Bagoong, chicharon now sold at UK supermarket chain
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
By Patrick Camara Ropeta, ABS-CBN Europe New Bureau
LONDON - Food products from the Philippines are now available at one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, raising hopes of Filipino businesses for trade and exports in mainstream British market.
Retail giant Tesco launched a selection of Filipino food products at 10 of its stores across the country, including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Northern Ireland.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at one of the stores, Tesco Extra in Sandhurst, Berkshire, on Monday, 01 October, led by Ambassador Enrique Manalo from the Philippine Embassy in London.
“This is a great opportunity for Philippine products to be tasted by the British public, and a great way to mainstream [Filipino] products into the UK market and make it available to British consumers,” he told ABS-CBN News.
The ambassador, who bought the first Filipino products to be sold at the store, added: “Our own Filipino community will have an opportunity too to go to major supermarket chains like Tesco, one of the largest in the UK. They will be very happy with this development and it would be a great way to get our products known to more people in this country.”
The market launch is part of an initiative from the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in London (PTIC), an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
“It was earlier this year that we introduced Manning Impex to Tesco, and from there they forged a partnership into having our Philippine products enter mainstream market, and this is just the start,” said Kristine Umali, commercial attache and director of PTIC UK.
“We promote the Philippines as a destination for investment, and at the same time, we promote our trade with the UK, particularly focusing on Philippine exports. This launch is a clear manifestation of the opportunity for Philippine products to enter the UK market.”
Manning Impex seemed like a perfect match for Tesco, a multibillion British retail corporation with stores all over the UK, Europe and Asia.
"To sum it up in a sentence: to have Philippine foods in the World Food aisle is where it deserves to be," said Michael Cheong, chief operating officer at Manning Impex, UK-based exporters of Philippine food products, which celebrated it’s 25th year anniversary earlier this year.
“There are two-fold effects I feel: one is the more widespread availability of Filipino stores outside Pinoy sari-saris for example. And the second is to put on the map Philippine foods onto UK tables and kitchen tables up and down the UK and Ireland. Filipinos need their food from home, and UK households are learning too about Filipino food.”
With over 30% market share in British supermarkets, Tesco already stocks products from around the world including Jamaica, Thailand, China, India and Poland.
“We’ve introduced Chinese and Indian products many years ago and our customers have bought into it and shopped into them because they like home cooking. With the Filipino range, it gives them different flavors to consider,” said Terry Cushing, store manager at Tesco Extra in Sandhurst.
Filipino products available at Tesco supermarkets include popular items like bagoong, patis, chicharon, sandwich fillings, crisps, instant noodles, and canned goods.
Participating Tesco stores, chosen for their proximity to the largest Filipino communities in the UK, are: Sandhurst Extra (Berkshire), Wembley Extra (London), Harrow Station Road (London), Cheetham Hill (Manchester), Chestnut Extra (Hertfordshire), Horwich Extra (Lancashire), Stockton Extra (Stockton-on-Tees), Springhill (Birmingham), Yardley Extra (Birmingham), and Dungannon Superstore (Northern Ireland).
Retail giant Tesco launched a selection of Filipino food products at 10 of its stores across the country, including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Northern Ireland.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at one of the stores, Tesco Extra in Sandhurst, Berkshire, on Monday, 01 October, led by Ambassador Enrique Manalo from the Philippine Embassy in London.
“This is a great opportunity for Philippine products to be tasted by the British public, and a great way to mainstream [Filipino] products into the UK market and make it available to British consumers,” he told ABS-CBN News.
The ambassador, who bought the first Filipino products to be sold at the store, added: “Our own Filipino community will have an opportunity too to go to major supermarket chains like Tesco, one of the largest in the UK. They will be very happy with this development and it would be a great way to get our products known to more people in this country.”
The market launch is part of an initiative from the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in London (PTIC), an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
“It was earlier this year that we introduced Manning Impex to Tesco, and from there they forged a partnership into having our Philippine products enter mainstream market, and this is just the start,” said Kristine Umali, commercial attache and director of PTIC UK.
“We promote the Philippines as a destination for investment, and at the same time, we promote our trade with the UK, particularly focusing on Philippine exports. This launch is a clear manifestation of the opportunity for Philippine products to enter the UK market.”
Manning Impex seemed like a perfect match for Tesco, a multibillion British retail corporation with stores all over the UK, Europe and Asia.
"To sum it up in a sentence: to have Philippine foods in the World Food aisle is where it deserves to be," said Michael Cheong, chief operating officer at Manning Impex, UK-based exporters of Philippine food products, which celebrated it’s 25th year anniversary earlier this year.
“There are two-fold effects I feel: one is the more widespread availability of Filipino stores outside Pinoy sari-saris for example. And the second is to put on the map Philippine foods onto UK tables and kitchen tables up and down the UK and Ireland. Filipinos need their food from home, and UK households are learning too about Filipino food.”
With over 30% market share in British supermarkets, Tesco already stocks products from around the world including Jamaica, Thailand, China, India and Poland.
“We’ve introduced Chinese and Indian products many years ago and our customers have bought into it and shopped into them because they like home cooking. With the Filipino range, it gives them different flavors to consider,” said Terry Cushing, store manager at Tesco Extra in Sandhurst.
Filipino products available at Tesco supermarkets include popular items like bagoong, patis, chicharon, sandwich fillings, crisps, instant noodles, and canned goods.
Participating Tesco stores, chosen for their proximity to the largest Filipino communities in the UK, are: Sandhurst Extra (Berkshire), Wembley Extra (London), Harrow Station Road (London), Cheetham Hill (Manchester), Chestnut Extra (Hertfordshire), Horwich Extra (Lancashire), Stockton Extra (Stockton-on-Tees), Springhill (Birmingham), Yardley Extra (Birmingham), and Dungannon Superstore (Northern Ireland).
Comments