Geant opens latest hypermarket in Dragon Mart extension

Dubai:  The retail sector welcomed on Tuesday the launch of the latest hypermarket in Dubai that seeks to serve communities outside the city centre.

French hypermarket chain Geant, one of the world's top retail brands, opened its new outlet in Dragon Mart 2 to cater to shoppers in Mirdif, Silicon Oasis, International City, Al Warqa, Nad Al Hammar and Rashidiya.

The 10,000-square-metre superstore is the eighth hypermarket operated by the brand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It is one of the 500 retail shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets that have found their new home at Nakheel's Dh1 billion Dragon Mart extension, which recently had its soft opening.

Dragon Mart 2 spans 1.9 million square feet. It's a two-storey shopping destination that features a12-screen Novo Cinema complex, a food court and a separate dining terrace. Some stores in the new extension are already operational, with the rest due to open shortly.

Mark Anthony Lack, chief operating officer, Geant Middle East, noted that the UAE is a “key growth market” for the company.

“We chose the location here at Dragon Mart 2 to ensure we are strategically placed to serve the heavily populated neighbourhoods of Silicon Oasis and International City to name just a few, and we look forward to welcoming our new customers to the store,” he said.

The new hypermarket will feature a wide selection of groceries with over 65,000 products, including daily deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables from local and international producers.

The retail brand is set to continue its expansion in the GCC with plans well underway to open a hypermarket in Fujairah, UAE and in Wadi Al Alsail Mall in Bahrain in the coming months.

Geant operates grocery outlets in four formats, the hypermarket, supermarket, neighbourhood and city store. The brand opened its first GCC store in Bahrain in 2001. It entered the UAE market by opening its first store in Dubai in 2005.