British supermarket giant Tesco has launched a new Halal meat counter at the Hodge Hill branch in Birmingham, the company said in a press release. The move comes in an effort to increase sales of their products to the growing Muslim population in the United Kingdom.
According to reports from England’s second largest city, staff and local Muslim leaders turned out to welcome the official launch of the halal counter.
“It is nice to see they are creating a chance for us Muslims to shop at the same places that our fellow British citizens shop,” said Mona Neguim, a Tunisian-Egyptian immigrant living in the city. She said it showed that England is “getting with the times and understands the market.
“We Muslims are a vital part of the economy here in England, so it makes sense,” she added.
The counter, which is a National Halal Food Group concession within the store, plans to stock a wide range of halal products that are popular with many local shoppers.
Store manager Emma Grant said that “demand for halal products is high and customers are delighted with the quality of the foods they can find here. The launch of the new counter means greater local choice and convenience for new and existing customers.”
Tony Fletcher, corporate affairs manager for Tesco, also attended the official opening, where he marked the occasion by saying Tesco is committed to addressing the Muslim community’s needs.
“Today marks the continuation of the special partnership between ourselves and National Halal in Birmingham. The new counter at Hodge Hill underlines our commitment to providing our customers with quality products that meet their needs at reasonable prices that they have come to expect from us,” he said in the Tesco press release.