Dubai: Supermarket operator LuLu is poised to touch the 100-store landmark in the first week of January, thus setting the platform for what will be a crucial 12 months for the group. Later in the year, the holding company, Emke Group, will open its first mall in India.
With a built-up area of more than 700,000 square metres, the LuLu Shopping Mall will be the largest in southern India and also incorporates a JW Marriott hotel. As things stand now, the launch date is scheduled for early June.
In the Gulf, the group either owns or manages seven mall facilities, including the newly-opened Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi, and plans to open another six next year.
The promoter is now looking to take the mall development concept forward through possible ventures in the Far East.
"Once this project is open, we will have developed the know-how in executing developments of this scale," said a senior spokesperson at the Emke Group. "It's fundamentally different from everything we have attempted in the past and that's why we will take a cautious approach in regard to new malls under the LuLu banner."
Potential
"While we have fixed plans for the Middle East, a market which is quite mature from a mall perspective, the chances are we could do something far more in the Far East. Beyond the primary Asian economies, there are still markets that offer a lot of potential in retail."
The Emke Group has developed a network of contacts in Asia, but primarily by way of sourcing arrangements for the merchandise at its hypermarket and supermarkets.
Meanwhile, the group opened its 98th LuLu location, in the Hidd neighbourhood of Bahrain.
Spread over four levels, the 91,440 square metre hypermarket will serve the Muharraq, Hidd and Amwaj residential areas and be the biggest retail presence for the upcoming townships such as Diyaar and Al Muharraq.
