Case Studies
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The Story
A UAE-based food company in bakery and ready-to-eat products had already travelled a difficult road. Once a sick unit, it had been turned around into a performing business under new ownership. With around 750 employees across production, distribution, sales, and support functions, the company was stable and growing modestly. Employees were understandably relieved compared to earlier days.
But beneath this stability, the future direction of the company was unclear. Leadership wrestled with key questions: What should the brand’s position be? How should prices and packaging be benchmarked against competitors? Why were some rivals selling more despite offering weaker products? Which SKUs should stay and which should go? The company had escaped crisis, but not yet defined its identity.
ATBC was brought in to help the business move from survival mode to purposeful, market-led growth.
Situation
- Mid-sized food producer in the UAE with ~750 employees
- History of being a sick unit, later revived by current management
- Ambition to expand into more markets
- Continued use of inherited product range, team structure, machinery, and processes
- Large SKU list primarily serving existing clients, not commanding the wider market
Challenge
- No defined customer segmentation or clear market position
- Oversized SKU portfolio increasing complexity and cost
- Reactive approach to demand and competition
- Real risk that a market disruption or new entrant could quickly erode gains
ATBC Intervention
- Comprehensive Diagnostic Study & Report (DSR)
- Identification that the earlier growth was driven by crisis survival energy, not strategic clarity
- Analysis of SKU spread, cost structure, capacity utilisation, and customer patterns
- Definition of a clear strategic position for the brand within the UAE market
- Clarification of customer segmentation and value propositions
- Optimisation of the SKU portfolio to reduce complexity and cost while maintaining customer relevance
- Discontinuation of misaligned products; introduction of new ones based on internal capabilities (machinery, ingredients, workforce skills)
- Redesign of internal mechanisms and policies to be resilient, adaptive, and aligned with the Quadruple Bottom Line
- Ongoing mentorship to leadership for consistent execution
Outcomes
- Shift from “we survived” to “we are building something”
- Clear strategic direction and positioning
- Reduced operational complexity and improved cost structure
- New products designed around existing capabilities, avoiding unnecessary overhead
- Stronger ability to lead rather than simply follow the market
