The new outlet of Lulu Hypermarket in Abu Sidra received an overwhelming response from customers on its first day of opening on Monday.
Lulu plans to open seven new outlets, taking the total to 22 stores in Qatar by 2022.
“The response by customers on first day exceeded our expectations. We received them following all the COVID-19 protocol,” said Dr. Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group International. He thanked the people of Qatar for their love and trust in Lulu Hypermarket.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Dr. Althaf said Lulu was committed to meeting the expectations of customers by offering many innovations, a reason why so many people visit Lulu outlets. “We open new Lulu outlets with a motto of bigger, better and cleaner. With retail area of over 24,000 sqm and a parking area with the capacity of 2,000 cars, Lulu outlet in Abu Sidra is offering hustle-free shopping experience to customers,” said Dr. Althaf.
He said that the customers were very fascinated with innovations offered by the outlet. “The most attractive section on first day was Internet of Things (IoT) for smart homes, a very unique experience in retail for people in Qatar. We transformed the electronic section into a smart delivering space for connected devises which is considered the largest area dedicated for smart living.
“The zero waste refill station, where shoppers can refill reusable containers with dry goods including pasta, grains and other items, was one of the major attraction points for customers.”
He said the meat-free protein counter, dairy free ice-cream counter and fresh produce area which is the largest in the country also attracted a large number of customers. Speaking about Lulu's expansion plans, he said: “We will open more stores to cover the growing population of Qatar, which is attracting an increasing number of people from all over the world because of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and other related developments.”
Dr. Althaf said the cities are expanding and people want good and convenient stores and larger outlets because of social distancing. “Assessing the demand, we have planned to expand our outlet network by opening more new outlets. Health, wealth and sustainability will be central to our expansion strategy. We will open two more outlets this year. Our ambitious plan is to open seven more outlets by 2022, totalling 22 Lulu outlets in Qatar,” said Dr. Althaf. He said the new outlets will be located in Ain Khalid, Salwa Road, Abu Hamour, Pearl Qatar, Al Khor (second outlet) and other places.
“We planned to connect people in all over the country by opening new outlets, convenient stores and e-commerce.
“Following sustainability goal of Qatar National Vision 2030, Abu Sidra Mall which houses new Lulu outlet, was designed and built using environment-friendly materials to reduce electricity and water consumption, following all sustainability standard to cut the carbon footprint.”
He said Lulu plans to cut its carbon footprint by 50 percent which will be reduced to zero gradually.
“The new outlet focused on health and wellness as we offered healthy foods such as nutritious food, meat-free, gluten-free, vegan and more.”
He said the new Lulu outlet at Abu Sidra Mall has various innovative sections such as Planet Y, a vegan hypermarket destination with a service counter entirely dedicated to plant-based products with meat-free options and meat-free butchery.
Speaking about the Lulu Cookery School, he said: “The new Lulu outlet has a dedicated in-store space for cookery demonstrations and lessons by visiting celebrity chefs, local food experts, influencers and bloggers, and Lulu’s own chefs. Sessions will be in person and virtual.”
Under the 'Zero-waste Refill Center', two aisles in the store are completely dedicated to refills where shoppers can buy refillable containers, use a paper bag or bring their own container. Customers can refill the products such as tea, cereals, pasta and other essentials.
“This initiative will encourage to reuse and recycle. Major brands such as 24 Mantra, Organic Tattva, Agrofino, Somerset, White’s and Pasta Toscana are currently available at the refill aisles.”
He said ‘Love you Honey’ section is stocked with a gourmet collection of the best honey from around the world including Georgia, Yemen, Iran, India, Turkey, Ukraine and Germany, to name a few.