Lulu opens new outlet in Suwaiq

Muscat: Middle East retail major Lulu Group has further expanded its presence in the Sultanate of Oman by opening its latest hypermarket in Suwaiq, a coastal town in the north east of the country.
The 16th Lulu hypermarket in Oman was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Muhanna bin Saif bin Salim Al Lamki, governor of North Al Batinah in the presence of several high-ranking officials from various government departments and representatives from local business communities, says a press release.
The new 100,000-sq-ft Lulu hypermarket will serve the residents of Suwaiq and its surrounding areas with a wide range of products from all over the world. The hypermarket has separate sections for fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy products, ready-to-eat products and a state-of-the-art live bakery and hot foods kitchen and a huge area dedicated to department store which includes garment, electronics, IT products, home appliances etc. The product mix in Lulu Suwaiq encompasses a wide selection of premium UK and US goods, including special products air-flown for freshness. The new hypermarket will have lots of inaugural offers and deals in almost all categories.
Speaking after the inauguration, Yusuff Ali M. A., chairman of Lulu, said: “Oman has always been a preferred destination for us because of its stable political environment and promising market. We thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the people of this country for encouraging us in all our expansion strategies and efforts in Oman. The group will open seven more hypermarkets in various regions of the country in the next two years,” added Yusuff Ali.
Nurturing local talent
On providing training and employment opportunity to the educated Omani youth, he said: “It is also our endeavour to nurture the local talent and a proof of this is our strong Omani work force of 2,000 strong that form the nucleus of our operations here in Oman. Our aim in the wake of the aggressive expansion plans is to provide employment to more Omani nationals by the end of 2017,” said Yusuff Ali. Currently Lulu provides best quality training to absorb them in various managerial and specialised sections to Omanis,” he added.
Regardless of the challenges arising from the volatile oil prices, Yusuff Ali expressed optimism on the economic outlook of the country. “We’re very optimistic based on the circumstances in general. The impact of fluctuating oil prices is not going to distract us from the long-term goals of our business in Oman. Despite the signs of fiscal caution, there is no need for residents to press the panic button. The government has initiated comprehensive measures and substantial strategies to tide over the crisis and create a positive impact on the lives of citizens. This is definitely a clear sign that the economy is on track to overcome the challenges and achieve its objectives successfully.”
Other important attendees at the inauguration were Saifee Rupawala, CEO of Lulu Group, Ashraf Ali M. A., executive director, Ananth A. V., Oman Regional Director, and other top officials.