Satyendra Pathak
Doha
In line with its vision to position LuLu Group as a catalyst for economic growth, the region’s largest hypermarkets operator opened its new store in Ain Khaled area of Qatar on Wednesday.
The opening of Lulu hypermarket in Ain Khaled brings the number of Lulu stores to 18 in Qatar.
The expansion of the Group’s retail footprint in Qatar comes in line with the country’s preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be held in November this year.
The new store was jointly inaugurated by Sheikh Falah bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Hassan Al Thani in the presence of Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali and other officials.
Ambassador of India to Qatar HE Dr Deepak Mittal and ambassadors representing Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Georgia and Armenia were present on the occasion.
Prominent among those who also attended the opening ceremony were Sheikh Abul Rahman bin Abdullah Al Thani, Nabeel Abu Issa, Adil Abdul Razak, Nasar Al Ansari, CV Rappai and Dr R Seetharaman.
The new store is spread over 150,000 square feet on two levels and is designed to offer shoppers the best LuLu brands and retail experience like an extensive grocery section, the LuLu Connect electronics store, the glamorous LuLu Celebrate designer fashion line, the high-street REO fashion brand, BLSH – the branded perfumes, cosmetics, make-up and beauty line, and Eyexpress, the eyewear brand.
Talking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Yusuff Ali said, "Qatar’s market holds a very important position in the Lulu Group. The opening of this new store comes in line with the LuLu Group’s commitment to the Qatari leadership’s vision for a bright future. Qatar is gearing up for FIFA 2022, football’s biggest tournament, and also for the Asian Games 2030 and we are confident of the upward development trajectory of the nation. We promise to match our capacity and vision with that of Qatar’s blueprint for a bright future.”
About the Group’s expansion in Qatar, he said, "We have got massive expansion plans. While during the COVID-19 pandemic we could not expand as much as we planned, we still managed to open four new stores in Qatar during this period. The Group is already planning more store openings in the country this year in Barwa Alkhor, Giardino Mall at The Pearl-Qatar, and Barwa Madinat.”
He said, "LuLu Group’s expansion is a reaffirmation of the Group’s confidence in Qatar’s leadership and part of a global expansion plan and also a sign of the Group’s support of the region’s recovery after a harsh business setback during the pandemic. We are very happy and thankful to the Qatari leadership and the government for their wholehearted support and we expect more. We will continue to give good products, good service at good prices.”
Talking about the efforts to make Lulu hypermarkets more sustainable, he said, "World is changing with new digitization, new transformation and new innovations, so we have to go according to the market demand. Keeping in mind the market demand, we have introduced so many new things at this store to be more sustainable. We are also planning to upgrade our previous stores to have the same facilities that we have here.”
"This is our new generation store where we aim to reduce carbon footprint. Our aim is to reduce carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 and go forward to be carbon neutral,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Lulu Group International Director Dr Mohamed Althaf said, "The opening of Lulu Hypermarket at Ain Khaled brings the number of Lulu stores in Qatar to 18, and this would not have been possible without the help and support of the governmental authorities and our valued customers. This phenomenal growth is a solid proof of the strategic importance of Qatar to our business plans and our confidence in the resilience and future of Qatar’s economy.”
The LuLu Qatar operations have set the bar high for the hypermarket chain in the country and won awards for its innovative spin on healthy grocery and fresh food deliverables. In line with the high standards maintained by the Group, the LuLu Ain Khaled store too will showcase the award-winning features such as Planet Y, the selection of plant-based meat substitutes and foods, organic and super food selections, an extensive ‘free-from’ range and a zero-waste refill station where eco-conscious shoppers can refill reusable containers with dry goods including pasta, grains and other items.
Shopping for vegan food at one’s nearest Lulu Hypermarket has never been so easy with many vegan staples readily available in stores. The latest Lulu hypermarket in Ain Khalid is making it even easier for vegetarian and vegan shoppers to find plant-based groceries in one place by introducing a dedicated store called Planet Y. The new store will also have a dedicated area to support local initiatives and stock all Qatari products on a priority basis.
There will also be fresh juices available throughout the day with an area dedicated to Juice Station, and a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood. Shoppers will be encouraged to eat healthily and learn new cookery tips from experts through a series of in-store cookery classes. The new hypermarket will also have a dedicated area for eco-friendly products.
Children have not been left out as the toys section of the store features a specially chosen collection of STEMTainment toys to stimulate young minds in line with the latest STEM educational principles. For adults, there is a useful and extensive IoT section to facilitate smart homes.
In all these, customer comfort has been prioritised as always and there are ample dedicated car parking spaces for LuLu customers and checkout has been made easier with green check-out counters, wheelchair access and elevators and ATM facilities.
There is already a pharmacy and three popular fast-food eateries on the premises like Starbucks, McDonald’s and Papa John’s Pizza. The new hypermarket also encompasses other leading tenant mixes such as Ooredoo counter managed by RPTech, V EYE P Optics, Jawhara Jewelry and Doha Beauty Centre.
