Lulu Hypermarket has opened its first eco-friendly Express branch in NEOM, Saudi Arabia.
The store – selling a wide variety of groceries and household products, with an emphasis on quick service – was inaugurated on February 28.
As part of the brand’s commitment to sustainability, the 8,500-square-foot store is fully powered by renewable solar energy and all transactions are paperless.
The branch even has special ‘green’ lanes, giving priority to shoppers at checkout who bring their own-reusable, non-plastic bags.
Lulu Group head MA Yussuff Ali said: “First of all, I want to thank the leadership of this country for giving us this opportunity to set up the first Lulu store in the futuristic NEOM City. We are very excited by the immense prospects that are opening up in the Kingdom and we are firm in our commitment of further investments and expansion in the Kingdom.”
NEOM, a smart and eco-friendly city in north-eastern Saudi Arabia, will operate entirely on renewable energy resources and be free of cars and carbon emissions when fully complete.
Shehim Mohammed, director of Lulu Hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia, said: “We are excited to be a part of the NEOM project – it is a futuristic steppingstone and Lulu sees this as the start of a new retail experience in Saudi Arabia.
“Though hypermarkets continue to be our primary focus area, we also intend to open more of these express stores to cater to the growing demand of suburbs and gated communities. The strong brand loyalty and location advantage will surely help Lulu Express become a dominant player in this sector also.”
