15 September 2011
KUWAIT: The Geant Easy Supermarket, one of the hypermarket chain's smaller branches located on Road 602 in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, was inaugurated yesterday. The new, 24-hour G�ant Easy branch is the second of its kind in Kuwait after the first opened in Salmiya, although there is also a larger G�ant Hypermarket in the 360 Mall.
The Kuwait Times' Editor-in-Chief, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, was the guest of honor at the opening event, jointly cutting the ceremonial ribbon along with Mohd Ashfaq Shaikh, the country head of Fu-Com Kuwait, the master franchise for G�ant in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. The inaugural ceremony took place in the presence of a large gathering of dignitaries including Ambassadors Shahed Reza of Bangladesh, Dasho Sherub Tenzin of Bhutan, Madhuban Poudel of Nepal and Shulan O.
Primavera of the Philippines. Amongst the other prominent figures attending the event were Michel Boivin, the Chief of Economic Services at the French Embassy, Ahmed Al-Sarawi, the chairman of Fu-Com Kuwait's board and Mohamed Al-Marzook, its director.
Even before the opening ceremony yesterday, hundreds of customers were already queuing the supermarket for the chance to be the first to shop there and take advantage of the expected surprise offers, discounts and several privileges given to the first few customers. Speaking to the Kuwait Times during yesterday's opening, Fu-Com Kuwait's senior official Shaikh explained, "We plan to grow our market share in Kuwait and get into niche areas with our supermarket brand G�ant Easy. The Souk Al Jleeb location, with its ideal catchment area and tremendous potential for retail growth, offers us a great opportunity to showcase our supermarkets in Kuwait.
G�ant Easy is planned as a 24- hour grocery supermarket, although this round-the-clock opening status will be reviewed after six months. "We have to test the market," explained Operations Manager Yousef Bhatti. "Maybe in the next five-six months, G�ant Jleeb will open 24 hours," Bhatti further revealed that an expansion program is underway for G�ant in Kuwait with the popular French chain expecting to open further branches in Farwaniya, Fahaheel, Sulaibikhat, Jahra and Fintas in the next five or six month
s.
Spread across 2,050 square meters of floor space over two storeys, the Jleeb G�ant Easy, located in the Souq Al-Jleeb Fruit, Vegetables and Meat Market, will serve customers in Jleeb and neighboring areas. "We have about 40,000 product items here, mostly from various local sources," Bhatti told the Kuwait Times, adding, "All items are compressed [into a smaller space] in a smaller venue, but we have the same products as you see in our hypermarket; everything's available here from frozen to can goods/groceries, fresh produce, beverages, poultry products, houseware, stationery, cleaning items, an electronics section.
Although Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh itself is an area predominantly populated by expatriates, with most residents being from the Indian subcontinent, Egypt, the Philippines and Arabic-speaking countries, Bhatti explained that G�ant is targeting the domestic market too. "There's a very large Kuwaiti area called Abdullah Al-Mubarak here with about 6,000 villas; they are our target to bring our services closer to their homes," he said.
On the growing market competition, Bhatti noted: "We don't compete, we complement each other. Maybe in terms of prices, yes, and that is good for our customers; for example, for us here every week we offer discounted products, not just in the grocery sections, but even from the garments and electronics sections.
Despite the rapidly growing competition between different retailers in Kuwait, supermarkets like G�ant are doing well, Mohammed Ashfaq, G�ant's country manager, told the Kuwait Times. "We have a very good market share of customers. You know who is losing customers - the Cooperative Societies; they are losing customers because people nowadays are looking for better value for money, quality, convenience and atmosphere." He added, "We provide the best value for money and quality, but we are proud to offer better facilities and a friendly atmosphere as well.
Ashfaq continued: "The overwhelming response of customers to the second G�ant Easy store in Kuwait right from day one is a clear indication that our strategy of bringing international retail brand experience to local neighborhoods is exactly the way to go. Customers will benefit from our great bargain prices and wide range of fruits and vegetables that will ensure we become the first choice for shopping in the area.
Another of the distinguished guests at yesterday's opening, T.A. Ramesh, the country director of Gulfmart in Kuwait, congratulated G�ant on its success. "I am happy to be here at the G�ant opening; as you know, we are all under one umbrella and we support G�ant all the way," he told the Kuwait Times. According to G�ant's marketing strategy, the G�ant Easy concept is tailored to catering to precisely defined consumer needs and reflecting consumer trends and spending patterns in and around its outlets' catchment areas.
The strategy of offering differentiation in retail layouts based on location is at the core of G�ant's new assertive expansion drive that is aimed at outpacing competition and gaining greater brand prominence and market dominance. G�ant, which operates 114 stores worldwide, entered into association with Retail Arabia in 2001 to launch its Middle East operations. Since opening the first G�ant Hypermarket in Bahrain, Retail Arabia has adapted the hypermarket's international retailing experiences and success
fully pitched itself in different retail formats, to meet the needs, tastes and aspirations of local customers.
