Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
One of the kingdom’s most popular hypermarkets is this month celebrating a decade of operation in Bahrain … and will be staging a series of sensational special 10th birthday celebratory offers for shoppers to mark the occasion.
The first store opened in Dana Mall in September 2007 and GulfWeekly covered its unveiling and watched as shoppers flocked to see what was in store.
With spacious aisles filled with a large variety of products, whether detergents, garments, electronics or exotic food items, Lulu Hypermarket quickly won customer loyalty for its service, quality and value-for-money … and helped change the retail scene.
Regional director Juzer T. Rupawala said: “It’s a great feeling to mark the start of our second decade in Bahrain.”
The seeds of the Lulu Hypermarket chain were planted by Yusuff Ali M.A. who started in the 1990s with department stores and supermarkets in the UAE. The first hypermarket was opened in 2000 and the Lulu Group now boasts137 worldwide.
Flashback 10 years to Dana Mall and in an exclusive interview with GulfWeekly’s former shopping columnist Shilpa Chandran, Juzer said that the hypermarket was a ‘totally new and fresh design’, adding: “We are sure no-one else will be able to offer the variety and selection of products customers will find here.”
In such a competitive market, few analysts could have predicted the company’s staggering success and growth with customers across the kingdom now served with six hypermarkets – at Dana Mall, in Riffa, in A’ali’s Ramli Mall, in Hidd, at Juffair Mall and Galleria Mall – with more to come.
“The completion of 10 years in Bahrain is marked by immense satisfaction at meeting goals and excitement at reaching upward for new growth powered by our chairman Yusuff Ali M.A.’s vision,” added Juzer.
“The celebration is a 10th anniversary for the Lulu Hypermarket Bahrain operations and not just one store. We are celebrating what was the start of our successful Bahrain journey.
“Instead of waiting for the customer, we went to them by opening outlets in different areas. We offered a shopping experience that was uniform in standard when it came to customer service and quality but was tweaked at every different location to match customer needs of that locality.
“This combination of accessibility, uniform standards and local specialisation has been Lulu’s ‘change-maker’ contribution to Bahrain’s retail scene.
“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we would like to place on record our thanks to the visionary rulers of Bahrain whose clear template of progress for the kingdom has guided us and encouraged us to invest here.
“We thank all our stakeholders – our customers who have given us their trust and their confidence, our employees who have been our partners in success and our suppliers who have stood with us in offering the best and the most cost-effective shopping experience.
“We have dreams of greater success in Bahrain and we welcome you to continue with us on the onward journey.”
Today, shoppers come to malls and hypermarkets not just to shop but for an ‘experience’. Lulu delivers with numerous festivals highlighting the cultural and food heritage of different countries and regular promotions such as its Digital Shopping Festivals and Back-to-School promotions, for example, underpinned by a customer service commitment.
Lulu Hypermarket’s sixth mega-store in Zinj’s Galleria Mall opened last year with a VIP-packed inauguration ceremony and Lulu Group’s Yusuff Ali M.A. welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. The Minister of Industry & Commerce Zayed Al Zayani, Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan, ambassadors, ministers and leading local businessmen were also present.
As reported recently in GulfWeekly, the signs are up that leasing is now taking place at the Atrium Mall & Towers, in Janabiya, which already boasts a planned giant Lulu and cinema complex.
The anniversary promotions will run over a month and include special one-day offers, weekend promotions and fun activities for the family.
