Can You Afford Not To? Assessing the Muslim Market Opportunity

Addressing
The Muslim Market
Can You Afford Not To?

T
hroughout the world, Muslims are becoming increasingly
active as investors and manufacturers, bankers and traders,
competitors and suppliers, and becoming real partners in a
global economic system. Muslims comprise one of the fastest growing
consumer markets in the world and, hence, represent a major growth
opportunity for businesses around the world.

At a time when many other large consumer seg- companies can expect to encounter when selling
ments are reaching a saturation point, Muslims are to the Muslim consumer. We begin with a brief
a new outlet from which to build a base for future look at the diversity of today’s Muslims.
growth. The market for sharia-compliant prod-
ucts or services—that is, products or services that Who Is the Muslim Consumer?
conform to islamic law—totals $2 trillion annu- islam is a religion and a culture, lived differ-
ally and is growing rapidly.1 As more companies ently in various areas of the world. hence the
grapple with the decision whether or not to focus concept of a Muslim market is in many ways
on the Muslim consumer, assessing the return on nebulous, and efforts to target these consumers
investment, the risks involved in addressing these are necessarily contingent on geographical loca-
new consumers, and the ease of implementation tion and context. despite growing wealth in the
will aid in making that determination. united Arab emirates (uAe) and Arabian gulf
Among the first questions to answer: how states, most islamic countries continue to exist
drastically will your company have to change to in a third-world economy, with low literacy
serve this market segment? Will it require recon- rates. Muslim immigrants and their children in
figuring products or services? Altering the organi- europe often feel estranged when returning to
zational structure? At what cost? What will be the their homelands or lands of origin, even as they
impact on the supply chain? should the company identify themselves as Muslims and may even
pursue halal certification and, if so, how will it maintain citizenship there.
affect the supply chain? how does the company it is important to note that despite some
build brand awareness? Which portion of the common misunderstandings, an islamic lifestyle
consumer segment is the most attractive, now is neither intrinsically anti-Western nor anti-
and in the future? What are the risks? how American. The urban landscape of modern cities
strictly observant are the majority of Muslims in in Malaysia, Brunei, indonesia, Turkey and the
a particular market? Arabian gulf states all demonstrate that a grow-
This paper seeks to answer these questions ing proportion of Muslim consumers aspire to
while also addressing many of the other issues emulate an international (Western) suburban
1
Reuters, 2006.

A.T. Kearney | Addressing The MusliM MArKeT 1

lifestyle, which includes an air-conditioned home, ers, retailers and traders. On the other hand, polls
a private lawn, satellite TV, two cars, access to show that Muslims increasingly see themselves
fast food and children who go to university and as a distinct group, the ummah (global islamic
indulge in popular sports. community). even those in the West are far more
While many Muslim consumers’ lives are likely to identify themselves as Muslims than they
defined by the dietary, lifestyle and financial rules are as, say, French or British, and to identify with
of the islamic faith, they are far from homoge- other Muslims in political disputes.
neous. Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims, for
instance, speak different languages, wear differ- The Economics of Contemporary Muslim Life
ent styles of clothing and eat different foods. The While dealing with this paradox, Muslims in
Turkish and Kurdish Muslims in germany have many parts of the world are also experiencing
little in common save their faith. They have less an economic, social and cultural transformation.
in common with the predominantly Algerian Consider an analogy that is familiar in the West:
and Moroccan Muslims of France, and still less The renaissance (which evolved out of what medi-
with the predominantly south Asian Muslims of eval europe learned from the Arab world) changed
Britain. The Muslims of Malaysia, indonesia and the way that europeans related to the physical
Bosnia differ yet again. world. The reformation changed the way they
in each of these cases, it is vital to understand related to their religion, and the enlightenment
an oft-overlooked distinction between Arabs (or changed the way they related to government. But
Arab world) and Muslims (or Muslim world). these changes took place over centuries.
As with all religions, islam has no geographic Much of the Muslim world is now experi-
boundary. There are Muslims in north Africa, encing similar tumultuous movements — all at
in india, in the united states, spain, China the same time. Muslims in many countries now
and France. similarly, Christian and other reli- engage in great debates over their forms of gov-
gious populations can be found throughout the ernment, over the interpretation of religious doc-
Middle east and parts of Africa. some Muslim trine, over the nature of education and the role
regions — such as the Arabian gulf — reflect of women. The united nations’ Arab Human
Western ideas and tremendous wealth. Others, Development Report 2002 described a “freedom
such as somalia and Afghanistan, do not. in deficit,” a “crisis in education” and limitations on
dealing with the concept of a Muslim market, women as three critical constraints on the Arab
companies must take pains to recognize these dis- world. in addition, the report cited Arab isolation
tinctions and take care, when addressing members from the world’s cultural and intellectual main-
of the world Muslim population, not to confuse stream — pointing to the striking fact that in the
them (see sidebar: Defining the Muslim World). 1,000 years since the time of Caliph Mamoun, as
despite these distinctions, one striking par- many books had been translated into Arabic as
adox seems to embrace a growing number of are translated in spain each year.2
Muslims. On one hand, they are becoming more All this is changing, fast. revolutionary open-
integrated into the global economy as consum- ings in the media and the coming of the internet
ers, employees, travelers, investors, manufactur- now provide unprecedented access to informa-
2
United Nations Development Programme, Arab human development report 2002.

