LuLu Group International is increasing focus on opening more hypermarkets in the suburban areas of Abu Dhabi, as part of its new expansion strategy.
“Our idea is to open hypermarkets in the suburbs of Abu Dhabi City. We don’t want community members to travel long distances to our stores in the city. We should go near them,” Yusuffali M.A., chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International, told Khaleej Times.
The group owns the popular LuLu Hypermarket chain and shopping malls worldwide, and recently inaugurated a hypermarket over 85,000sqft, in Shawamekh Central Mall, more than 40km from the city. Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director of Wathba Municipality Centre, opened the hypermarket.
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Yusuffali underlined that the group’s focus on suburban areas is in line with the government policy of expanding the city.
“This is part of our new strategy to support new communities in suburbs and play a part in the government’s vision of expanding the city.”
Yusuffali, who has completed 50 years in the country, pointed out that the group will be opening six to seven hypermarkets in different parts of the suburbs in Abu Dhabi.
“We are playing our role in the expansion of the Abu Dhabi City to the suburbs. That is why we are now focusing on opening our new hypermarkets in the suburbs of Abu Dhabi City.”
The new hypermarket in Shawamekh is packed with fresh food products, household goods, and bakery items, and the centre also includes a money exchange, ATM, F&B outlets, pharmacy, jewellery shop, and other amenities making it a community-oriented retail destination in the neighbourhood.
Yusuffali noted that the future hypermarkets to be opened in the suburbs will follow a similar concept.
“Going forward we will focus on suburbs like Baniyas, Al Shahama, western regions, and other parts of Al Ain,” Yusuffali said and noted that the group is on track to open new hypermarkets across UAE in the coming years, which will give more jobs to the local workforce.