ZONESCORP, one of the largest developers of purpose-built economic zones in the United Arab Emirates, continued to roll out big announcements at SIAL Middle East 2018, with Lulu Group International revealing plans on the opening day of the conference for two new projects in ZonesCorp’s Abu Dhabi Food Zone.
Lulu Group International operates hypermarkets and shopping malls that serve more than 1.3 million shoppers daily across 157 branches in 10 countries. Lulu has become a household name in Abu Dhabi and dominated its retail landscape.
The company’s latest efforts at redefining retail involves the development of 130,000 square metre of cold storage to serve the food processing and a separate warehouse for the storage of food commodities.
Falah Al Ahbabi, Chairman of ZonesCorp, said: “We are delighted at our collaboration with Lulu Group International in line with our sustained efforts to step up public-private partnership and promote Abu Dhabi’s sustained economic growth. This supports ‘Ghadan 21’ development accelerator programme approved by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to encourage the development of projects and initiatives through promoting an improved business environment in the emirate.”
Yusuff Ali M A, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Group International, said: “The ZonesCorp team, under the dynamic leadership of His Excellency Saeed Eisa Al Khyeili, its Director General, has given us considerable support in bringing our latest ventures to fruition. Lulu Group International, based in Abu Dhabi, is keen to integrate innovation into the food processing industry in the emirate. As part of this priority, we believe the state-of-the-art food processing plant that we are looking to establish at ZonesCorp’s Food Zone in Abu Dhabi, will serve as a crucial component in meeting the growing demand of the global population.
“We are aiming to complete construction in 12 to 14 months. This plant will not only serve the needs of the UAE population, but also support our export ambitions. We currently manage 157 hypermarkets spread across the GCC region, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries, and the food we process in the UAE will also be exported to these locations.”
He added: “Abu Dhabi is the most dynamic city in the region with world-class infrastructure facilities and a very conducive atmosphere for conducting business. The support we receive from various stakeholders, including government authorities, is excellent. The ease of doing business here is second to none. ZonesCorp reflects this business-friendly attitude and we are confident that through our partnership, Lulu Group International will continue to provide the best quality products and highest level of service at the most competitive price points while adding value to all our stakeholders - both our external partners and human capital assets.”
For his part, Saeed Eisa Al Khyeili, Director General of ZonesCorp, said: “With four million square metres of prime land in the cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, the F&B Zone of ZonesCorp offers state-of-the-art infrastructure, strong logistics and transportation network, competitive lease rates, and low operating costs proving to be very attractive for food producers. The organisation holds a wealth of experience in establishing and managing economic zones, reflecting our deep understanding of the end-to-end requirements of investors during set up, construction and operation. These range from showcasing quality investment opportunities, easy access to a wide spectrum of services, facilitating access to funding and other sources and offering a stable and competitively priced supply of utilities and convenient workers’ accommodations.”
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, SIAL Middle East has over the past nine years served as a platform for food, beverage and hospitality companies to strengthen their position in the market and attract quality buyers. — SG
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