2 Addressing The MusliM MArKeT | A.T. Kearney

tion, while the bracing winds of globalization sell treasury bonds compatible with islamic rules
transform their economic risks and prospects. against interest payments.
not only is the economic muscle underlying This new economic presence also extends
today’s sweeping changes in islamic cultures rela- beyond the financial markets. saudi Arabia is
tively new, but also in many ways it is still lim- investing in industrial enterprises such as pet-
ited largely to OPeC nations. While the first rise rochemical manufacturer saudi Basic industries
in oil prices in the 1970s set the stage for Arab Corporation (sABiC), in desalination plants,
countries to become significant investors, the new ports and infrastructure. The largely islamic
latest surge in oil prices now provides the OPeC country of Malaysia has become an “Asian Tiger”
nations with more than $500 billion annually alongside hong Kong, Taiwan and singapore.
in current account surpluses. unlike in the past, The economy of Pakistan, a Muslim country with
however, governments are channeling less of this almost no oil or gas fields, is growing at 7 percent
money into Western banks and financial insti- per year. in Britain, Muslims of indian origin
tutions, and more into islamic financial institu- have emerged as the best educated and highest
tions that are asserting their own strengths and earning group in the country, far more likely to
traditions. As a result, dubai has become a signif- attend university than the native-born British.
icant financial center in its own right, and even hand in hand with this economic transforma-
Western governments are beginning to explore tion has come a social and cultural revolution with
ways to accommodate these demands competi- dramatic political implications. Women now vote
tively. Britain, for instance, is now preparing to in Kuwait and in Qatar. They run ministries and

Defining the Muslim World
defining the term Muslim world largely Muslim, is technically not Figure
can be tricky. some 10 to 15 mil- a part of the Arab region, but of Where are Muslim Consumers?
lion Muslims live in Western europe, europe and Asia.
while the entire population of the it is therefore not always pos- • Average growth of Muslim population:
united Arab emirates stands at 4.1 sible to be accurate or consistent 1.8% p.a.*
million — smaller than the Muslim in identifying or discussing matters • Worldwide Muslim population:
population of France, which is closer pertaining to the Muslim world. 1.56 billion
to 6 million. The Balkans, largely is it the 57 states of the Organization — Asia (870 million)
— Middle East (190 million)
Muslim, are generally not included of the islamic Conference? is it the — Africa (443 million)
in discussions of the Muslim world, inhabitants of the Middle east? is it — Europe (51 million)**
– Northern Europe (2 million)***
while Malaysia, which is barely all Muslims, wherever they may live?
– Western Europe (10 million)
more than 50 percent islamic, is. in planning business strategy for – Southern Europe (9 million)
Many people forget that there are the Muslim market, it is important – Eastern Europe (29 million)
— North America (7 million)
Christians living in Arab countries that executives and corporations
— South America (3 million)
as well, and make the mistake of understand the complications
using the word “Arab” as a synonym around these terms, and consider Notes: * Compared to 1.12% growth in rest of the population;
**Includes Russia; ***Includes United Kingdom
for “Muslim”— even as Turkey, also their activities accordingly. Source: www.islamicpopulation.com


serve as ambassadors in the emirates and Bahrain, some of them highly controversial and inflam-
and have served as prime ministers in Pakistan matory, to Muslim communities throughout
and Bangladesh. Freed from religious orthodoxy the world. Often, they reflect the intensity of
and its constraints on the arts, new galleries of a cultural revolution now underway.
modern art are emerging in istanbul and Abu At the same time, despite many advances,
dhabi, experimental theaters are springing up in unfulfilled hopes remain. A 2004 report issued by
Cairo and Jakarta, and women novelists in Jordan the united nations’ Programme on governance
and the Arabian gulf states write about once- in the Arab region shows estimated earned
unmentionable themes, evoking impassioned and income for men at $25,847 in Kuwait and
mass responses on the internet — though it $29,107 in Bahrain, but only $9,011 in lebanon,
should be noted that many states still seek to $7,038 in Jordan, and $6,907 in Morocco. While
limit or control these cultural transformations. 100 percent of those in the uAe have access to
simultaneously, the arrival of pan-Arab satellite improved sanitation facilities, this applies to only
TV networks, such as Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, 76 percent of the population of Palestine, and
has fostered transnational political debates and a shocking 25 percent in somalia.
helped shape Arab (and Muslim) public opinion These combined factors make the Muslims
worldwide (see sidebar: Muslim Media: Speaking a fascinating, complex and important group that
to the Market). The internet, popular through- Western businesses cannot afford to ignore. But
out the region, further spreads these themes, how best to address them?


Diverse Worldwide Market, Single Religious homes in the russian Federation. Muslim com-
Framework munities in north and south America and Africa
Appealing to the islamic consumer goes well are also large and growing.
beyond traditional islamic strongholds. Muslims This rise in the Muslim population points
constitute slightly more than 20 percent of the to a subsequent rise in purchasing power and
world’s population, with most living in Asia. questions about Muslim preferences in prod-
About 18 percent live in the Arab countries, and ucts and services. Which countries have the most
an estimated 10 to 15 million now live in Western purchasing power today? in the future? Figure
europe, part of a wave of immigration that began 2 highlights Muslim purchasing power and the
in the 1960s (see figure 1). (Figures are signifi- countries with today’s largest Muslim populations.
cantly higher if one includes the Balkan region.) regardless of location, Muslims follow a
Over the past 10 years, populations have surged. faith built on five pillars: the testimony of faith,
Asia’s 1 billion Muslims increased by 12 percent, prayer, supporting the needy, fasting during the
and a quarter of them are in the high growth areas month of ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca
of india and China. The european Muslim pop- once in a lifetime for those who are able (see
ulation has grown 140 percent in a decade and figure 3). strict followers of islam also share the
is continuing to outpace that of non-Muslims. concept of sharia, which means, literally, “way”
Approximately 30 million Muslims make their or “path.” it is a framework that extends from

