H.E Yahya Bin Hamoud Bin Hamad Al Ma’amari, the Governor of Buraimi unveiling the commemorative plaque of the Dhs. 140 million Lulu Shopping Mall during the Foundation stone laying ceremony at Buraimi.
With big plans afoot for the year ahead, Lulu took another step towards strengthening its position in the Sultanate by starting off construction on its Buraimi outlet. The foundation stone for the ambitious project was laid by H.E Yahya Bin Hamoud Bin Hamad Al Ma’amari, the Governor of Buraimi. To be built with RO 14 million, this new hypermarket will feature a multiplex cinema, amusement area, food court, coffee shops and a wide variety of product lines under one roof. Upon completion, this shopping mall will serve its purpose of shopping with leisure.
At the stone laying ceremony, Yusuffali MA, Managing Director of Lulu Hypermarkets group, spoke about the support the Lulu group has received from government and people alike. Taking the Lulu experience of quality and value to every corner of Oman, he promised, was the goal for 2010. Since opening doors, Lulu has become a name that has changed lives everywhere for the better. The popularity of Lulu has injected new life into the localities around it, changing the whole topography all around it. The people of Buraimi, a governorate fast reinventing itself from being just a border town to a hub of commercial trading activity, are hoping Lulu will be doing the same for them. As Mr. Yusuffali MA puts it, “In Oman, Lulu intends to take the stores to different Wilayats to be as close to the shoppers as possible. It is a constant endeavour to bring world class shopping to the majority of residents of this great country that keeps pushing Lulu forward everyday.”
In continuation with its policy of encouraging and nurturing local enterprise, the Buraimi outlet will showcase products from Buraimi prominently. Apart from reflecting tenets of architecture from around the region in the outlet itself, Lulu also plans to give local businesses a boost. The biggest influence will be the employment opportunities created by the opening of the new outlet. Currently Lulu employs over 1600 Omanis in various operations and the intentions are to double this figure by the end of 2011. On the occasion, Mr. Yusuffali MA also praised the pro development and liberalised policies under the wise leadership of H.M. Sultan Qaboos which has attracted huge foreign investments to Oman. “In Oman, our operations are not at all affected by the recent global financial recession and this gives me greater confidence about Oman” he added.
With almost a decade long presence in the Sultanate, Lulu has firmly established itself as the most preferred retail destination to both locals and the large expatriate community residing here. It ranked first in its category and among the top 10 overall in the Oman Observer survey of the 130 best brands in Oman, underscoring its impact on the economic landscape. It was also awarded as the “Retail Company of the Year” and features in the Super Brands top hundred brands of the Gulf.
The Lulu philosophy has always been ‘good quality products at affordable prices with best service’. Now that philosophy is at the doorstep of Buraimi, which is cause for great cheer indeed.