KUWAIT: The Geant Easy Supermarket, one of the hypermarket chain's smaller branches located on Road 602 in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, was inaugurated yesterday. The new, 24-hour G�ant Easy branch is the second of its kind in Kuwait after the first opened in Salmiya, although there is also a larger G�ant Hypermarket in the 360 Mall.
The Kuwait Times' Editor-in-Chief, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, was the guest of honor at the opening event, jointly cutting the ceremonial ribbon along with Mohd Ashfaq Shaikh, the country head of Fu-Com Kuwait, the master franchise for G�ant in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. The inaugural ceremony took place in the presence of a large gathering of dignitaries including Ambassadors Shahed Reza of Bangladesh, Dasho Sherub Tenzin of Bhutan, Madhuban Poudel of Nepal and Shulan O.
Primavera of the Philippines. Amongst the other prominent figures attending the event were Michel Boivin, the Chief of Economic Services at the French Embassy, Ahmed Al-Sarawi, the chairman of Fu-Com Kuwait's board and Mohamed Al-Marzook, its director.
Even before the opening ceremony yesterday, hundreds of customers were already queuing the supermarket for the chance to be the first to shop there and take advantage of the expected surprise offers, discounts and several privileges given to the first few customers. Speaking to the Kuwait Times during yesterday's opening, Fu-Com Kuwait's senior official Shaikh explained, "We plan to grow our market share in Kuwait and get into niche areas with our supermarket brand G�ant Easy. The Souk Al Jleeb location, with its ideal catchment area and tremendous potential for retail growth, offers us a great opportunity to showcase our supermarkets in Kuwait.
G�ant Easy is planned as a 24- hour grocery supermarket, although this round-the-clock opening status will be reviewed after six months. "We have to test the market," explained Operations Manager Yousef Bhatti. "Maybe in the next five-six months, G�ant Jleeb will open 24 hours," Bhatti further revealed that an expansion program is underway for G�ant in Kuwait with the popular French chain expecting to open further branches in Farwaniya, Fahaheel, Sulaibikhat, Jahra and Fintas in the next five or six month
s.
Spread across 2,050 square meters of floor space over two storeys, the Jleeb G�ant Easy, located in the Souq Al-Jleeb Fruit, Vegetables and Meat Market, will serve customers in Jleeb and neighboring areas. "We have about 40,000 product items here, mostly from various local sources," Bhatti told the Kuwait Times, adding, "All items are compressed [into a smaller space] in a smaller venue, but we have the same products as you see in our hypermarket; everything's available here from frozen to can goods/groceries, fresh produce, beverages, poultry products, houseware, stationery, cleaning items, an electronics section.
Although Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh itself is an area predominantly populated by expatriates, with most residents being from the Indian subcontinent, Egypt, the Philippines and Arabic-speaking countries, Bhatti explained that G�ant is targeting the domestic market too. "There's a very large Kuwaiti area called Abdullah Al-Mubarak here with about 6,000 villas; they are our target to bring our services closer to their homes," he said.
On the growing market competition, Bhatti noted: "We don't compete, we complement each other. Maybe in terms of prices, yes, and that is good for our customers; for example, for us here every week we offer discounted products, not just in the grocery sections, but even from the garments and electronics sections.
Despite the rapidly growing competition between different retailers in Kuwait, supermarkets like G�ant are doing well, Mohammed Ashfaq, G�ant's country manager, told the Kuwait Times. "We have a very good market share of customers. You know who is losing customers - the Cooperative Societies; they are losing customers because people nowadays are looking for better value for money, quality, convenience and atmosphere." He added, "We provide the best value for money and quality, but we are proud to offer better facilities and a friendly atmosphere as well.
Ashfaq continued: "The overwhelming response of customers to the second G�ant Easy store in Kuwait right from day one is a clear indication that our strategy of bringing international retail brand experience to local neighborhoods is exactly the way to go. Customers will benefit from our great bargain prices and wide range of fruits and vegetables that will ensure we become the first choice for shopping in the area.
Another of the distinguished guests at yesterday's opening, T.A. Ramesh, the country director of Gulfmart in Kuwait, congratulated G�ant on its success. "I am happy to be here at the G�ant opening; as you know, we are all under one umbrella and we support G�ant all the way," he told the Kuwait Times. According to G�ant's marketing strategy, the G�ant Easy concept is tailored to catering to precisely defined consumer needs and reflecting consumer trends and spending patterns in and around its outlets' catchment areas.
The strategy of offering differentiation in retail layouts based on location is at the core of G�ant's new assertive expansion drive that is aimed at outpacing competition and gaining greater brand prominence and market dominance. G�ant, which operates 114 stores worldwide, entered into association with Retail Arabia in 2001 to launch its Middle East operations. Since opening the first G�ant Hypermarket in Bahrain, Retail Arabia has adapted the hypermarket's international retailing experiences and success
fully pitched itself in different retail formats, to meet the needs, tastes and aspirations of local customers.
© Kuwait Times 2011
