St Pierre Groupe’s sales in UAE grow 220% in five years as expats seek out a ‘slice of home’

The St Pierre brand was launched onto the Middle East market in 2014 after nurturing a relationship with global export leaders, YInternational. The Baker Street brand followed, and sales in the UAE achieved double-digit growth from 2016 through to 2020, only slowing slightly during the pandemic.

In 2020, St Pierre Groupe was invited by the Department for International Trade (DIT) to join a delegation at Gulfood to stimulate UK export and forge relationships with the region’s retail giants, Lulu’s, Choithrams and Spinney’s.

Its flagship brand has now secured its first foodservice listing with Bidfood ME, offering a new revenue stream in the region. In fact, the new partnership is expected to grow UAE sales value by almost 40%.

Extended shelf life

“Our brands perform particularly well in the Middle East market,”​ said Mark Frossell, commercial manager, UAE, St Pierre group.

“As experts in brioche, we offer a premium product that allows consumers to upgrade everyday menu staples. Meanwhile, Baker Street offers a slice of ‘home’ to the hundreds of thousands of UK expatriates living in the UAE, with a range of traditional bakery products. ​

“All St Pierre Groupe brands benefit from extended-life, too which is an additional advantage when shipping to the Middle East”.​

Purchase driver starts with flavour

Frossell added, “This move into the foodservice sector with Bidfood ME is part of our mission to help make premium, quality products accessible to everyone. ​

“Taste is key in bakery; purchase drivers start with the flavour and independent taste tests consistently place our brioche ahead of competitors. That’s key to every audience, regardless of the context in which they come to experience our brands, but it’s especially important to foodservice operators who rely on consistent product quality.”​