UAE | General

Shoppers set for the good times during Ramadan

There will be no price increases or shortages of food, retailers assured residents as Muslims rushed to stock up on Ramadan essentials for a month of fasting and celebration.

  • By Wafa Eisa and Marten Yousuf, Staff Reporters
  • Published: 23:30 August 31, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Consumers have a wide choice during Ramadan shopping at Al Wahda Mall's Lulu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabi.
  • Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
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Abu Dhabi/Dubai: There will be no price increases or shortages of food, retailers assured residents as Muslims rushed to stock up on Ramadan essentials for a month of fasting and celebration.

It is not uncommon for supermarkets to raise prices of food during Ramadan despite strong warnings from the authorities. The news is likely to come as a relief to inflation-wracked consumers who have been getting the jitters about further price hikes.

Ashraf Ali, executive director of Lulu Hypermarkets, said that the chain was offering a special Ramadan package of 17 items including essentials such as rice, sugar, flour and tea for a price of Dh116.50 - around Dh16 less than the market price.

"This initiative is part of our agreement with the Ministry of Economy to curb prices during Ram-adan and more importantly we in Lulu are committed to maintaining prices of all our items throughout Ramadan regardless of market conditions," said Ali, adding that the chain will not suffer from shortages of any commodity.

Date festival

Moreover, the chain yesterday launched a date festival for Ramadan in eight outlets across the country. The festival offers 80 varieties with prices ranging from Dh8 to Dh69 per kg.

Other supermarkets are guaranteeing that there will be stock available at all times while extending their operations to cope with the influx of customers during Ramadan.

"We are extending our hours of operation in some areas to cater to the needs of our patrons," a spokes-person at Spinneys told Gulf News.

"We are introducing new items that are more specific to Ramadan ... Knowing that this would be a very busy time, we stocked up to make sure there are no shortages. Our prices have remained relatively the same," the spokesperson said.

As for Carrefour, the increase in population is a factor. "We are selling more and more items in bulk to cater to the needs of those who are stocking up. You can tell that this year is much busier the moment you walk into any of our stores. We anticipated that and prepared accordingly. The problem is trying to keep the shelves stocked," a spokesperson said.

So if the shelves are empty, it merely means more people are shopping.

Taraweeh prayers

Meanwhile, Muslims last night offered special Taraweeh prayers in heavily illuminated mosques across the country to observe the beginning of Ramadan.

There are more than 5,000 mosques in the UAE, which are exceptionally crowded with worshippers all through Ramadan and particularly during Taraweeh prayers.

The evening meal is followed by traditional night prayers and a special Taraweeh prayer.

In its final preparations for Ramadan, the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf in Abu Dhabi met imams to standardise services during Ramadan.

"The authority is prepared to achieve objectives of the political leadership of the country in instilling a moderate approach to Islam," said Dr Hamdan Muslim al Mazroui, chairman of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf.

 

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