UK kebab sector launches debut trade body
Just Eat, Ben and Jerry’s, and Hellmann’s are among the founding members of the association
The UK’s first kebab industry trade body, the Kebab Alliance, has been launched with the intention to represent the sector which generates an annual £2.8bn.
The organisation will be chaired by Ibrahim Dogus, the restaurateur who is also founder of the British Kebab Awards and chair of the British Takeaway Campaign.
Dogus will lead the body’s efforts in representing the industry’s interests with government and regulators, as well as educating consumers about kebabs and changing stereotypical perceptions surrounding the industry and its cuisine.
Dogus said: “With the challenges we all face today, from the pandemic to new international trading relationships, it is vital that we work together.
“There has therefore never been a better time to launch the Kebab Alliance: a true representative of the British kebab industry and its positive role in communities around the country.”
Included in the founding members of the association are industry suppliers Just Eat, Ben and Jerry’s and Hellmann’s.
Additional members of the body for the sector that supports roughly 200,000 jobs throughout the UK will include suppliers, fine-dining restaurants and takeaways, and service providers.
Horacio Cal, UK off premise and e-comm director at Unilever, said: “Kebab entrepreneurs are increasingly modernising what they have to offer, bringing the cuisine to a new generation of consumers, and we are delighted that our products can play a part in this ongoing success.”
Matt Bushby, marketing director at Just Eat, recognised the “significant additional boost” the Kebab Alliance will provide the sector by raising its profile and “championing the healthy, nutritional benefits of kebabs”.
