Lulu Group yesterday opened its 18th Hypermarket in Qatar at Ain Khaled in line with the country’s preparations for the upcoming mega event FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Continuing its expansion in the country, the leading retailer aims to open three more stores this year in Qatar.
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 Chairman of Lulu Group M A Yusuff Ali and other officials.
The event was also attended by Sheikh Abul Rahman bin Abdullah Al Thani, Nabeel Abu Issa, Adil Abdul Razak, Nasar Al Ansari, CV Rappai, Dr. R Seetharaman, H E Dr. Deepak Mittal, Ambassador of India to Qatar, and Ambassadors representing Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Georgia and Armenia.
Spread over 150,000 square feet, the newly opened hypermarket at Ain Khaled boasts of several innovative features such as STEM-tainment toys to stimulate young minds, Planet Y, which offers plant-based meat substitutes and foods, organic and super food selections, among others.
The new store also scores high on sustainability as it features several environment friendly initiatives. It has a dedicated area for Refill Station, where shoppers can buy refillable containers, use a paper bag or bring their own container. Customers can refill the products such as tea, cereals, pasta and other essentials.
This initiative will encourage to reduce and recycle. It also has 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.
The new store has two levels and is designed to offer shoppers the best Lulu brands and retail experience — 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.
Sheikh Falah bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Thani, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hassan Al Thani, Chairman of Lulu Group M A Yusuff Ali (sixth left); Ambassador of India to Qatar Dr. Deepak Mittal (second left) and Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf (fifth right) with other officials during the opening of Lulu Hypermarket in Ain Khaled, yesterday.
Speaking to the media persons, Yusuff Ali said: “In line with the growing trend of rising demand for digitalisation, transformation and innovation to ensure sustainability, we have introduced a lot of new features in our new stores and we are also upgrading existing stores.”
He said that Lulu Group has big expansion plan, even during pandemic it opened four outlets.
“Thanks to Qatari leadership and government for their full support, we will expand more stores offering quality products at competitive prices, including premium products and good services.”
Yusuff Ali said that the new store opening comes in line with the Lulu Group’s commitment to the Qatari leadership’s vision and energy for a bright future. The Group is already planning to open more stores at Barwa Al Khor, Giardino Mall at The Pearl-Qatar, and Barwa Madinat.
“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.”
Yusuff Ali said, “Qatar is gearing up for the mega sporting event and also for the Asian Games 2030. 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.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group International, 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 government 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.”
He said that these are new generation stores, which will reduce carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 in order to become carbon neutral.
“Going forward, we aim to make our stores carbon neutral,” said Dr. Althaf.
The Lulu Qatar operations has 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. 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 your nearest Lulu Hypermarket has never been so easy with many vegan staples readily available in stores.
The 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 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, including an area dedicated for Juice Station, and a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood.
Shoppers will be encouraged to eat healthy 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 and the Toys Section features specially chosen collection of STEM-tainment 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 in premises: Starbucks, McDonalds and Papa John’s Pizza. The new hypermarket also encompasses other leading tenant mix such as Ooredoo counter managed by RPTech WLL, V Eye P Optics, Jawhara Jewellery and Doha Beauty Centre among others.