Tuesday, Oct 18, 2011
Gulf News
Dubai: Supermarket chain LuLu closed in on the 100-store mark on Sunday, with the opening of its 96th outlet at Abu Dhabis Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre and Gold Centre, which has received a major facelift.
The new LuLu Hypermarket will operate over a 150,000 square foot area. The move is part of a Dh1.3 billion investment the Emke Group has earmarked for Abu Dhabi-specific projects in the near term.
After taking over the management rights, we have done renovations and [carried out an] extension without disturbing the aesthetic look of the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre, said Yousuf Ali, managing director of the Emke Group.
We have added another 275,000 square feet [to the] quality shopping and leisure area. In the first phase we opened LuLu Hypermarket and a few other stores, but within the next month we will have the food court, restaurants, amusement area and other branded stores.
Among the stores that opened on Sunday was Malabar Gold, which now has its second showroom in Abu Dhabi.
The Emke Group outlined an ambitious expansion plan for the LuLu brand in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and has projects such as Mushrif Mall and the Baniyas LuLu Hypermarket already operational.
It is now our focus to expand in the suburban areas of Abu Dhabi and western regions, so that residents there dont have to go long distances for quality shopping. Rather, we will bring [an] international shopping experience near to them, he said.
Abu Dhabi is our home base and will always be our priority market.
Currently, the group operates 26 large and mid sized format stores in Abu Dhabi. Going forward, it intends to focus on expanding its network of convenience stores under the LuLu Express concept.
It has seven of these now with another ten set to open next year in the suburbs and nearby districts of Abu Dhabi.
We will keep exploring all avenues to connect better with our shoppers, Yousuf Ali said.
Staff Report
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