His Royal Highness Prince Saud Bin Abdulla Bin Abdul Aziz in the presence of H.E. Talmiz Ahmad, India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, MD Mallya, Chairman of Bank of Baroda, one of India’s’ leading public sector Bank, Ashok Gupta, Chief Executive for GCC-Bank of Baroda, Yusuff Ali MA, Managing Director, Saifee Rupawala CEO, Ashraf Ali, Executive director of Lulu, prominent businessmen, government officials and other dignitaries inaugurate the 89 the branch LULU in Riyadh Avenue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh : With a clear focus on consolidating its retail dominance in the region, the LULU hypermarkets chain is expanding in both existing as well as new markets around the Gulf region. The 89 outlet of Lulu Hypermarket was opened today in Riyadh, the second in the city, by His Royal Highness Prince Saud Bin Abdulla Bin Abdul Aziz in the presence of H.E. Talmiz Ahmad, India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, MD Mallya, Chairman of Bank of Baroda, one of India’s’ leading public sector Bank, Ashok Gupta, Chief Executive for GCC-Bank of Baroda, Yusuff Ali MA, Managing Director of Lulu, prominent businessmen, government and municipality officials and other dignitaries. The new store is located in Riyadh Avenue Mall which is also owned & managed by the EMKE Group.
Ideally located in the Murabba area of Riyadh, the Riyadh Avenue also houses many other International Brands, Restaurants, Food Courts, Jewellery shops and Coffee shops. For EMKE Group, which already has two other outlets in the Kingdom, this is the first shopping mall in Saudi Arabia. Spanning an area of more than 1 million sq. ft., the mall also boasts of a parking capacity for more than 1200 cars.
Lulu Hypermarket with more than 210,000 sq. ft shopping space is the main anchor store and is expected to become a major player in Saudi Arabia's retail sector too. The Group is already working on new projects in other parts of Kingdom.
Speaking to media person after the inauguration, Yusuffali MA, Managing Director of Lulu Hypermarket Group said “we are very clear in our approach to expansion. 3 years back we had finalized our target of reaching 100 stores and we are firmly on track to achieve that. I am very confident about the economic situation of Saudi Arabia and have full trust in the visions of HRH King Abdullah and we are fully committed to continue our forwards march."
The hypermarket will showcase the fresh food section comprising fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish and hot and cold ready-to-eat food, it also has a huge area dedicated to department store items such as electronics, IT products, home appliances, sports, stationery, furnishings and furniture and fashion brands for ladies, gents and kids. 40 cash counters to ensure hassle free shopping experience for shoppers. The outlet is expected to become the shopping destination of choice for the residents of Riyadh. In addition, and in true tradition of Lulu stores across the Gulf, the hypermarket will feature the widest choice of world class brands at the fairest prices and also offers a whole world of shopping with a good selection of brands and product lines under one roof. Lulu's winning formula of value for money quality shopping will be a matter of delight for the residents of Riyadh who will cherish the pleasurable shopping experience and the economy it offers.
Lulu Hypermarkets which employ close to 26,000 people in its various operations, has a very clear Human Resource development policy especially when it comes to providing training and job opportunities to local youth of respective countries. Lulu already employs 759 Saudi Nationals and also regularly sends them to other countries for better training and growth prospects.
"Providing job opportunities to local youth is one of our core focus areas and we will continue to recruit more nationals into our operations in different categories from frontline sales staff to technical and managerial positions. With oil price showing positive growth and recession is thing of past, we see tremendous development taking place in Gulf economies and we intend to play our part in the growth process" added Yusuffali.
