The Red Sea Crisis Is Squeezing Gulf Restaurant Margins
Shipping disruption is pushing up the cost of imported produce and packaging, and Gulf restaurateurs are running out of room to absorb it quietly.
Apr 9, 2024

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60 stories for“Gulf food”
Shipping disruption is pushing up the cost of imported produce and packaging, and Gulf restaurateurs are running out of room to absorb it quietly.
Apr 9, 2024

Boycotts, tighter budgets and a longer war are reshaping where GCC consumers eat, and Western fast food chains are the ones feeling it hardest.
Sep 10, 2024

After two years of shocks, Gulf dining is rebuilding around homegrown brands and confident local concepts rather than imported franchise names.
May 19, 2026

The concluded UK-GCC free-trade agreement could reshape services, procurement and investment, but companies should focus on implementation details rather than celebratory totals.
Aug 3, 2026

Tighter LNG supply is reducing gas demand, but the deeper risk runs through electricity, industry, fertilizer and food prices. Energy security is becoming economic security.
Jul 31, 2026

A potential war is the wrong frame. Fighting began on 28 February and the strait closed on 4 March. The economic damage is real and measurable, and it is far smaller than the forecasts issued in the first month, for reasons worth understanding.
Aug 22, 2026

Wheat and oat yields are poor, livestock farmers are eating into winter feed in August, and growers are running out of irrigation water. The Farmers' Union calls this the third drought in five years.
Aug 4, 2026

Home fragrance in the Emirates is not a wellness import. It sits on top of a bakhoor and oud culture that was already there, which is why a crowded market keeps making room for small local labels.
Sep 5, 2026

Saudi Arabia's May trade surplus rose sharply as oil exports increased and imports fell, while weaker non-oil exports show where the next test lies.
Jul 29, 2026

Prices rose 0.4 per cent in August and 3.4 per cent over the year. Petrol is up 27 per cent, airfares 23. Core came in a tenth hotter than forecast, and futures moved from a coin toss to nine in ten for a quarter-point rise on 16 September. Stocks rose anyway.
Sep 12, 2026
