The business of sweets in Dubai. Dubai's confectionery market has grown exponentially in recent years and despite the economic slowdown, is becoming big business. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00These might be small customers, but sweets are big business in Dubai.
00:17Shops like this one in Dubai Mall are popping up around the emirate, and with an annual
00:21growth of 10 percent, the 300 million dirham confectionary market is on the rise.
00:26In fact, sweets make up the largest chunk of the UAE food product export, because companies
00:31are producing more here than ever before.
00:34And despite empty-looking malls, it appears to be a market that is weathering the global
00:39economic slowdown.
00:40The confectionery, chocolate, candy business typically is recession-proof.
00:41Does it take a hit?
00:42Yes, premium brands do take a hit.
00:43However, chocolate is more of an affordable, feel-good item.
00:45Confectioners like Pachi, which is a production facility in Al-Qoz, are leading the way in
01:02local production.
01:03The Lebanese company has an international reach and says Dubai has become a viable market
01:08for them.
01:09There's a lot of chocolate shops opening, new ideas coming.
01:17It is a big market, and we are everywhere.
01:22It's not only in the UAE.
01:23It's a multinational company, so you can find us everywhere.
01:29We have franchise, Paris, Europe, everywhere.
01:34With the growth of the confectionery market comes, of course, a rise in consumption, and
01:38there is concern amongst health experts here in Dubai, where over a million people suffer
01:43from diabetes, many of them children.
01:46Because these foods are so loaded with energy and no nutrients that they're going to still
01:50put on weight, but this weight is going to start becoming excessive, leading to overweight
01:54and obesity.
01:56And we know that obesity is linked to lots of chronic conditions such as diabetes and
02:00heart disease.
02:01So later on, and these days it's actually not that late on, we're seeing children ending
02:06up with type 2 diabetes as young as 12 or 10 years of age.
02:10But for the near future, at least, the sweets business is set to grow exponentially.
02:15And with products that appear to be recession-proof, expect to see more and more sweets on the
02:20supermarket shelves.
02:21Ashraf Helmi, Gulf News.