DUBAI // New home-grown grocery stores are looking to cash in on the growing market by catering to smaller communities and marketing their outlets as close and convenient.
SouqExtra!, a line of small shopping and community centres featuring a grocery store and services such as dry-cleaning and fast-food outlets, has 10 projects being developed, with the first opening in Dubai's Ewan Residences as early as May. Near Buy, a chain of small convenience grocery stores, has opened 25 outlets since it launched in June last year.
"These big hypermarkets are not the big thing any more," said Saleh Lootah, the managing director of SouqExtra! "People don't want to search for parking, drive on the highways. They don't want to wait in a line for a short [shopping] list. This is our aim, to be closer to the consumer."
Supermarket sales in the Emirates are forecast to increase more than 80 per cent by 2013, according to Business Monitor International (BMI), a research firm based in the UK. This forecast is driven partly by people cutting back on restaurant dining during the economic downturn, but it is mainly due to a switch to higher-value foods. BMI also expects per capita food consumption to increase 18.8 per cent by 2013.
"People still have to drink water, drink milk," said Rajeshwar Prasad, the chief executive of RAK Holding, the company behind Near Buy. "Grocery stores won't be affected by the economic meltdown."
Near Buy had planned to open 500 outlets by the first quarter of this year, but Mr Prasad said vendors did not yet have the infrastructure to deliver to numerous small outlets. Near Buy has started building a warehouse, which should be ready in a month, to streamline the supply chain. The company was likely to spend between Dh100 million (US$27.2m) and Dh150m to reach 500 outlets in the next two years, Mr Prasad said.
"We want to be as close to the customer as possible, to deliver to their doorstep. It's a niche that is difficult for the hypermarket to achieve."
Mr Lootah, who is also the chief executive of Al Islami, a halal food producer, said SouqExtra! was targeting small residential communities that have emerged during the past three years. Centres already under way include locations in Al Quoz in Dubai and Al Batheen in Al Ain.
"The demand for it is there," said Naeem Ghafoor, the chief executive of Skyline Retail Services consultancy in Dubai. "And as more and more of these [residential] areas open up that don't house huge malls, this kind of thing is required."
However, Mr Ghafoor said the success of these ventures depended on how the products were tailored to the needs of the community and how dense the population was. If the community was congested, he said, then a centrally located grocer would blossom.
Mr Lootah said that before a SouqExtra! centre was planned, the community was surveyed and the mix of retail and services was based on residents' wish lists. As well, the company hopes to lure shoppers by providing families with gathering spaces, which are in short supply.
SouqExtra! would spend about Dh300m on the first 10 stores, Mr Lootah said. The company later plans to expand throughout the region.
"We are looking to four areas which we see a lot of potential and we've been in dialogue with different investors: Saudi, Qatar, Jordan and Oman," he said.
aligaya@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets