French retailer Carrefour has ceased all operations in Bahrain, following the closure of its stores in Oman in January and Jordan in November.
Carrefour announced its closure in a brief post on Instagram on Sunday, saying operations ceased on September 14. No reason was provided.
The closures come as Majid Al Futtaim, which operates Carrefour in the region, announced on Monday that it would launch its flagship grocery brand HyperMax at six locations across Bahrain.
Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim did not comment on Carrefour's decision but said its new HyperMax stores would help strengthen local supply chains.
Majid Al Futtaim is one of Dubai's biggest private sector companies and the Middle East's largest mall operator. It brought French-owned Carrefour to the region in 1995.
HyperMax has 44 locations in Jordan and Oman.
In May 2013, Majid Al Futtaim Holding bought a 25 per cent minority stake from Carrefour Group in its hypermarket business for €530 million. At the same time, the Dubai company extended its exclusive franchise partnership with Carrefour until 2025.
Majid Al Futtaim Retail currently holds the exclusive rights to operate Carrefour across 12 markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with a network of more than 390 stores, according to its website.
The company also operates Supeco, a low-cost hybrid grocery retail model that combines a traditional supermarket with a wholesale warehouse, across 17 locations in Egypt.
Majid Al Futtaim said HyperMax is partnering with more than 250 Bahraini farmers, producers and suppliers, and will operate with more than 1,600 employees.
The retail sector across the Middle East and North Africa is expanding, especially in the Gulf, where sales are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent to reach $386.9 billion in 2028, from $309.6 billion in 2023, Alpen Capital said in a report last year.
The growth is expected to be supported by an increase in population, rise in per capita income and boost in tourism activities, Alpen added.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
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
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Read more about the coronavirus
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Political flags or banners
-
Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
