LuLu hosts Discover America Festival

The weeklong Discover America Festival 2018, organised by LuLu Hypermarkets in association with the US Commercial Service and American Chamber of Commerce with the support of the US embassy in Qatar, has begun.The festival was inaugurated at LuLu Hypermarket – Al Messila branch by William Grant, guest of honour and chargé d’affaires at the US embassy.  The inaugural ceremony was also attended by guests from the US Commercial Service, American Chamber of Commerce, USDA Office of Agricultural Affairs, American Women’s Association, senior officials from LuLu Group, including Mohamed Althaf, director, and many other dignitaries from various American organisations operating in Qatar.Efforts have been made to showcase and promote the best agricultural produce and food products of America at all LuLu outlets during the ongoing Discover America Week in the region and worldwide, LuLu Group has said in a statement. “All that is truly extraordinary in American cuisine is present on the shelves, with more than 500 varieties of US cheese (over 200 arriving this week), 3,000 grocery lines, 750 chilled lines, and 200 lines in frozen, bakery and US meat,” the statement notes.  The promotion also features popular US brands such as Kellogg’s, McCain, Jell-O, Bertolli, Folgers, Smucker’s, Quaker, Gatorade, Pringles, Sunsweet, Hunt’s, M & M, Hershey’s, Kraft, Dole, Heinz, Celeste, Ben & Jerry’s, Eggo and more. Other world-class brands of US origin available on the shelves can be found in the Health & Beauty category, namely Colgate Palmolive, Royal Mirage, Banana Boat, Palmers, Jergens, Proctor & Gamble, Nature’s Bounty and Sun Down, etc, and the non-food category, namely Downy, Classic, Clorox, California Scents, Grill Time and Ariel, etc.“Most importantly, LuLu has laid emphasis on showcasing the biggest range of ‘Free From’ worry-food products such as organic, gluten-free, lactose-free, dairy-free, vegan and other healthy options, which have been specially flown in from the US,” the statement adds.The festival includes in-store promotions, sampling, live demonstrations by renowned American chef Jay from New York City, communication campaigns via social networks, media and through fliers, and specific procurement activities to increase the range of US products offered in LuLu hypermarkets. Live performances by the famous American Band at the inaugural ceremony created a typical American ambiance featuring music, culture and heritage.   The US embassy has also organised a variety of events, special promotions and activities across the city of Doha as part of Discover America Week and to further strengthen cultural, trade and travel ties with Qatar.LuLu Group said it has been hosting the festival since 2015 and seen overwhelming response from customers. “LuLu Group treasures its long-standing business relations with the US for more than a decade. By organising the festival, LuLu Group aims to further promote US produce and food products through its stores in the region. Recently, the group invested heavily in the US with a 75,000sqft state-of-the-art export distribution centre in New Jersey, which is working closely with the local supply chains to offer the best ranges possible for the ever-demanding multi-national customers in the region,” the Group adds.