Figure 2 Figure 3
Where is Muslim purchasing power? The five pillars of Islam

Largest Largest Highest purchasing Shahada Testimony of faith. The basic creed or tenet
Muslim Muslim % of power of Muslim of Islam.
population total population population*
Indonesia Bahrain Saudi Arabia Salat Prayer facing toward the Kaaba in Mecca
Pakistan Kuwait Turkey is performed five times a day at dawn, noon,
India Saudi Arabia Iran mid-afternoon, sunset and night.
Bangladesh Algeria Malaysia
Turkey Iran Qatar Zakat Giving zakat means giving a specified
Egypt Oman Russia percentage (2.5%) on certain properties
Iran Turkey France to certain classes of needy people.
Nigeria Yemen Libya
China Tunisia UAE Sawm Every year in the month of Ramadan all Muslims
Ethiopia Iraq United States fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from
Algeria Libya Algeria food, drink and sexual relations.
Morocco Pakistan Singapore
Sudan UAE Indonesia
Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca is a once in a lifetime
obligation for those who are physically and
Afghanistan Qatar Egypt
financially able to perform it.
Iraq Egypt The Netherlands
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit Source: www.islam-guide.com
* Calculated in purchasing power parity terms, which equalizes the purchasing
power of different currencies in their home countries


religious to political, social, private and domestic manufacturing and production methods can also
life. sharia is based on the Qur’an, hadith (say- be considered halal.
ings and acts of Muhammad and early followers), As noted, the Muslim market represents sig-
debate, interpretation and precedent. Though nificant sums — an estimated $2 trillion poten-
elements of sharia are common throughout the tial in various sectors, particularly halal foods
Muslim world, in practice followers may or may and finance. According to reuters, the halal food
not adhere to them strictly. market is estimated at $560 billion. A.T. Kearney
The concepts of halal and haram, meaning estimates that for 2007 the Muslim halal food
lawful and forbidden, respectively, illustrate the market is worth roughly $30 billion to the top five
daily application of islamic law. halal is applied, food retailers worldwide, and $15 billion to the top
among other things, to food, drink, apparel, 10 food processing companies. Correspondingly,
hygiene products, nutritional supplements, finan- standard & Poor’s estimates the world market for
cial instruments and literature. Business ethics, islamic financial products (banking, mortgages
management styles, human resource policies, and and insurance, among others) at $400 billion and

Muslim Media: Speaking to the Market
You have identified your target con- dutch, swedish, russian and spanish on Beirut-based Future Television—
sumer, tailored the product and your news channels all in Arabic.1 commands a mere $11,000 per spot.
organization, assessed the financial costs still, media that caters to Muslims ian ritchie, the former CeO of
and risks, and now wish to get your is full of contradictions: it comprises Middle east Broadcasting Centre
message out. What are your options? both rotana (the Arab version of MTV) (MBC), told a recent media confer-
Although many Muslims around the and iqraa, which is religious program- ence in istanbul, “i believe Arab media
world have access to global media, ming. There are now more than 230 offers an excellent opportunity eco-
the mother tongue remains a strong stations, with at least 20 of these being nomically, but for a variety of reasons
draw for those who live in the Arab purely religious. in a survey in Jordan it has been unable to operate success-
heartland. A recent study in saudi and egypt by Arab Advisors group, an fully.” he claims that half of the total
Arabia reveals that 90 percent of the Amman-based media and telecommuni- advertising expenditure goes to tele-
households surveyed prefer watching cations consulting company, a religious vision, and 87 percent of television
programs in Arabic or with Arabic sub- channel always ranks in the top three. advertising goes to the pan-Arab satel-
titles. Taking the Arab world as a whole, And even though more house- lite television stations. Print takes 45
close to two-thirds of homes have access holds are tuning in, there has not been percent of the advertising revenue. “But
to satellite TV channels, according to a consequent rise in advertising rates. these are entirely misleading figures—
dubai’s Pan Arab research Center. it gordon robinson of the Annenberg rate card numbers are discounted by
notes that these now include the u.s.- school for Communication says the about 75 percent,” he notes. Ad spend-
financed Alhurra TV, BBC World, rack rate for a 30-second ad is about ing per capita in the Arab world as a
euronews, many u.s. and european $5,000, and even the region’s most whole is only $6, compared with $369
news and entertainment channels, and popular show, Superstar —an Arab in north America, $117 in europe,
British, u.s., French, german, danish, version of American Idol that airs $23 in Asia Pacific and $7 in Africa.2

1
Janet Fine, “The Expanding Reach of Middle Eastern Satellite TV,” Video Age international, January 2006.
2
Ritchie did not make a distinction between Arab media and media catering to Muslims.


growing at 15 percent a year. s&P also estimates islamic brand. They choose foods that have been
that assets in the islamic banking sector have certified halal, financial services products that are
already topped $500 billion. A new report by in compliance with the Qur’an, and fashions that
hedge Fund research suggests that the potential combine the latest trends in Western-style cloth-
total of Middle eastern capital available for investing with islamic principles of modesty. Against
ment, in both public and private sectors, is now this backdrop, how are companies to interpret
roughly $4 trillion. That is more than three times what Muslim consumers want?
the size of China’s foreign exchange reserves.
generally, as noted earlier, even as they lean Sharia and the Muslim Market
toward Western-style products and lifestyles, in particular, sharia principles affect companies in
many Muslims increasingly make choices that the food and beverage, banking, fashion and ap-
reassert their identity as Muslims and respect their parel, cosmetics and body care, and pharmaceutical
ummah, the Qur’an, and sharia principles. Many industries. The following offers a detailed look at
consciously seek out consumer products with an Muslim consumers in relation to these industries.

