From Us, For Us: How Qatari Producers Can Use National Product Week to Win Shelf Space

Every Qatari food or consumer-goods producer eventually faces the same question: how do you get from a small factory or kitchen onto the shelves where Qatar's households actually shop? This week the government has opened a door. On 5 November the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) opened the 2026 edition of National Product Week under the slogan "From Us, For Us – The Story Begins in Qatar", with dedicated Qatari-product outlets inside major hypermarkets. For producers, the week is less a festival than a live test of what local retail wants, and a chance to meet the officials and retailers who decide what gets listed.

What National Product Week 2026 includes

According to QNA, the opening featured a presentation on Qatari products, workshops run by MOCI, the Ministry of Finance and Qatar Development Bank (QDB), and stands from Qatari factories. Dedicated national-product outlets opened at:

• Lulu Hypermarket (Al Gharafa)
• Monoprix (Place Vendome)
• Al Meera (Ain Khaled)
• Carrefour (City Center Mall) and Rawabi (Al Gharafa), scheduled to follow

MOCI's website lists the week as running 5–12 November. School visits to national factories are planned with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, a signal that the campaign is also about long-term consumer awareness.

The commercial case is real. Dr. Mohammed Al Bousham Al Sayed, Director of MOCI's National Product Competitiveness Support Department, reported "increases of up to 75 percent in sales of national products" at some participating outlets, as The Peninsula also reported. The week is not new: MOCI ran an edition in February 2025, when it said the number of registered national products had grown from 1,727 in 2023 to 1,815 in 2025, made by 994 factories. That tells you the competitive set: roughly a thousand factories chasing the same shelf space.

Why domestic shelf space matters now

Saleh Al Khulaifi, MOCI's Assistant Undersecretary for Industry and Business Development, said domestic industries proved their value during the recent regional crisis and supply-chain disruptions. Retailers learned the same lesson: a local supplier with reliable stock is worth more when imports are uncertain. For a producer, that shifts the negotiation. You are not only selling a product; you are selling supply security.

Domestic retail is also a lower-risk first market than export. Export brings certification, freight and foreign-buyer risk (covered in our guide to how QDB helps SMEs finance, insure and certify exports). Local listings let you prove demand, refine packaging and build sell-through data before you scale.

The tools that already exist for Qatari producers

No official page we found sets out a single application route for joining National Product Week or getting listed through it, so treat the week as a networking and visibility opportunity rather than a formal programme. Several established tools, however, are worth knowing:

• MOCI's National Product Competitiveness Support Department. Per QNA, it assesses domestic industries, identifies their challenges and develops support measures, including "protecting national industries against harmful trade practices and unfair competition through trade remedies". If imported goods are being dumped against your category, this is the office to approach.
• The "Qatari Product" logo. MOCI introduced the logo in 2020 for licensed manufacturers and producers. According to Gulf Times, it must sit on the front or another clearly visible side of the pack, and its design cannot be altered. Shoppers looking for local goods during the week will look for it.
• Industry Services Portal and the Gulf National Product Certificate. In January 2026 MOCI issued a guide to applying for the Gulf National Product Certificate through its Industry Services Portal, with financial and technical reports prepared by approved accounting offices. The certificate matters if you plan to sell beyond Qatar within the GCC.
• Qatari barcodes (GS1 Qatar). The Qatar Coding and Tracking Office, set up under QDB in 2021 with country prefix 630, invites manufacturers, retailers and producers to buy Qatari barcodes. We found no official statement that a barcode is mandatory for listing, but most modern retail systems run on them, so ask each retailer.

What earlier retailer programmes teach

Qatari retailers have courted local suppliers before, and the history is a useful guide to what buyers value (these are past initiatives, not current programmes). In 2016 QDB and Al Meera signed an MoU under which Al Meera would stock more Qatari products and promote QDB-supported SME goods, with QDB offering quick-access finance and advisory services. In 2019 Al Meera held a "Made in Qatar" event at Katara for SMEs guided by Bedaya and others, offering free marketing and branding advice; Gulf Times reported that Qatari-made goods were then about 15–20% of what it sold and that it had added 31 Qatari suppliers that year.

The pattern is consistent: retailers want local products, but they reward suppliers who arrive with market-ready branding, dependable volumes and a clear reason a shopper will pick them up.

A practical pitch checklist for retail buyers

The following is general retail best practice rather than Qatar-specific rules, and individual retailers set their own terms:

• Know your unit economics. Factor in retailer margin, listing or promotional fees, payment terms and returns before you quote a price.
• Prove you can supply. Buyers will ask about capacity, lead times and what happens in a demand spike. Local reliability is your edge, so document it.
• Get packaging right first. Arabic labelling, the Qatari Product logo, shelf-life information and a barcode signal that you are ready for a modern shelf.
• Bring evidence. Sales from markets, online orders or a pop-up during National Product Week are more persuasive than projections.
• Start narrow. Ask for a trial in a few branches with clear sell-through targets, then expand.

How this connects to Qatar National Vision 2030 and NDS3

MOCI explicitly ties National Product Week to Qatar National Vision 2030, the Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) and the National Manufacturing Strategy 2024–2030. The strategy targets QAR 70.5 billion in industrial value added and a QAR 36 billion private-sector contribution by 2030, with "advanced food and beverage" among its priority sectors, as The Peninsula reported. Winning domestic shelf space is the most direct way for small producers to contribute to those targets. For the wider picture, see our breakdown of Qatar's National Manufacturing Strategy and where SMEs fit.

What to do next

• Visit at least two of the national-product outlets before 12 November and note which categories, price points and packaging formats are on display.
• Attend or follow up on the MOCI, Ministry of Finance and QDB workshops, and ask how producers can take part in future editions.
• Check that your packaging carries the Qatari Product logo correctly and consider a Qatari barcode.
• Contact MOCI's National Product Competitiveness Support Department if unfair import competition is hurting your category.
• Prepare a one-page retailer pitch with your pricing, capacity and sales evidence, and request a branch-level trial.

Sources

• Qatar launches 'National Product Week' to back domestic industries – QNA (5 Nov 2026) – qna.org.qa
• Qatar launches National Product Week to back domestic industries – The Peninsula (6 Nov 2026) – thepeninsulaqatar.com
• National Product Week (February 2025 edition) – Ministry of Commerce and Industry – moci.gov.qa
• PM unveils Ministry of Commerce and Industry strategies – Government Communications Office – gco.gov.qa
• Qatar National Manufacturing Strategy 2024-2030 aims to enhance resilient industrial future – The Peninsula (10 Jan 2025) – thepeninsulaqatar.com
• MOCI issues guide on Gulf National Product Certificates for factories – QNA (3 Jan 2026) – qna.org.qa
• MoCI unveils new logo of Qatari product – Gulf Times (29 Dec 2020) – gulf-times.com
• Qatari coding office invites companies to purchase Qatari barcode – QNA (30 Jan 2023) – qna.org.qa
• QDB, Al Meera sign MoU to back local entrepreneurs – Gulf Times (24 Dec 2016) – gulf-times.com
• Al Meera to offer more local products, says official – Gulf Times (27 Nov 2019) – gulf-times.com

Photo: Gemma C / Unsplash