UAE supermarkets confirm that they remain open, are ‘fully stocked’

Supermarket chains in UAE have confirmed that will continue to operate as normal following the announcement that all malls in the country will be closed for two weeks.

The UAE said on Monday morning that all commercial centres and shopping malls along with fish, meat and vegetables markets will be shut for a renewable period of two weeks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

It said that the decision would take effect after 48 hours.

The decision excludes pharmacies and food retail outlets, including cooperative societies, grocery stores and supermarkets, along with fish, meat and vegetables markets dealing with wholesalers.

Read: UAE urges all residents to stay home as it closes malls, makes restaurants delivery-only

Supermarkets including Carrefour, LuLu and Grandiose have confirmed that they will be operating as normal.

“While shopping malls are closing in the UAE, all our stores remain open and fully stocked for customers, operating at our regular times,” said Philippe Peguilhan, country manager of Carrefour UAE at Majid Al Futtaim Retail.

“We encourage all our customers to shop responsibly and be mindful of others. We have full confidence in our stock and supply chain and we continue to monitor stock levels to ensure we adequately cater to customer needs.

“We are also working closely with suppliers to ensure that essential products remain at reasonable prices so that our customers don’t experience an increase in their shopping bills,” he said.

Carrefour is also carrying out full sanitation of the stores and adding measures to ensure social distancing, it said. This includes placing acrylic glass screens at checkout counters to reduce contact, and instructional signage for customers.

Lulu also confirmed all its branches in UAE will continue to function as usual from 8am to 12 midnight every day.

“Lulu is working very closely with various suppliers, government authorities and logistics partners to ensure uninterrupted supply of all category products, especially essentials. Both, Lulu hypermarkets and the warehouses across the UAE are very well stocked and there is absolutely no need for any anxiety or panic buying,” a statement said.

Meanwhile Grandiose supermarket said it has expanded its delivery-radius while its Marina Branch has prolonged its opening and delivery hours. Orders can be placed via phone calls, WhatsApp chat or using the community’s grocery delivery apps, a statement said.

Grandiose Supermarkets are also carrying daily health checks of employees in every store with pre-opening sanitisation and routine disinfection every 45 minutes throughout the opening hours. The store also offers shoppers free gloves to push the trolleys, sanitisers, cleansing wipes and tissues.

It is also urging customers to bring their own containers and shopping bags, the statement said.