RIYADH: Indian retail giant Lulu rolled out its first “Lulu Department Store” in Riyadh on Sunday, taking its total store count to 83 across the Middle East. Indian billionaire Yusuffali M. A., Emke Group’s managing director, who flew to Riyadh for a four-hour visit, inaugurated the store together with Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed and announced plans to invest SR1 billion in the Saudi retail sector.
Speaking to reporters, Yusuffali pledged to hire 1,500 Saudi workers within the next few months on a staggered schedule. He said that the young workers would be trained in other GCC countries and abroad. He was joined by Ambassador Ahmed, Naser Al-Falasy, charge d’ affaires at the UAE embassy; and Saleh Ibrahim Al-Habdan, former Riyadh police chief, in cutting the ribbon to mark the opening of the department store.
This new 10,000 square meters store is located at Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz Road in Rabwa district. After taking a tour of the store, Yusuffali said that “This store is the first of its kind in Riyadh with a women’s section, including its lingerie shop, staffed only by Saudi saleswomen. “We already have six Saudi girls among our staffers,” he said, adding that the total number of Saudi workers exceeds 430 at the moment.
Concerning future projects, Yusuffali said that there were plans to open four hypermarkets in Riyadh in addition to one hypermarket and one supermarket in Jeddah. The Emke Group, he said, had also finalized plans to open three hypermarkets and a department store in the Eastern Province within 12 to 18 months. In the Eastern Province, Lulu’s stores will be located in Dammam, Jubail and Hofuf besides the existing Lulu Huypermarket in Alkhobar.
He pointed out, “This department store is our second venture in Saudi Arabia after opening a world-class hypermarket in Alkhobar. We will go more for hypermarkets and express stores,” said the’ chief, adding that this represented an expansion into neighborhood-style retail outlets in Saudi Arabia which aim at offering more convenience and comfort to local customers.
Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador Ahmed said: “I am extremely delighted to see that a major Indian enterprise is opening a store in Riyadh.” “The opening of Lulu stores in the Kingdom and across the Gulf states is a very good manifestation of the growing Indo-Gulf ties in the economic field, mainly because these stores are giving employment and promoting business ties, while Emke Group is putting in a lot of investment.”
“This new department store offers all the amenities of comfort, convenience and pleasures of modern shopping, said Packer Koya P. Ali, Lulu’s regional director for Saudi Arabia.
Koya said that the store had 20 checkout counters for hassle-free shopping with ample car parking facilities. The store also features the whole range of fashion wear for men, women and children. There are separate wings for electronics, ladies garments and home furnishings with several racks, said Koya. He explained that the two-storey store had been designed in a way to make it comfortable and environment-friendly.
“In keeping with its endeavor to provide the best quality products in the most hygienic way, the Emke Group has invested heavily in special areas of the store,” said Sehim Mohammed Unni, Lulu’s commercial manager. Moreover, the kind of “support and patronage we have been receiving” from both locals and expatriate community have been tremendous and we look forward to providing them world-class quality and service at our store, he pledged.
The time also works to Emke’s advantage given that Ramadan is approaching and traditionally people spend more during this period, said Abdul Basheer M., Lulu’s regional manager for the Eastern Province, who came to Riyadh to attend the opening. Lulu hypermarkets have grabbed nearly a third of the entire Gulf’s retail market share accounting for nearly 350,000 footfalls daily in its stores in the Gulf region including Saudi Arabia.
The Emke Group is currently busy giving final touches to its preparations to launch its entry into the North African market by opening its first department store in Egypt. In India, it is building the country’s biggest shopping mall in the southern city of Kochi. Yusuffali M.A., the owner of the popular Lulu supermarket chain, has been listed by The Wall Street Journal as one of the 20 most influential people in the United Arab Emirates. He is also closely associated with the businessmen of the Kingdom and is currently involved in many projects.
