A major hypermarket chain in the UAE, Lulu, has placed a purchase limit on hand sanitisers to prevent customers from “hoarding or profiteering”.
Shoppers at any one of the firm's 67 branches can only buy two hand sanitisers per customer.
Scarcity fears over hygiene products have been growing worldwide, particularly in the United States where people have been clearing out shop shelves. Toilet paper has also been in high demand.
We've noticed people who are hoarding it at home or they try to sell it online at a higher cost.
Speaking to The National, chief communications officer at Lulu Group, V Nandakumar, said demand for sanitisers and other hygiene products had shot up since the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have strict instructions not to profiteer from this and we have kept a purchase limit on some products. Sometimes, we’ve noticed people who are hoarding it at home or they try to sell it online at a higher cost.
“We are not allowing customers to buy more than two sanitisers and we are encouraging against bulk buying.”
The policy came as a man in America made international headlines for storing 17,000 bottles of hand sanitisers to sell it for profit.
He also bought thousands of packs of antibacterial wipes and listed the products for sale on Amazon. The online retailer later took down his posts.
In the UAE, authorities have warned companies against profiting from hygiene products.
Mr Nandakumar said the hypermarket has bought extra hygiene products to meet the needs of the increased demand.
Carrefour operator Majid Al Futtaim Group said it too was working towards ensuring the supermarket could meet the increasing demand for various cleaning products.
Alain Bejjani, chief executive of the group, took to social media to say: “Our Majid Al Futtaim, Carrefour, are hard at work filling the increasing demand for online orders to ensure that you have what you need and when you need it. And we’ll continue to do so as long as you need us."
He said Carrefour's 'dark stores' - or online shopping facilities - would also stock items and help meet demand.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
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Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
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2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
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