reliable figures are elusive, but the ABC and CBs newscasts. All are in investment are growing. in January,
total Arab TV market (local and pan- english with Arab subtitles. showtime Arabia, the Middle eastern
Arab stations combined) is currently even Al Jazeera, which was and north African pay-per-view opera-
around $2.6 billion per year. A signifi- founded with a $150 million grant tor, announced a $100 million finance
cant proportion of this revenue comes from the emir of Qatar in 1996 (and package with Commerzbank and BnP
not from advertising but from fees for was supposed to be profitable by Paribas. it is now in the midst of an
phone calls, instant messages and ring 2001), requires an annual subsidy of aggressive new programming and ser-
tones. According to Brand republic, $30 million. it claims 40 million regu- vices rollout that includes rights to the
Arab TV revenues have increased lar Arab viewers. Al Jazeera has suffered 2007 to 2010 english Premier league
threefold since 2001, with 90 percent in saudi Arabia, where the government soccer games, and has added Al Jazeera
of that sum going to just 10 stations. discourages companies from advertis- sports +1 and +2 to its direct-to-home
This, of course, means that few ing on the network—a heavy blow platform. showtime Arabia now offers
stations make money. dubai-based when saudi Arabia accounts for more a total of six premium sports networks,
MBC, the most watched of the pan- than 70 percent of the Arabian gulf including sportsnet World, sportsnet
Arab channels, started with $300 mil- market. The station’s growing political America, extreme sports Channel
lion in private investment, mostly prestige, however, persuaded the emir and eurosport news. subscribers pay
saudi (the main investor was the king’s to continue his support and finance an to watch key football league matches,
brother-in-law), and now claims to be english-language version. in a poll last including italy’s serie A, spain’s la
breaking even. it has four channels, year by the BBC and reuters of more liga and Portugal’s superliga. Also
including the news channel Al Arabiya, than 10,000 adults in 10 countries, 59 included is coverage of england’s
which challenges Al Jazeera. Another percent of egyptians ranked Al Jazeera Football Association Challenge Cup,
of its more successful channels features as their most trusted news source. the Carling Cup and Qatari football
u.s. programming such as The Oprah Although the path to profitabil- league games.
Winfrey Show, Western movies, and ity is uncertain, business efforts and


Halal food and beverages: defining a moving on the value chain of applying Muslim principles
target. To be considered halal, meats must come strictly is immense. Figure 4 shows the extent of
from animals slaughtered according to islamic this impact, from formulating products that use
law. This includes all animal products, not just only acceptable raw materials to maintaining sep-
pork. Chicken or lamb that have not been prop- arate warehouses and production lines.
erly slaughtered according to sharia law will be it is worth noting that interpretations of
deemed haram, or unclean. in addition, no food what constitutes halal meat vary; some Muslims
products should contain additives that have not will eat anything except pig meat (a Mcdonald’s
been demonstrated to be “clean” or untainted hamburger is fine) while others only eat meat
during processing, packaging, storage, transporta- that is certified halal, from animals that are not
tion or transaction. Observant Muslims may not stunned, have been treated humanely, and were
drink alcohol or use other intoxicants. They may fed on natural ingredients — what is becom-
not use pork products, or use any products whose ing known as “halal and organic” food. Both are
value chain involved pork or alcohol. acceptable religious viewpoints with sound schol-
in addition, full sharia compliance means arly foundation. For example, in indonesia, the
ensuring that production and logistics are also world’s largest Muslim state, many restaurants
compliant, that the business is financed with and hotels serve pork, and some Muslims will
permissible funds, and that safety and hygiene eat in these restaurants as long as what they order
meet religious standards. The potential impact has no pork. however, in Malaysia, where less

Figure 4
Sharia compliance applies to the entire value chain

Sales and
R&D and design Sourcing Production Logistics
marketing

• Develop and design • Source halal- and • Confirm halal- and • Secure halal- and • Obtain halal certifica-
products using only haram-compliant raw haram-compliant pro- haram-compliant tion to target the
acceptable raw materials; ensure sup- duction: halal products transportation and Muslim consumer
materials that con- plier adherence to must not “touch” other storage of end prod- • Brand and market
form to halal and Islamic financing products during pro- ucts throughout the halal-compliant prod-
haram requirements duction; production supply chain ucts in a manner that
• Request halal and process must not rely does not alienate other
haram compliance for on non-halal products stakeholder groups
in-bound logistics, (e.g., no non-halal
both transportation animal-based lubri- • Ensure halal and
and storage (e.g., sep- cation of machinery) haram compliance in
arate warehouse for the consumer outlet
halal raw materials) • Implement quality
control processes
• Ensure suppliers’ halal
and haram processes

Finance: Consider sharia-compliant business terms and funding of business (Islamic finance)
HR: Consider the impact of halal and Muslim consumer demands in HR management

Source: A.T. Kearney


than 60 percent of the population is Muslim, res- the company has installed an islamic Advisory
taurants must be completely free of pork before Council to ensure that internal routines and prod-
Muslims will eat there.3 ucts comply with islamic law. The company has
The rules are more relaxed in sub-saharan gone even further by establishing programs that
Africa. in West and Central Africa, for exam- transfer this knowledge among its international
ple, the concept of halal foods is limited to affiliates: its Malaysian office, for instance, cur-
meat products (proper slaughter and absence of rently trains other parts of the company in halal
pork). From a cultural standpoint, the consump- compliance. The success of these measures speaks
tion of alcohol there is fairly common and, in volumes: nestlé has become the biggest food
many cases, local and multinationals sell alcohol. manufacturer in the halal sector, with more than
Therefore, the restaurant that serves alcohol may $3 billion in annual sales in islamic countries and
be viewed differently from the restaurant that with 75 of its 481 factories worldwide producing
has pork or bacon on the menu. halal food. The upshot: halal food accounts for
Consequently, in weighing the choice to about 5 percent of nestle’s sales.4
expand to Muslim markets, top management These figures suggest that the halal market
must decide how extensively to align their supply can provide growth potential for all food man-
chains with Muslim values, which may be a ufacturers. in addition, some marketing experts
moving target as interpretations of value evolve in the field — notably nordin Abdullah, direc-
over time and place. By developing appropriate tor of Kasehdia, a media firm — have pointed
strategies, companies in both the food produc- to growing opportunities in the european
tion and retail sectors are reaping benefits from Muslim market. european Muslims, he told
appealing to this fast-growing market. let’s look AP-Foodtechnology.com, “have huge purchasing
at both sectors: power in comparison with those in the Middle
Food production. Many of the companies that east or north Africa.” even so, while there is
have been most successful in reaching Muslim clearly room in this market for others, seven of
consumers have performed best in the food and the top 10 manufacturers, all u.s.-based firms,
beverage industry. (it is worth noting that, gen- currently do not focus on the halal market as
erally, food companies that advertise and market a source of growth.
their products anywhere in the world around Food retailing. retail food distribution sales
Muslim festivals such as eid, which marks the total an estimated $3 trillion annually. The top
end of ramadan, have been especially successful five retailers represent about 20 percent of the
in securing brand recognition.) market: Wal-Mart ($312 billion), Carrefour ($99
Food maker nestlé leads the halal segment billion), Ahold ($65 billion), Kroger ($56 billion)
among Western companies, a position it has and Metro ($69 billion). A.T. Kearney estimates
achieved through prudent research and imple- that Muslim halal food consumers could already
mentation of measures specifically aimed at the be worth an estimated $30 billion to these com-
Muslim market, instituting product certification panies alone.
and halal-compliant manufacturing processes several food retailers, including Tesco in the
across 75 factories and 100 lines. Furthermore, united Kingdom and Carrefour in France, now
3
For population figures, see www.factbook.net/muslim_pop.php.


