PRESS RELEASE

THE EXTRAORDINARY ITALIAN TASTE FESTIVAL LAUNCHED IN LULU HYPERMARKETS

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 November 2017: The Extraordinary Italian Taste campaign, organized by the Italian Government to promote authentic Italian food products, is bringing a new series of events and activities to the Middle East with a weeklong Italian Festival involving the LULU Hypermarkets in the GCC. The Festival is taking place during the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (20th-26th November 2017), a worldwide event dedicated to the Italian culinary and food tradition. The Extraordinary Italian Taste Festival is organized by the Italian Trade Agency across major LULU Hypermarkets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The UAE event was launched today in Khalidiyah Mall (Abu Dhabi) by the Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, H.E. Liborio Stellino and the Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, Oman and Pakistan Gianpaolo Bruno, while the Italian Consul General Valentina Setta participated in the Festival opening in Al Barsha Mall (Dubai). The campaign includes in-store promotions, live demonstration by Italian chefs, a dedicated media and social networks communication campaign and specific procurement activities to increase the range of Italian products offered in LULU’s hypermarkets. The campaign aims at improving LULU’s customers’ awareness and penetration of Italy’s food brands, showcasing a new & wide range of products directly sourced from various companies in Italy.

Presenting the campaign, H.E. Liborio Stellino said “This initiative is very important to us. When costumers buy an Italian product, they also embrace the richness of Italy’s history, culture and traditions. Promoting our products, we know that we are instilling love and appreciation for the Italian way of life”. The Italian Trade Commissioner added: “LULU is one of the most popular shopping destinations in the Middle East and we are delighted to join hands with the group for this key promotion. I am sure that LULU’s large and multi-ethnic footfall will help us broaden our consumer base”. Italy’s total food exports are currently estimated at more than €38 billion (around Dh158.4 billion), a testament that Italian cuisine and products have been widely adopted all over the world. Ashraf Ali MA, Executive Director of LULU Group said: “We have always strived to bring world-class products from different countries. As we all know, Italian food is one of the most popular all over the world: thanks to this promotional campaign we are offering our customers a wide range of new products at a very competitive price”. During the promotional campaign, ending on November 28th, in major LULU Hypermarkets a wide spectrum of Italian products will be showcased at very attractive prices and clients will have the chance to discover the rich food variety of Italy. Customers will taste and buy freshly made Pizzas, pastas, lasagna, tiramisu and many other popular Italian delicacies, while having the chance to raffle prizes, like air tickets and holidays.

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ABOUT ITA The Italian Trade Agency is the Government agency which promotes the globalization of Italian firms, under the aegis of the Ministry of Economic Development. ITA helps to develop, facilitate and promote Italian economic and trade relations with foreign countries, focusing on the needs of SMEs, their associations and partnerships. ITA sustains Italian firms in their internationalization process, promoting and marketing Italian goods and services, as well as the image of the "Made in Italy" products around the world, while facilitating outward Italian investments and encouraging FDI attraction into Italy. ITA provides a wide range of services such as information, support and consultancy services and organizes a wealth of promotional activities to foster exports and economic cooperation in all sectors, with the objective of increasing the effectiveness of the presence of Italian companies on international markets. ITA is headquartered in Rome and operates through a large network of Trade Promotion Offices linked to Italian Embassies and Consulates. The Dubai office is the ITA branch responsible for the UAE, Oman and Pakistan.