The Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society yesterday revealed plans to expand across the region in collaboration with the Dutch supermarket chain Spar International.
The venture officially opened its flagship 3,500-square metre supermarket in Khalifa City A, complete with a dine-in area for store-prepared food. By the end of this year it will enter Qatar and Lebanon. All the venture's stores will operate under the Spar banner.
Georges Mojica, vice president of Spar Middle East and general manager of Adcoops, better known as Abu Dhabi Co-op, said Adcoops will have daily turnover of €2.5 million (Dh12.3m) by 2016 and will be "the first 100 per cent Emirati food retail chain to go regional".
The new Khalifa City supermarket is the second for the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Spar Middle East - an entity resulting from the partnership - in Abu Dhabi, after the first opened in Khalidiya in 2011.
This week, Spar Middle East will open a 450-square metre express store in the Tourist Club area. It plans to open an additional six stores in Abu Dhabi by the end of this year and is looking for locations in Dubai, Al Ain and Fujairah.
The UAE is the 36th country in the network of Spar International. Sixty-five per cent of the chain's business lies in western Europe, said Gordon Campbell, managing director and chief executive of Spar International.
The chain's largest single market is Austria.
Adcoops will open the Middle East stores under licence from Spar International, with rights to sub-licence the Spar brand name to regional partners.
The Abu Dhabi-based retailer, which runs 15 stores and had €484 million in annual turnover in 2012, seeks to leverage the partnership with Spar to enter the Arabian Gulf, Levant and North Africa markets.
Among the emerging markets, in China where Spar International has 300 stores, sales clocked €1 billion last year. The 80-year-old Dutch company is a €32bn company in terms of retail sales in 2012.
It grew by €1.36bn in retail sales last year, or up 4.6 per cent, from the same period 2011, Mr Cambell said.
The competitive food retail landscape in the UAE has global chains such as Carrefour, based in France, and Geant jostling for consumer attention with home-grown contenders such as Lulu and Sunrise City supermarkets.
Initially, the Co-op plans to enter Qatar and Lebanon with three stores each, with the first in both countries slated to open in the third quarter of this year. The Abu Dhabi Co-op has earmarked €300m to develop new shopping malls and distribution centres, said Mr Mojica. Spar Middle East aims to open a shopping centre later this year and Al Zaab Market next year. Both would be in Abu Dhabi.
The express or convenience store model would help to create entrepreneurship, to give an alternative to the customers, and help the Government to revamp the grocery business, especially after the closure of a host of mom and pop stores in Abu Dhabi to meet government food safety regulations, said Mr Mojica.
The regulations applied to the capital's 1,300 neighbourhood grocery and convenience stores with a deadline at the end of last year.
The Abu Dhabi Co-op, which started in 1981, would work on a franchise model and connect the smaller stores independently owned to its central system and distribution centres, decreasing the time required to start a grocery store, he said.
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
