RIYADH, 29 April 2004 — French hypermarket Géant has arrived in the Kingdom with the first branch opening yesterday in Riyadh.
Géant — not to be confused with the existing Giant Stores — is one of France’s leading hypermarket chains and has 250 stores across the globe from Asia to Latin America.
“The launch of Géant hypermarket in Riyadh represents a qualitative leap in the Alhokair Group’s quest for providing a unique shopping experience in our country,” Fawaz Abdul Aziz Alhokair, chairman of Géant Saudi and the Fawaz Alhokair Group, said at the launch. “Our long-term strategy,” he said, “is to position Géant at the forefront of hypermarket chains in the Kingdom by providing a broad range of products and catering to the customers’ needs with the best prices.”
Géant plans to attract 10,000-15,000 customers per day. “What makes this ambitious goal possible is the synergy between two giants in their own fields — the Fawaz Alhokair Group and Groupe Casino (owner of the Géant brand),” Fawaz said.
The Riyadh Géant store is the one of four planned in stage one of the company’s development plans in Saudi Arabia. The three others will be in Alkhobar, Dammam and Jeddah, according to Fawaz. Further expansion, at a cost of SR500 million, will see at least another 12 hypermarkets across the Kingdom within the next five years.
Fawaz believed the venture would create thousands of jobs for Saudis and provide them with world-class retail training. Around 40 percent of the 500-strong staff in the Riyadh hypermarket are Saudis.
Located on Khurais Road, Géant hypermarket has a play area for children and enough parking for 1,500 cars.
Mohammad Adil, chief executive officer of Géant Saudi, said the store stocked over 55,000 products from groceries to cosmetics, clothing to household goods and home entertainment.
“This is a mart meant for people from all walks of life and our prices are comparatively low,” General Manager Eric Bas said.
Fawaz Alhokair Group is one of the largest retailers in the Kingdom and the Middle East with 500 outlets operating under different name in the Kingdom and representing more than 42 international brands.