Doha
In line with its vision to position LuLu Group as a catalyst for economic growth, the region’s largest hypermarkets operator opened its new store in Ain Khaled area of Qatar on Wednesday.
The opening of Lulu hypermarket in Ain Khaled brings the number of Lulu stores to 18 in Qatar.
The expansion of the Group’s retail footprint in Qatar comes in line with the country’s preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be held in November this year.
The new store was jointly inaugurated by Sheikh Falah bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Hassan Al Thani in the presence of Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali and other officials.
Ambassador of India to Qatar HE Dr Deepak Mittal and ambassadors representing Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Georgia and Armenia were present on the occasion.
Prominent among those who also attended the opening ceremony were Sheikh Abul Rahman bin Abdullah Al Thani, Nabeel Abu Issa, Adil Abdul Razak, Nasar Al Ansari, CV Rappai and Dr R Seetharaman.
The new store is spread over 150,000 square feet on two levels and is designed to offer shoppers the best LuLu brands and retail experience like an extensive grocery section, the LuLu Connect electronics store, the glamorous LuLu Celebrate designer fashion line, the high-street REO fashion brand, BLSH – the branded perfumes, cosmetics, make-up and beauty line, and Eyexpress, the eyewear brand.
Talking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Yusuff Ali said, "Qatar’s market holds a very important position in the Lulu Group. The opening of this new store comes in line with the LuLu Group’s commitment to the Qatari leadership’s vision for a bright future. Qatar is gearing up for FIFA 2022, football’s biggest tournament, and also for the Asian Games 2030 and we are confident of the upward development trajectory of the nation. We promise to match our capacity and vision with that of Qatar’s blueprint for a bright future.”
About the Group’s expansion in Qatar, he said, "We have got massive expansion plans. While during the COVID-19 pandemic we could not expand as much as we planned, we still managed to open four new stores in Qatar during this period. The Group is already planning more store openings in the country this year in Barwa Alkhor, Giardino Mall at The Pearl-Qatar, and Barwa Madinat.”
He said, "LuLu Group’s expansion is a reaffirmation of the Group’s confidence in Qatar’s leadership and part of a global expansion plan and also a sign of the Group’s support of the region’s recovery after a harsh business setback during the pandemic. We are very happy and thankful to the Qatari leadership and the government for their wholehearted support and we expect more. We will continue to give good products, good service at good prices.”
Talking about the efforts to make Lulu hypermarkets more sustainable, he said, "World is changing with new digitization, new transformation and new innovations, so we have to go according to the market demand. Keeping in mind the market demand, we have introduced so many new things at this store to be more sustainable. We are also planning to upgrade our previous stores to have the same facilities that we have here.”
"This is our new generation store where we aim to reduce carbon footprint. Our aim is to reduce carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 and go forward to be carbon neutral,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Lulu Group International Director Dr Mohamed Althaf said, "The opening of Lulu Hypermarket at Ain Khaled brings the number of Lulu stores in Qatar to 18, and this would not have been possible without the help and support of the governmental authorities and our valued customers. This phenomenal growth is a solid proof of the strategic importance of Qatar to our business plans and our confidence in the resilience and future of Qatar’s economy.”
The LuLu Qatar operations have set the bar high for the hypermarket chain in the country and won awards for its innovative spin on healthy grocery and fresh food deliverables. In line with the high standards maintained by the Group, the LuLu Ain Khaled store too will showcase the award-winning features such as Planet Y, the selection of plant-based meat substitutes and foods, organic and super food selections, an extensive ‘free-from’ range and a zero-waste refill station where eco-conscious shoppers can refill reusable containers with dry goods including pasta, grains and other items.
Shopping for vegan food at one’s nearest Lulu Hypermarket has never been so easy with many vegan staples readily available in stores. The latest Lulu hypermarket in Ain Khalid is making it even easier for vegetarian and vegan shoppers to find plant-based groceries in one place by introducing a dedicated store called Planet Y. The new store will also have a dedicated area to support local initiatives and stock all Qatari products on a priority basis.
There will also be fresh juices available throughout the day with an area dedicated to Juice Station, and a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood. Shoppers will be encouraged to eat healthily and learn new cookery tips from experts through a series of in-store cookery classes. The new hypermarket will also have a dedicated area for eco-friendly products.
Children have not been left out as the toys section of the store features a specially chosen collection of STEMTainment toys to stimulate young minds in line with the latest STEM educational principles. For adults, there is a useful and extensive IoT section to facilitate smart homes.
In all these, customer comfort has been prioritised as always and there are ample dedicated car parking spaces for LuLu customers and checkout has been made easier with green check-out counters, wheelchair access and elevators and ATM facilities.
There is already a pharmacy and three popular fast-food eateries on the premises like Starbucks, McDonald’s and Papa John’s Pizza. The new hypermarket also encompasses other leading tenant mixes such as Ooredoo counter managed by RPTech, V EYE P Optics, Jawhara Jewelry and Doha Beauty Centre.