Initiative aims to give consumers hassle-free shopping experience and tap into huge base of online shoppers
Dubai, UAE 11 June 2013: French hypermarket chain Géant has launched the UAE's first online hypermarket Géant Online (www.geantonline.ae) , offering a growing number of Internet-savvy customers the opportunity to purchase both grocery items and consumer electronics with just a few mouse clicks from the comfort of their homes or their mobile devices.
Géant Online becomes the latest addition to Géant 's portfolio of brands in the UAE, which includes Géant Hypermarkets and Géant Easy supermarkets and convenient stores, as part of an ambitious growth strategy by Fucom LLC, the master franchisee for Géant in the region, to expand in the UAE and across the GCC region over the next five years.
For some years now, customers in the UAE have been able to purchase consumer electronics online from various retail outlets but this is the first time that a supermarket chain is offering customers the opportunity to buy grocery in addition to consumer electronics products in one easy to navigate website.
Customers placing their order online can select from a wide variety of groceries as well as consumer electronics, health and beauty and household products.
Mohammad Ashfaq, Group Business Head, Fucom LLC, said: "Géant Online has been designed to meet a growing need by online shoppers and also to tap into the huge market for online shopping in the UAE, which boasts of the highest Internet penetration rates in the region. Our move towards creating a virtual hypermarket was largely influenced by the fact there's a young, tech savvy base of customers spending a significant amount of time online and that the e-commerce landscape is relatively new in this region. The new tech-savvy generation of youth prefers modern methods and access to different services, and online shopping is fast becoming their favourite way to buy goods".
Yvan Baba, Country Head UAE, said: "The simplicity of online shopping is attracting more people to shop online. Having said that, we are well aware that this channel is new and we want to tap into the same to provide complementary service to our existing customers in addition to our established brick and mortal retail. It provides a very viable alternative for people with hectic schedules and those seeking convenience."
According to published figures, the Middle East and North Africa region is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for e-commerce with sales in 2012 totaling $15 billion, which represents a whopping increase of 45 per cent. It is estimated there are more than 72 million Internet users in the Middle East and North Africa region while the UAE accounts for the highest number of internet users who shop online in this region. Internet retail sales are expected to grow by 95 percent in the UAE over the next five years.
Sajid Azmi, Head of Ecommerce and Digital Marketing, Géant and Géant Online, said: "Online grocery shopping is a sector that is growing rapidly in many countries. Given Dubai's position as a leading technology and shopping hub, and due to the increase in the internet and credit card usage in the UAE, we believe Dubai offers the ideal platform to start our online grocery business in this region. The website has also been designed taking into account the mobile nature of today's generation. Hence the website is completely usable from all iOS and Android devices.
He added: "Online shopping has opened up huge new choices for consumers, not just in terms of what they buy, but how they buy it. Géant Online aims to provide another value added complementary service to our loyal customers, as well as reaching out to those who haven't yet had the chance to shop with us yet. And we are doing this by providing an easy, hassle-free and secure way to shop from home, the choice to visit us quickly yet without having to step out of your door. Never before in the UAE has anyone attempted to sell grocery as well as electronics online. Ours is a complete hypermarket, online, an extension of our existing brick and mortar stores".
Géant Online also has a great customer support team to assist customers right from the website with online chat support, answering every service and product-related questions. Additionally, customers can access hotline and email support 7 days a week.
Géant has been operating in the region since 2001 when it opened its first hypermarket in Bahrain before launching hypermarkets in Dubai in 2005 and Kuwait in 2009. Géant Easy is the popular supermarket/convenience store brand of Géant. In the UAE, Fucom LLC also operates 7 Géant Easy supermarket/convenience stores. Fucom LLC also owns and runs nearly 30 supermarkets under various brands in the region. Globally, Géant, which is owned by the Group Casino, has over 115 hypermarkets, and is the 5th largest hypermarket group in the world.
For further information:
Sajid Azmi
Géant Online
Tel: 00 971 4 043685858
sajid.azmi@fucom.com
© Press Release 2013
