Visiting a supermarket is the best way to shop for groceries, bakery, dairy, fresh vegetables and fruits, fish, meat, etc., at your own pace. These self-service retail outlets, some of them spread across different floors, and large areas are a boon for people residing in the immediate neighborhood.
Abu Dhabi is home to many such supermarkets that stock food and non-food items, sometimes medicines, and drugs too. This article will talk about some of the most popular supermarkets in the Emirates.
What is a Supermarket?
A supermarket is a shopping facility where you’ll find all saleable products systematically & properly organized into different sections. Here, the presence of aisles allows customers to check out different products placed with ease. They can pick and keep products that they want in their shopping baskets or trolleys.
Modern supermarkets make the concept of all-under-one-roof relatable. Most of them have different sections for fresh produce including dairy & meat, groceries, canned products, baby goods, household items, pet needs, cleaning supplies, crockery, and more.
What is a Hypermarket?
Hypermarkets, in contrast to supermarkets, are much bigger. These are large retail establishments. For customers, hypermarkets are the one-stop shop for their daily lives. So, instead of visiting various supermarkets or retail stores for buying different types of daily-use products, you get everything in one place. Be it hardware, grocery, fresh produce, garments, toys, electronics, cosmetics, and more – almost everything is available at discounted prices in one place.
Difference between Supermarkets & Hypermarkets
Hypermarkets are way larger than supermarkets having an exhaustive range of products for customers. Since hypermarkets buy in bulk, they enjoy price advantages and can offer lower prices to customers compared to the prices that the customer would get at any other store. While both types of markets offer discounted prices, hypermarkets have the potential to offer even better prices vis-a-vis supermarkets.
Look-wise, a supermarket has an aesthetic ambiance with the use of vivid colors and graphical illustrations on the interiors. A hypermarket is usually more like a warehouse than a typical retail outlet. Customer services at supermarkets are comparatively better as there is a personal touch offered by sales and customer care professionals. In hypermarkets, customers mostly need to fend for themselves during the entire buying process.
Supermarkets have distinct sales & marketing strategies wherein they offer festive discounts, etc., to entice customers. In hypermarkets, the rates are already discounted – hence, no special marketing efforts are undertaken to better the tagged prices, offer frills and add-ons, etc.
Top Supermarkets in Abu Dhabi
Lulu Supermarkets & Hypermarkets
Lulu Supermarket, owned by Lulu Group International, has created a distinct niche for itself in retailing in the Gulf. It is not just a supermarket chain, but it owns hypermarkets too as part of its diversified shopping experiences for customers. At present, Lulu owns about 200 branches in the region.
In Abu Dhabi city itself, there are 15 branches. The hypermarkets and supermarkets owned by the chain is the best place to shop for fresh produce. The chain also has food courts, a kid’s play area, money exchange counters, etc. One distinctive feature of the Lulu chain is that one can buy regional and international brands in the same place.
Lulu Supermarkets at Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Wahda, Al Nahyan, Madinet Zayed, Al Zahiyah, Electra at Al Zahiyah, Hadbat Al Zaafran, Mushrif Mall, and more.
Carrefour
This is an international French chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets. Besides groceries, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, etc., there are also bakery items, organic products, and bioproducts. It was launched for the first time in the UAE in 1995. Mr. Majid Al Futtaim was the first to bring this international chain to this region.
Carrefour outlets are present in various places in Abu Dhabi. Not just essentials, the supermarket chain is the best place to purchase electronic appliances and baby products, too. Customers at the chain are always in for good discounts. There are many deals ongoing from time to time. Some deals are there for a limited period. Hence, you need to keep yourself updated to take make bulk savings.
The big branches of this chain are present in Marina Mall, Yas Mall, Al Seef, Khalifa City, and Al Khalidiya.
Waitrose
Waitrose, a British brand retail chain, is one of the oldest ones in the industry. Operational since 1904, the England-based company is one of the predominating retail chains in the UK.
