Dubai: With prices of basic goods rising every year, grocery bills can dent consumers’ pockets in a major way, but the good news is that a number of supermarket operators across the UAE are discounting their merchandise by up to 75 per cent during Ramadan.
Grocery chain operators Carrefour, Almaya, Union Coop and Sharjah Cooperative Society are slashing the price tags on thousands of products at the grocery aisles mostly all throughout the holy month.
Groceries eat up a huge part of the household budget. And with consumers spending billions of dirhams a year on living essentials, the price cuts will bring respite to residents who may be struggling to make ends meet.
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A number of retailers are allocating up to Dh75 million just to bring down the prices of food and non-food products, so those who are refilling their cupboards or hosting a nightly iftar with families, are in for some huge savings. Some shops had already starated the offers earlier and may end the promotions soon, but many of the the discounts will last until the end of Ramadan.
Carrefour
At Carrefour, shoppers can save up to 70 per cent when they buy food products, special family packs and other promotional items. The French retailer is also selling for the first time “organic Ramadan baskets,” which are perfect for the health-conscious shoppers and the items in there are up to 40 per cent cheaper.
With the discounts, Carrefour estimates that consumers in the UAE can save more than Dh50 million on grocery bills.
From May 9 until the end of Ramadan, consumers can bring home two types of "Ramadan baskets" priced at Dh100 or Dh200. Those who pay Dh100, can bring home a basket containing rice, flour, cooking oil and pasta. The same items can be found in the Dh200 basket, plus dried pulses, fruit juice and a lot more.
LuLu
The retailer is also reducing the prices of many grocery items at its branches across the UAE by up to 70 per cent. The hypermarket chain operator confirmed that it has allocated Dh 30 million towards subsidizing products during Ramadan. The discounts are valid until the end of the holy month.
Union Coop
Not to be outdone is Union Coop, which has set aside a whopping Dh75 million budget to deliver discounts, and people who shop at any of the retailer’s outlets can enjoy up to 75 per cent off on more than 15,000 products.
In addition to selling goods at discounted prices, Union Coop is keeping its outlets at Umm Suqeim, Wasl and Al Twar open 24 hours during Ramadan.
Union Coop had earlier announced that it is giving away one month's salary bonus in celebration of the 100 years since the birth of Shaikh Zayed, UAE's founding father.
Sharjah Coop
Sharjah Cooperative Society is also spending Dh30 million to subsidise 1,000 products for its customers this Ramadan and this is in addition to the 50 to 70 per cent discount it’s offering this month.
Sharjah Coop's "big sale," started on May 10. However, the Ramadan discounts may last only until May 19.
Almaya
At Almaya branches, shoppers can save up to 50 per cent on their grocery bill throughout Ramadan. The discount applies to select food and non-food items, including fruits and vegetables.
“We have fruits and vegetables at very discouned prices during Ramadan. We [also] have almost 50 per cent off on Ramadan groceries and non-food items are on promotion during the holy month, like value-added, discounted prices and also buy one get one free on selected [items],” Kamal Vachani, group director of Almaya, told Gulf News.
Other grocery operators may not be giving away eye-popping discounts, but they have updated their offerings to cater to a huge demand on certain products during the fasting month.
Spinneys
At Spinneys, shoppers can expect to see a range of limited-edition products as part of the retailer’ ‘Share the Goodness’ campaign.
Deli counters at Spinneys branches will now offer special food items that combine “traditional Arabic flavours of the region with a modern twist,” such as Guaccumus (avocado hummus), beetroot hummus and freekeh salad with labneh. There are also limited-edition sweet treats and plenty of honey cakes.
Spinneys said it is increasing its production for honey cake by 250 per cent per day due to the increase in demand during Ramadan.
