ABU DHABI — Agthia Group PJSC, one of the region’s leading food and beverages companies, which is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a diverse portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s non-oil economy, has been recognized in Kantar’s Brand Footprint Ranking 2020 with its Al Ain Water Brand first most chosen beverage brand in the UAE, as well as sixth most chosen FMCG brand in the UAE overall. As the No. 1 most chosen beverage brand in the UAE, Al Ain outpaced brands such as PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Nescafe, Almarai, and Lipton in Kantar’s UAE Top 10 beverage rankings. Furthermore, within the most chosen brands in the FMCG category in the UAE, Al Ain ranked higher than brands such as Coca-Cola, Nescafe, Masafi, Lays, Lipton, among many others. Founded by the late Sheikh Zayed, Al Ain Water Company was developed as part of his sustainability vision for the UAE. Today, Al Ain Water has transformed into an innovative beverage brand that underscores Agthia’s commitment to fulling consumer needs in the local market and beyond. The introduction of products such as Al Ain ZERO, the UAE’s first sodium free water, Al Ain Vitamin D to support the battle of deficiency in the region, as well as the region’s first 100% plant-based water bottle, Al Ain Plant Bottle, Al Ain Water has kept innovation and sustainability at the core of the brand. Eng. Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, Agthia Group acting CEO, said, “Agthia is honored for the recognition of our Al Ain Brand by Kantar as the UAE’s No. 1 most chosen beverage brand and sixth most chosen brand overall in the FMCG category. “This milestone is a testament to Agthia’s commitment to be a leading international Food and Beverage company. We are proud of this achievement, as it will bolster the hard work and dedication, we do to provide high quality innovative products to meet our consumer’s needs.” The Kantar Brand Footprint are annual rankings based on survey results across 52 countries and 22,900 brands, which have included the UAE for the first time this year. The rankings are based on Consumer Reach Points (CRP) and factor number of households in the country, the percentage of households buying the brand, and number of interactions with the brand across categories each year. — SG