The leading retail chain, LuLu Group has launched its newest hypermarket in eastern city of Dammam with the inauguration of LuLu Mall. The hypermarket which is also 16th in the Kingdom and 161st globally was officially inaugurated by Eng. Fahd Al-Jubair, mayor of Eastern Province, in the presence of Abdul Rehman Bin Fahad Al Muqbel, director general of Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Khalid Ahamed Al Obaid, director, Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Yusuff Ali MA, chairman of LuLu Group, government officials and dignitaries. Strategically located on King Fahd Road, the four-level shopping mall houses global brands, entertainment centers, food court etc. for the whole family with a total built up area of 580,000 sq. feet and is managed by LuLu Properties, the shopping mall division of LuLu Group. A major highlight of the newly opened LuLu Mall will be the 6-screen multiplex cinema, the first in Eastern region slated to be operational by mid-2019. Talking to media, Yusuff Ali M A said, "We are really excited to open this new mall and hypermarket in Dammam, which will not only bring world-class shopping to the residents here but also open employment opportunities for the Saudi national." Elaborating on the group's expansion plans, Yusuff Ali said, "We are upbeat about the vast investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, thanks to the Kingdom's Vision 2030. We have already announced that as part of our expansion plans, 15 new hypermarkets will be opened in the Kingdom by 2020 at an investment of SR1.5 billion. Under this plan, 3 hypermarkets have already been opened and another 2 hypermarkets are slated to open each in Riyadh and Jeddah, this year." "This is apart from the SR1.2 billion that we have already invested in the Kingdom till now," he added. Recently, we have signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian National Guard to open two shopping centers and seven supermarkets in Dammam and Al Ahsa, which will further generate sizable employment for local Saudi youth and serve the National Guard officials and their families in best possible manner. Works are in full swing to open three stores in National Guard campus before the end of 2019. "Saudi economy is booming thanks to the major reform being implemented by the visionary leadership here, and I am sure these initiatives will surely make KSA one of the top global economic powerhouse," noted Yusuff Ali. Apart from the retail expansion, LuLu Group is also investing another SR250 million in setting up one million square feet state-of-the-art wholesale and logistics center in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) to support the retail expansion, ensuring food security. LuLu Group currently employs 3,050 Saudi nationals including 750 women in their various hypermarkets across the Kingdom. "Our goal is to give employment to more than 5,000 nationals by the end of 2020 out of which 1,700 will be women," added Yusuff Ali. "We also take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and the government who have always given tremendous support to investments and economic development which ultimately generate more employment opportunities to the Saudi citizens." With 16 hypermarkets and eight Aramco commissaries in its entity, LuLu has firmly established itself as one of the most preferred retail destinations for both citizens and the expatriate community residing in the Kingdom. — SG
