Two new SPAR stores have opened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), demonstrating great development in a region identified by SPAR International as having strong growth potential.

The first store is 6,500m² in size and is located in the Makani Mall in Al Shamkha, Abu Dhabi. This is a large Hypermarket store, offering a comprehensive choice of products from a bakery, butchery, fish counter and Food-to-Go section. SPAR Shamkha also offers a large range of non-food products, including electronics and clothing. The customer profile is mainly made up of Emirati nationals – predominantly high-income families.

The SPAR Partner in the UAE is the Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society (ADCOOPS). SPAR International supported SPAR UAE with the development of this new store, ensuring that best international practice was achieved in terms of store design and layout, as well as branding and communication.

In the build-up to the grand opening on 4 June, a number of special offers were advertised and distributed in the vicinity of the store. A live radio show broadcast the opening, notifying customers of a live Shop & Win competition, which saw two mini coppers being won. This fantastic opening atmosphere was reflected in great store sales and very happy shoppers who had previously had to travel further to purchase their groceries and had eagerly awaited the hypermarket opening.

“This new high quality, large format store operated by SPAR UAE is another great achievement in the development of the brand in this market,” said SPAR International CEO, Dr Gordon Campbell, who attended the opening. The CEO of ADCOOPS, M. Ibrahim Abdulla Al Bahar, the SPAR UAE branch management team, members of the press and Mr David Moore, SPAR International Business Development Manager, were also in attendance at the opening ceremony.

SPAR Shamkha is the biggest SPAR store in the region. It has a luxury look and feel, offering customers a high-end shopping experience with competitive prices. It is also an eco-friendly store and is the first supermarket in the UAE to be fully equipped with LED lighting.

The second new SPAR store in the UAE opened on 1 July in Ajman, a residential area in the city of Al Jurf which also includes a large community of expatriates working in the city. This store has a retail selling space of 2,000m² and includes not only a comprehensive fresh fruit and vegetable department but also offers great selections in their butchery, bakery and fish departments. The store opened in time to support customers during the Ramadan period, ensuring their supermarket needs could be met close to home.

SPAR International developed the store design and layout, supported their merchandising planning and advised on lighting solutions. A strong launch campaign was developed including leaflets which were directly distributed to consumers in the area.

Customer feedback has been very positive especially from students of Ajman University, which is situated close to the store.

SPAR International views the Middle East as a region with considerable development potential for the brand. It is SPAR International’s aim to strengthen SPAR’s presence in the region, with a view to having over 20 stores open in the Middle East by 2017, making it one of the region’s top five retail chains.