Lulu Hypermarket Group opened on Sunday its 83rd outlet in the Gulf region and the second in Riyadh. Yousuf Ali, Managing Director, Lulu Hypermarket Group and Talmiz Ahmed, Indian Ambassador jointly inaugurated the outlet involving an investment of SR1 billion and promising creation of job oppurtunities to as many as 1,500 young Saudis. Ali said about 130 Saudi youths have already been recruited to work at Lulu stores in the Kingdom. He said 1,500 Saudis will also be recruited to work in Lulu hypermarkets and department stores slated to be inaugurated during the next one year across the Kingdom. Besides, salespersons Lulu will also recruit Saudis to work in different capacities in various other departments, he said. “We will send the young Saudis outside the Kingdom for training at our HR and training division based in the UAE and other GCC countries,” Ali said. He said Lulu's major focus will be on opening a number of hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia. However, Lulu will introduce a new shopping concept in Saudi Arabia by introducing Lulu Express, an entirely new shopping experience in consumer market, he said. Instead of people coming to us we will go to the people through Lulu Express, the convenient stores to be opened in difference locations in the country, he said. The future for hypermarkets that sell goods such as foodstuff, clothing and a number of other commodities is very bright in Saudi Arabia as elsewhere in the world, he said. Lulu's business strategy is to offer more choices to the consumers on reasonably affordable prices, he added. Packer Koya P. Ali, Regional Director, Lulu said within the next one year Lulu, which opened its first hypermarket last year in Al-Khobar will open 10 more stores in Saudi Arabia in cities including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Jubail and Hofuf. He said construction of hypermarkets and department stores is currently under way in the Eastern Province, Riyadh and Jeddah. “This is our 83rd store in the Gulf and second in Saudi Arabia that also employs Saudi women, to work as salespersons, particularly at the lingerie section,” he said. A Lulu Hypermarket will be ready for a grand opening in Riyadh at Murabba District in November this year. Two more hypermarkets will be opened one each at Batha in Bin Sulaiman Mall and at Exit 20, off Khurais Street, he said. In Jeddah Lulu plans two hypermarkets, one at Palestine Street and the other at Makkah Highway, Koya said. The Indian envoy to the Kingdom appreciated the efforts of the Lulu group saying Lulu's opening in Riyadh is a good example of ties between India and the Gulf countries.