target Muslim consumers through halal sections through franchises in the uAe (10 stores), saudi
in their stores. in 2005, Tesco introduced halal Arabia (2), Oman (1), Qatar (1), egypt (3) and
lines in 117 stores (6 percent of the total), and Tunisia (5). Carrefour comprises 5 percent of the
by the end of 2007 it estimates that 26 percent retail market share in Malaysia and, in collabo-
of its stores will have halal sections. The retailer ration with the Ministry of domestic Trade and
offers special promotions during ramadan and Consumer Affairs and its agencies, is leveraging
uses targeted marketing to speak specifically to its network to help promote the products of
the Muslim consumer. Additionally, through its small- and medium-size enterprises (ranging from
Malaysian subsidiary, Tesco has contracted with foodstuffs to cosmetics) overseas. These products
nestlé Malaysia to supply stores in the united might also be introduced in Carrefour’s home
Kingdom with halal-certified products and is country of France but will first need approval
actively teaming with halal food suppliers such from the French government and will undergo
as ummah Foods ltd. Tesco also works closely stringent testing of halal standards.
it should be noted that require-
ments for the sale of halal foods
affect not only the business-to-
consumer companies but also
While many Muslim consumers’ those further back in the supply
chain. For example, eurofrigo
lives are defined by the dietary, B.V., a specialist in temperature-
controlled storage, has opened a
lifestyle and financial rules of halal-certified refrigerated food

the islamic faith, they are far from storage warehouse in the Port of
rotterdam with space for more
homogeneous. than 1,000 pallets. Additionally,
halal-regulated logistics protect
a brand’s claim to halal purity.
Malaysia international shipping
Corporation (MisC), the national
with its Malaysian subsidiary and halal-certifying shipping company, launched the halal express
bodies to develop standards and secure its supply service in 2006 to carry halal meats from Australia
of certified products. and new Zealand to the Middle east. The com-
simultaneously, Carrefour, the world’s second pany also houses a halal logistics hub west of Kuala
largest retailer and europe’s largest, has quadru- lumpur that has cold-storage facilities, sterilization
pled shelf space for halal products over the past units and a lab to test products for compliance.
four years in Western europe. The company has Islamic banking: profit not prohibited.
a strong presence in indonesia with 29 stores Banking has attracted particular attention in
and other Muslim-dominated countries, includ- efforts to appeal to the Muslim consumer. This
ing Turkey (13 stores) and Malaysia (10), and sector is primarily influenced by the requirements
4
Carla Power and Ioannis Gatsiounis, “Meeting the Halal Test,” Forbes, 16 April 2007.


of sharia, which maintains three major prohibi- world adds further difficulties. Abdulkader Thomas,
tions: usury (the payment and collection of inter- founder of the American Journal of Islamic
est), trading in financial risk, and investing in Finance, says that in london and the Arabian
businesses considered haram (for example, com- gulf region, returns on islamic products are
panies whose products include alcohol, pork or similar to, and thus can compete directly with,
tobacco, and involve gambling or pornography). conventional banking instruments. in Malaysia,
There are several acceptable structures for islamic returns tend to be lower, but receive favorable
finance, including: tax treatment.
• Under a system known as murabaha, goods despite these complications, the sums involved
may be sold at a price that includes a profit in this field have attracted not only compli-
margin agreed to by both parties. The purchase ant islamic banks but also global banks. islamic
and selling price, other costs and the profit finance has grown to 15 percent of the total bank-
margin must be clearly stated at the time of the ing system in the Cooperation Council for the
sale agreement. The bank is compensated for Arab states of the gulf, which includes saudi
the time value of its money through the profit Arabia, uAe, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
margin. This is a fixed-income loan for the it is expected to be nearly 50 percent within the
purchase of a real asset (such as real estate or next few years. in Malaysia, more than 10 percent
a vehicle), with a fixed rate of return deter- of the total banking system adheres to islamic
mined by the profit margin. finance principles.
• Ijara is the islamic leasing mode and is defined The City of london, in an effort to seek
as the sale of usufruct. similar to its conven- a common, universally acceptable standard of
tional counterpart, the islamic lease is offered islamic finance, developed the following three-
in two forms: an operational lease and a full- fold strategy in 2006:
payout financial lease. Broadly speaking, ijara • Allow floating and trading of sukuk, a bond-like
works along the same lines as a conventional product that complies with sharia law. indeed,
lease, yet it differs in detail (for example, in the the u.K. Treasury is planning to issue sharia-
share of duties between lessor and lessee). compliant bonds as part of a strategy to make
• Mudaraba is a financing scheme where one part- london the world center for islamic finance.
ner—the rabb al-mal—provides capital to a • Provide retail onshore sharia-compliant bank-
venture, while the other partner—the mudarib— ing to serve the approximately 300,000 existing
contributes his or her time and effort to manage u.K. Muslim customers (1.6 million Muslims
it. it is widely used by islamic banks for gather- live in the united Kingdom).
ing assets in the form of investment accounts. • Build a sharia-compliant wholesale banking
however, as with the definition of halal, system, including u.K. government bonds and
interpretations vary. some products deemed takaful (insurance).
acceptable in Malaysia, traditionally the center in november 2006, the u.K. Treasury reported
of islamic finance, are now barred in stricter that assets in the islamic banking sector had
saudi Arabia. some products attract local taxes grown to more than $250 billion worldwide,
in islamic countries, but some do not, and the while the number of islamic financial institu-
wide variance of accounting rules in the Muslim tions jumped to more than 300 from just one in


