenade, which makes a range of sports drinks and snacks, says it is now forecasting £5 million worth of sales in the UAE over the next five years after first breaking into the territory last year.

It recently worked with the Department for International Trade (DIT) whose officials negotiated for the UAE’s strict labelling rules to be relaxed.

All imported products to the Emirates require Arabic labelling which was an additional expense for companies already suffering as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

The DIT said its staff in the UAE lobbied for and secured an Arabic labelling exemption for all UK food and drink exports until the end of June and have since requested an extension.

Grenade was set up in 2010 by husband and wife team Alan and Juliet Barratt since when it has undergone two private equity buyouts and now employs 60 staff.

Its online sales have increased by 294 per cent as the company experiences its best year of e-commerce sales to date and it is now exporting to more than 100 countries.

It is preparing to enter Australia after securing a deal with supermarket giant Woolworths there and is set to launch across Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Scandinavia in the coming months.

The DIT said it was currently striving to strike a free-trade deal with Australia which would make it easier for SMEs to trade there.

The global healthy snack market is now valued at £25.4 billion, according to the DIT.

Toufic Safi, UAE general manager at Grenade, said: “Having established a strong presence there, it was extremely important to us that we continued to quickly and safely service our customers throughout the pandemic.

“Overseas sales account for 20 per cent of our annual turnover and we are hoping to see that figure continue to rise as we break into the Australian market.”

Middle East trade commissioner Simon Penney added: “As the UK’s largest export market in the Middle East, the UAE is bursting with opportunities for UK businesses to explore.

“To keep trade flowing, DIT officials in the UAE have been supporting businesses like Grenade throughout the coronavirus pandemic and it’s great to see their hard work paying off.”