Carrefour MAF Hypermarkets, a JV between the world's second largest retailer and UAE- based Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), has opened its new outlet in Qatar.

The new supermarket at Lagoona Mall, Zigzag Towers, Doha is part of an ambitious GCC-wide programme by ‘Carrefour Market,’ said a statement from the retailer.

With a selling area of 1000 sq m and an emphasis on fresh produce of the highest quality, Carrefour Market in Lagoona Mall is mirroring the 19 successful supermarkets already established in the UAE.

It is the 20th 'Carrefour Market' supermarket to open in the GCC this year, said a senior official.

Franck Rouquet, VP Carrefour Supermarkets in Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE, said the supermarket is offering much more than basic products.

“The Carrefour Market-model is already well-established internationally, and we saw an opportunity to introduce it to Qatar, which is a country with sophisticated and cosmopolitan consumers as well as huge growth potential,' he noted.
 
With a focus on a wide choice of fresh, high-quality produce, low prices and improved customer service, all in one convenient location, the new Carrefour Market supermarket is expected to receive a positive reception from local shoppers in Qatar.

'We want our supermarkets to be seen as more than a convenience grocery. We want the stores, such as the one in Lagoona Mall, to be a destination for fresh food products,' stated Rouquet.

'With our customer demographic constantly changing and evolving along with their requirements from a local supermarket, we see this brand as a welcome addition to the market place.'

Produce in-store at Carrefour Market supermarkets will centre on fresh, high-quality food, with butchers and fishmongers on hand and daily deliveries straight to the supermarket shelves, said the official.

Product ranges, he said, will also be introduced on a store-by-store basis to accommodate the needs and preferences of the immediate surrounding community.

Carrefour Market is looking to differentiate itself from other supermarkets in the region by being a practical, weekly or even daily shopping destination.

Rouquet said, “Customers will now be able to take advantage of a number of offers and promotions that are available in the larger Carrefour Hypermarkets at their local neighbourhood supermarket.

“We anticipate that people will use Carrefour Market supermarkets on a daily or weekly basis to top-up their larger, monthly shopping trips, as Carrefour supermarkets are designed to be a complementary shopping environment to Carrefour’s hypermarkets,' he added.

Recognized as one of the most active shopping concept developers in the region, the Majid Al Futtaim group first introduced the Carrefour model to the Middle East in 1995.-TradeArabia News Service