A leading halal food producer is celebrating after landing a series of deals to give it a strong foothold across a number of European markets.
Lancashire-based KQF, which produces the Khan Exotique range of Halal certified burgers, kebabs and sausages, has signed a deal with Le Clerc, a major hypermarket chain across France, and other European countries. The deal builds on agreements with store chain Alphaprim and distFRESH, an independent halal distributor, both of which serve the Paris area.Faruk Vali, managing director of KQF, said: “Le Clerc is a key player in the market. It’s also an excellent strategic partner because it has a high profile and it’s expanding quickly. The listing of our products with such a significant retailer gives us an excellent means of introducing our halal-certified convenience foods to an entirely new group of European customers.
“Our research suggests that the European market for halal foods is buoyant. It’s currently worth around $30 billion and the figure is rising by approximately 15% a year. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe – a little under 5 million – so we developed a new product range, Khan Exotique, as our way of reaching out to that market. European consumers seem to be responding very well.”