Waitrose is present at five locations in Abu Dhabi. It is a top hit, mostly amongst expats from the UK. This is one of the best places to buy fresh produce, grocery items, and baked products. For locals too, this is the right place to buy UK brands.
The locations are Al Raha Boulevard, Etihad Towers, Al Reem Island, Eastern Mangroves, and Saadiyat Island. The outlet at Al Raha Boulevard opens at 07:30 hours and is open till 22:00 hours. The store at Etihad Towers is open from 08:00 hours till 22:00 hours. The Boutik Mall at Al Reem Island is open from 07:00 hours till 23:00 hours.
Choithrams
This chain of supermarkets has been around in the UAE for almost three decades. They are present in multiple locations across Emirate cities today. It has a total of about 39 supermarkets in the region. It is one of the pioneers in the UAE supermarket industry, due to which the chain has been awarded the “Grocer of the year” award by RetailME in 2005.
Besides food retailing, the company has diversified into food services, hospitality, garments, light household products, and logistics. The company has been operating in the Gulf region for the past 70 years and has its footprints in about 25 countries as of date.
The focus of the chain remains on absolute customer satisfaction. From fresh fruits and vegetables to creamy cakes, bread types, croissants, and other bakery products, premium quality meats, readymade meals, etc., are all available under the same roof. One interesting feature of Choithram is that the retail superpower nurtures the brands that they promote.
Details: In Abu Dhabi, Choithram is present in three locations.
- One is at 1, King Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Street in Al Khalidiya. This branch is open 24 hours. The contact number is +971-2-665-7009.
- The second branch is at V2 A, Block B in Al Falah. It is open from 08:00 hours till 00:00 hours. Contact number +971-2-586-9698.
- The third branch is at Corniche Road, Near Oryx Hotel. The contact number is +971-2-681-6930.
EMKE Stores
For the natives of Al Danah in Abu Dhabi, EMKE Stores live up to their expectations and go beyond the niche of a retail supermarket. The store is right there where Al Marafi Street and Al Mirjal intersect. The Supermarket opens at 08:00 hours and is open till midnight. Located in Zone 1, it is the best place to buy essentials at the best prices.
24 hrs supermarket
Abu Dhabi has a fair share of supermarkets and hypermarkets that are open 24 hours throughout the year. Some of these are:
- Abela Supermarket: This supermarket is open all hours making it easy for customers to shop grocery, fresh produce, and even vegan and organic food. The supermarket is spacious and very conveniently located in Al Khalidiya. The exact location is the ground floor of the Bin Butti Building.
- Al Madina Hypermarket: This is a hypermarket that is open 24 hours. Not only for regular groceries but also one can shop garments, electronic items, accessories, etc., at this hypermarket. The address is 42nd Street, ME10, Mohammed Bin Zayed City. There are branches at Al Raha, Al Mafraq, and Musaffah.
Spar Supermarket
This supermarket is Abu Dhabi Coop’s retail subsidiary. Abu Dhabi Coop has a track record of making quality products accessible to Abu Dhabi residents at reasonable prices through the Spar outlets. This one is based out of Al Bateen, next to the Al Khalidiya Park, serving the residents of the Khalidiya Village. The retail outlet deals only in cash.
Details: It is open from 08:00 hours till 00:00 hours. The address is W10, Near Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Bateen. The contact number is +971-800-2326677.
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Conclusion
This is the list of the top supermarkets and hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi, making life easy for one and all. Now that you have the address and the timings for these supermarkets and hypermarkets, you can plan your grocery and essentials shopping conveniently.
FAQs
Which is the most popular supermarket in Abu Dhabi?
Some of the best supermarkets are Carrefour, Lulu Supermarket, Choithrams, and Waitrose.
Which is the biggest hypermarket in the UAE?
Géant is the biggest hypermarket in the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the newest hypermarkets in the country.
Which is the cheapest supermarket in Abu Dhabi?
All the supermarkets listed here offer similar rates and discounts in Abu Dhabi. Hence, you stand to gain whether you shop at one or the other supermarket.