LuLu Hypermarket opens its 95th store at Nizwa, Oman

HE Sheikh Saad Bin Mohammed Al Saadi, Omani Minister of Commerce & Industry and Omani Minister of Awqaf & Religious Affairs HE Abdullah Al Salmi being shown around the newly inaugurated LuLu Hypermarket in Nizwa, Oman by Yusuffali MA, Saifee Rupawala, CEO and Ashraf Ali MA, Executive Director of LuLu Hypermarket Group.

H.E Sheikh Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, inaugurated LuLu’s newest landmark at Nizwa, at a glittering ceremony in the presence of dignitaries and officials from the government and the private sector. This marks LuLu’s 10th venture in Oman and the 95th in the region, following an aggressive expansion policy that saw it opening several new stores in the cities and wilayats during the past ten years. It reinforces the policy of the LuLu Group’s dedicated efforts to spread its network throughout the length and breadth of the country, creating vital connect with consumers.

With plans of reaching 100 stores by the end of the year, LuLu is all set to embark on an aggressive growth plan for, says Yusuffali, Managing Director of LuLu Group, who attributes the group’s successful presence in the country to the goodwill of the people and the government.

Explaining further, he said, “This growth has been impressive, considering that in a span of ten years, we have relentlessly pursued our dream of paving the path for LuLu to become a household name and have realised it with more than 10 stores in the Sultanate. We are indeed on track to meet our set targets.”
According to him, this uninhibited growth has been thanks, mainly, to the government of Oman, which has facilitated the smooth establishment of stores throughout the country and has assured support all the way. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s benevolent leadership has helped chart the growth of private sector organizations like ours, whose core objective is to follow the set guidelines in creating job opportunities and aiding the economy. We have been fortunate in the human resource department too, having recruited some of the best Omani employees from the pool of talented local workforce. Our constant endeavor is to develop and upgrade our staff and provide them opportunities to grow in the employee hierarchy,” he explained.

The new mall, which houses LuLu’s dedicated anchor store, amongst other facilities and host of international brands, is a reflection of the Group’s credo to offer the best shopping experience to its customers. With a dedicated team of trained locals from around area, the outlet demonstrates LuLu’s intent to not only provide shopping opportunities in every part of the country, but also present equal opportunities for the local community to grow and experience a world class shopping environment. Shoppers at this newest destination in Nizwa can soon look forward to the opening of several multi-brand outlets at the Nizwa Mall. The 200,000 sq. ft. LuLu Hypermarket is housed within the newly built Nizwa Mall constructed by LuLu Group and it will have Food Court, Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Children’s Amusement area and more than 70 branded stores in coming months. Strategically located in the heart of the city with large spaces dedicated to the hypermarket as well as its regular stores, this will soon become a landmark for all shoppers and visitors to Nizwa.

The anchor store has been designed to promote local products through the Origin Oman campaign, with dedicated aisles devoted for the display. The fresh food section, which is a hit in every LuLu hypermarket, has on offer some of the choicest local and international products at competitive prices. From fresh fruits and vegetables to fish, meat and dairy products, shoppers are spoilt for choice. The ready-to-eat counter is stacked with items that suit different palates. The department stores will house shops dealing in electronics and electrical products, home appliances and IT products, furniture, furnishing, fashion accessories, clothes, etc. A separate food court and amusement section has been provided for leisurely shoppers.

LuLu Group investments are spread all over the Gulf region, Egypt, Yemen and today the group dominates 32% of the retail “Hypermarket” sector in the Middle East. Its expansion plan includes opening new hypermarkets in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain in the coming months. Mr. Yusuffali said that the Group’s expansion plans were not affected by the world financial crisis as its business is relevant to the retail sector which was the least affected by the crisis, explaining that the group has already opened around 20 branches in 2009 and 2010 inside and outside the UAE.

Press release: 15-aug-2011