1975. More recently, standard & Poor’s reported them. since asset-based investments are preferred,
that assets in the islamic banking sector had and the infrastructure and energy needs of the
reached $500 billion, and estimated the market world are so great, future projects could be funded
for islamic financial products at about $400 bil- with structured notes and equity participation
lion, and growing at more than 15 percent per from islamic hedge funds. (islamic scholars still,
year. These products include banking, mortgages, however, disagree about what is acceptable given
equity funds, fixed income, insurance, project the black box nature of many hedge funds and the
finance and private equity. uncertainty of the under-lying asset.)
Also, according to the
international Monetary Fund,
investment funds are pop-
ular with retail investors in
nestlé has become the largest food the Arabian gulf states and
Malaysia. in these cases, equi-
manufacturer in the halal sector, ties selected must be unlever-
aged companies that do not
with more than $3 billion in annual participate in activities that are
considered haram. incidentally,
sales in islamic countries. islamic investment indices have
been outperforming all but
one of the major indices (see
figure 5).
This wealth has been driven mainly by the Also, Western (non-Muslim) investors are
surge in oil prices and the vast annual surpluses becoming more interested in islamic finance,
recorded by the Middle eastern oil export- accounting for up to 40 percent of buyers for
ing states, which reached $650 billion in 2007. some recent sharia offerings in london. interest
According to a report by Capgemini and Merrill in the sector exploded in london during the
lynch, the number of people in the Middle east 2006 takeover of Britain’s P&O, a shipping and
with more than $1 million in financial assets international ports group, by dP World of
rose by nearly 10 percent to 300,000 in 2006 dubai. The deal was financed with a sukuk.
and is expected to jump to 1.8 million by 2010. The initial $2.8 billion issue was swiftly raised to
These high net worth individuals and families, $3.5 billion, and ultimately drew $11.4 billion
like the rest of the global rich, are becoming in subscriptions, about half of them from inter-
increasingly sophisticated and want to invest national investors. Another major placement
in alternative assets. Before the introduction of was the $2.5 billion sukuk offered by nakheel,
islamic banking, some of these people held their a dubai developer. Both deals involved Barclays
savings in non-interest bearing checking accounts Capital, whose head of islamic banking, Arul
to comply with sharia requirements. This makes Kandasamy, says, “As a global investor, you need
islamic banking accounts especially appealing to exposure to this region of the world.”5
5
“Calling the Faithful,” The economist, 7 December 2006.


Among Western banks, hsBC holdings try, although its impact on the female dress code
PlC, Citibank n.A., Barclays PlC and American varies considerably across countries and by indi-
international group, inc., all offer islamic finan- vidual preference. some Muslim women wear
cial products. hsBC leads the pack as the first a full-length robe and veil, while others do not.
high street bank to target the Muslim segment. however, by Western standards, typically, Muslim
in 2004, it created a separate islamic banking arm, women — especially non-european Muslims —
hsBC Amanah, to provide sharia-compliant ser- tend to dress modestly.
vices that are fully differentiated from hsBC’s not surprisingly, like food and beverage
conventional financial services. This co-brand tar- firms, apparel companies must also comply with
gets the 25 percent of the world’s Muslims who sharia law to be considered halal. Companies
live where hsBC operates. in Malaysia, hsBC must take into account the entire supply chain,
Amanah is the largest foreign provider of islamic from procurement contracting with halal sup-
banking and in 2006 the division accounted for pliers to halal production, logistics, marketing
some 10 percent of hsBC’s net income.6 and sales. But this extra care offers profit-
Fashion and apparel: style + sharia. Modesty making opportunities, as the market is size-
influences the Muslim fashion and apparel indus- able. The global branded footwear and apparel

Figure 5
Sharia-compliant investing can also be lucrative (% annualized returns)

Index YTD 12 months 3 years 5 years

S&P 500 6.96 20.59 11.69 10.70
MSCI All Countries World Index 7.85 23.48 17.41 15.94
MSCI Emerging Markets 22.70 51.44 38.89 30.85
Dow Jones Industrial Average 8.76 23.04 11.22 10.19
Dow Jones Islamic Market Index 11.84 23.03 14.13 11.52
DJ Islamic US Index 10.17 20.80 9.91 9.32
DJ Islamic Asia/Pacific Index 10.39 20.21 16.17 11.79
DJ Islamic Canadian Index 20.60 23.03 29.50 23.98
DJ Islamic Europe Index 13.77 26.85 20.30 14.50
DJ Islamic Japan Index 2.29 6.47 7.87 7.08
DJ Islamic Market Titans 100 Index 8.87 20.84 11.04 8.50
DJ Islamic Technology Index 8.96 24.71 7.99 9.16
DJ Islamic UK Index 13.64 21.86 18.78 14.1
Sources: Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s and MSCI Barra

