Abu Dhabi: Around Dh15 million will be allocated towards Ramadan-based initiatives, including a 17-item package being sold at a 27 per cent discount, the Abu Dhabi Co-Operative Society announced on Sunday.
Selling at Dh95 instead of its Dh130.95 value, the Ramadan Basket will include a number of staples for Ramadan such as flour, two types of rice, sugar, Vimto, oatmeal, tomato paste and beans, among others.
Speaking at the announcement, Ebrahim Al Bahar, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Co-Operative Society, said: “We took into consideration customers’ comments on last year’s Ramadan package. In general the complaints were that the basket did not contain enough variety of items which is why we included two types of rice and took into consideration not only the quantity of each item but the brand. The flour and the oats in our package are some of the best available.”
Additionally, with every ‘own brand’ item purchased, the Co-Op will donate Dh1 towards its Wish Come True initiative that is targeted towards children with serious illnesses.
With discounts reaching up to 50 per cent on some items, and 200 types of foodstuff being sold at fixed prices throughout the year, the Co-Op has assigned Dh15 million for Ramadan deals this year.
“This budget is 300 per cent higher than what we had last year. This is due to the highly competitive nature of the market this year, the increased number of retailers and the global economy,” he added.
Attending the announcement, Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, encouraged the public to make use of these offers, adding that the ministry has been working closely with the Co-Op for about eight years and is very supportive of its work.
The Co-Op is also distributing 1,200 meals to people fasting every day apart from the yearly dissemination of water, dates and ma’moul (date pies) to motorists at petrol stations in collaboration with Red Crescent.
The retailer is the first to sign up to the Ministry of Interior’s Faz’ah card which provides offers to the ministry’s employees.
“The Co-Op has been storing certain items as of March this year and has even reserved some from the distributors to ensure that we do not run out of items,” Al Bahar added.
The retailer also has three-day weekly ‘crazy offers’ during which certain items are discounted by up to 25 per cent.
The Co-Op will have 40 branches by the end of next month, including Spar and Megamart which have opened outside Abu Dhabi.