6
Sabry Tahir, “HSBC Launches One-Stop Window for its Islamic Banking Services,” The star Online, 19 June 2007.


industry alone is estimated at more than $800 There are reasons for this. in principle, wear-
billion, with the highest spend per capita in the ing cosmetics is haram no matter how they’re
Middle east and Malaysia.7 made, so the idea of halal cosmetics is essentially
in the Middle east, fashions are distributed moot. however, Muslim women who do wear
through various homegrown groups, including cosmetics may possibly prefer those that are pre-
the Chalhoub group, Bin hendi enterprises and pared without pork fat (a common ingredient),
M.h. Alshaya. Chalhoub, founded in 1955 in if offered a comparable selection of color and
damascus, is one of the premier fashion and quality options.
cosmetics groups specializing in the retailing, A handful of companies are striving to appeal
distribution and marketing of such prestigious to the Muslim consumer. For example, the Body
brands as Baccarat, Chanel, louis Vuitton and shop, a major retailer in the Middle east, boasts
sephora. Chalhoub is present only in the Middle products with natural ingredients, and its mar-
east, while Bin hendi distributes high-quality keting efforts are in line with Muslim values. it
international products and services, including also takes a popular stance against animal test-
brand-name fashions, jewelry and accessories, ing. sunrider international’s skin care and cos-
and M.h. Alshaya, a major retailer of fashions metic products have achieved halal certification,
and men’s and women’s accessories, operates in and Colgate-Palmolive offers toothpaste prod-
collaboration with the major international brands ucts whose halal status varies among regions. For
with stores throughout the Middle east, Turkey, example, vegetarian toothpastes are considered
Cyprus and russia. halal even though they are not explicitly labeled
in addition, Muslim women in europe as such, and in Malaysia, all Colgate toothpastes
frequently modify Western-style fashions, adapt- are halal certified.
ing them to suit islamic principles of modesty. Although Muslims are generally allowed to
One frequently sees european Muslims com- consume haram products in life-threatening sit-
bining short skirts and dresses with jeans, for uations, the demand for pharmaceuticals that
instance, or wearing leggings under mid-calf adhere to Muslim rules is growing. Currently,
length skirts. And fashion magazines target- halal certification is not widespread in the phar-
ing Muslim women are proliferating in Western maceutical market, which in majority Muslim
countries, including Canada, the united states countries totals an estimated $555 billion. For
and the netherlands. example, only five of the 120 pharmaceutical and
Cosmetics, personal hygiene and pharma- cosmetic companies operating in indonesia have
ceuticals. Closely related to the fashion industry official halal certification.
is the global cosmetics, fragrances and toiletries The main concern is the use of animal deriv-
market, which was estimated at $500 billion atives and gelatins in pain killers, allergy med-
in 2006.8 roughly $8 billion of this market ications and vaccines. This issue came to the
is in the Middle east. Cosmetics and body-care forefront in 2003 when some British Muslims
companies have not fully adopted halal prac- opposed the use of animal derivatives in baby
tices for their products, even in predominantly vaccines, specifically the gelatin in Merck’s vac-
Muslim countries. cine derived from pork. in glasgow, the national
7
Global Industry Analysts (GIA), www.just-style.com.
8
Icon Group, 2006.


health service tried to remedy the situation by countries on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 5 is the high-
asking doctors to offer all Muslim patients an est) along three variables: absolute population,
alternative vaccine, called Priorix, which meets percentage of Muslims within the population,
Muslim requirements. and the gdP per capita. however, the pursuit of
Muslim consumers differs from other markets in
Courting Muslims terms of risks and organizational demands.
Companies interested in the Muslim market will Gauging the risks. The risks involved in tar-
find that the pursuit is often no different from geting Muslim consumers should not be underes-
any other market. it requires identifying the most timated, and need to be examined on two different
attractive countries, measuring the impact of their levels: the product and brand level and the corpo-
preferences on an existing product portfolio, and rate level. A product and brand risk analysis will
benchmarking to determine what competitors are consider the impact that targeting Muslim con-
doing to address these consumers, thus uncovering sumers might have on a company’s core global
best practices for a given segment. Figure 6 illus- brand if the product is sold in multireligious
trates our weighted index approach, which ranks markets such as in the united Kingdom, north


America and europe. A corporate-level risk analy- Muhammad in a danish newspaper. The car-
sis will take into account a wider view of poten- toons themselves, and the refusal of the danish
tial transnational consumer activism. Companies government to apologize for them, resulted in
should be prepared to deal with at least three violent political protests across the Middle east
threats: social, political and financial. and in some Muslim communities in europe.
Social risk. Muslim consumers are not only danish flags were burned, embassies attacked,
an important consumer group by virtue of what and threats made against danes everywhere. But
they buy, but also because of their power not there was also an important economic dimension
to buy. Consumer boycotts are not new in Muslim to the conflict. Consumers in the Arabian gulf
states initiated a boycott of danish prod-
ucts and retailers quickly removed all
danish products from their shelves.
even Western retailers, notably French
Non-Muslim investors are supermarket chain Carrefour, removed
danish products from the shelves for
becoming more interested in fear of negative repercussions. At the
same time, moves like Carrefour’s can
islamic finance, accounting also backfire, turning Western clients
away from companies that appear to
for up to 40 percent of buy- be “selling out” or capitulating to the
violence or unreasonable demands of
ers for some recent sharia radical Muslims.
Political risk. On the regulation
offerings in london. side, governments in Arab and other
largely Muslim countries have responded
to the increased awareness of their citi-
zens about islam. Malaysia uses its policy
for promoting islamic consumer goods
countries. For example, products from compa- to strengthen national competitiveness in an
nies that are deemed to be supporting israel are environment of increasing international com-
frequently targeted by Muslim activist groups. petition. squeezed in the middle between low-
in egypt, for instance, when Procter & gamble’s cost countries such as China and Vietnam and
detergent brand Ariel became associated with high-value-add producers such as singapore, the
former israeli Prime Minister Ariel sharon, it was Malaysian government has identified islamic
the target of a consumer boycott. globalization consumer products as an area where the coun-
strengthens international links and empowers try can develop a distinct competitive advantage.
transnational activist movements, which means Promotion efforts have largely focused on three
such boycotts display more coordination and have areas: halal foods, islamic banking and tourism
a wider reach than in the past. Consider the row from other Muslim countries, mainly the Middle
over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet east. These policies are quietly reshaping the


business environment in Malaysia and have the they are attempting to “trick” people into buying
potential to do so in other countries with simi- Western-made products.
lar policies. Financial risk. Two financial risks pose addi-
in addition, products such as Mecca-Cola and tional challenges: potential revenue loss from
halal Cola (in europe), ZamZam Cola (in iran) not correctly serving the Muslim consumer, and
and the al-deen brand of blue jeans take advan- alienating part of the existing consumer base by
tage of the opportunity to provide non-American focusing on Muslims. An example of revenue loss
(non-Western) alternatives to Muslims who do is found in the case of nike in 1996. nike was in
not wish to patronize Western corporations. trouble after introducing its Air line of basketball
There is also the risk of a backlash if the shoes with a flame-like logo of the word “air.” The
Western multinationals are seen to be “exploit- Council on American-islamic relations declared
ing” the Muslim consumer. One way to min- that the logo could be interpreted as the Arabic
imize this risk is for multinationals to hire and script of “Allah.” eventually, nike had to recall
source locally. This ensures that the community 38,000 shoes and divert shipments to less-sensitive
is benefiting socially from the company’s activi- markets, discontinue the models with the offend-
ties. Companies should take pains to emphasize a ing logo, and take multiple steps to apologize to
message of reaching out to provide Muslims with the islamic community, including funding sports
more options rather than give the impression that facilities for islamic schools and donating nike

Figure 7
Organization design depends on influence of sharia law

Not Heavily
influenced influenced
by sharia law by sharia law

1 2 3 4 5

• Design function • Design function • Design function • Design function • Design function
R&D outside region outside region outside region outside region in Middle East

• Procurement • Procurement • Procurement • Procurement • Procurement in
Sourcing outside region outside region outside region outside region Middle East

• Production • Production • Dedicated halal • Dedicated halal • Production in
outside region outside region production lines production lines Middle East
Production • No dedicated • No dedicated outside region outside region • Dedicated halal
halal production halal production production lines
lines lines

• Totally centralized • International • International • Co-brand or • Local brand
brand brand brand or co-brand local brand • Dedicated sales
Marketing • No dedicated • Dedicated sales • Dedicated sales • Dedicated sales and marketing
and sales sales or marketing and marketing and marketing and marketing functions
functions functions functions functions

Source: A.T. Kearney


products to islamic charitable groups. nike has be necessary. The first option is to establish a
since implemented internal measures to raise separate group to handle a specific market. For
awareness and understanding of islamic issues example, when nestlé entered the Malaysian
and to tighten scrutiny of logo design. market, it formed a transnational board whose
Will serving the Muslim consumer alien- members operate as a coordination council. The
ate existing consumers? it’s possible, according to company shares best practices learned from its
an article in the New York Times. “u.s. compa- Malaysian operations with all other new opera-
nies don’t want to risk alienating their domestic tions. The second option is to create a separate
consumers,” says nasser Beydoun, chairman of business unit, as hsBC did when it co-branded
the American Arab Chamber of Commerce.9 hsBC Amanah. Finally, the third option is to
every company should analyze its customer base create an entirely separate company; this is an
to assess the financial impact this might have on especially attractive option when entering a
the base versus the growth expected from serving market where the current brand might not be
the Muslim consumer. well received. When heineken entered egypt,
Finally, keep in mind that some consumers for example, it did so by buying a local brand,
will construe catering to the Muslim community, the Al Ahram Beverages Company.
especially the Muslim community in the West, Of course, a company’s return on its organi-
as a political act. do you also offer, or plan to zational investment will be determined by how
offer, other food options? if not, be prepared to well the structure is implemented, considering
explain why, in a way that will not be judged various aspects from product and service offerings
harshly by consumers. to branding and pricing strategies.
Designing the organization. if your com-
pany has operated in a strict halal manner before, Capture the Opportunity
little modification of your organization will be since Muslims are the fastest growing consumer
required. But for companies that have not, oper- segment in the world, any company that is not
ations might require a total overhaul, with most considering how to serve them is missing a signifi-
of these changes reflected in the supply chain as cant opportunity to affect both its top- and bot-
alternate delivery methods become necessary. tom-line growth. deciding to serve the Muslim
Figure 7 on page 17 outlines five options to consumer will depend on the ease with which the
consider along the entire value chain — from company can address this market and the oppor-
functions and processes not influenced by sharia tunity versus the costs of doing so. Although
law to those that will be heavily influenced. The there are political and social pitfalls to consider,
choice of organizational structure will determine the opportunities are so vast and far reaching
how easily a Muslim consumer strategy can be that they greatly outweigh the risks. With many
implemented. of the world’s largest consumer segments reach-
There are three organizational options for ing a saturation point, the Muslim consumer is
targeting Muslim consumers, outlined in ascend- fast becoming a new outlet to build a base for
ing order based on the restructuring that will future growth.

9
Louise Story, “Rewriting the Ad Rules for Muslim Americans,” new York Times, 28 April 2007.


Authors
Martin Walker is senior director of the Global Business Policy Council. Based in the Washington, D.C., office, he can
be reached at martin.walker@atkearney.com.

Dirk Buchta is managing director of A.T. Kearney Middle East. Based in the Dubai office, he can be reached at
dirk.buchta@atkearney.com.

Tracey Reuter is a consultant in A.T. Kearney’s consumer goods industries practice. Based in the Dubai office, she can
be reached at tracey.reuter@atkearney.com.

Johan Gott is a consultant in the Washington, D.C., office and can be reached at johan.gott@atkearney.com.

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of their colleagues Daniel Mahler and Jamil Satchu in writing this article.


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