By Santhosh V Perumal/Business Reporter

 

Al Meera Consumer Goods, which is fast expanding its business overseas, is all set to build and operate its own logistic facilities as part of efforts to expand its product and brand offerings in the domestic market.

The company and its subsidiaries will see a joint venture developed with both Regency Group Holding (a company specialising in facility management solutions) and Aramex International Courier Express, in order for Al Meera to build and fully manage its own logistic facilities operations in the near future, said its spokesman.

“As we move forward with our aggressive expansion plan within Qatar, we are simultaneously aiming to enhance our abilities in developing and managing our own facilities,” Mohamed Nasser al-Qahtani, deputy CEO of Al Meera said.

In the initial stages, a distribution centre would be set up just south of Doha on a 90,000 sq m plot. The centre is to be built in phases, with the first stage witnessing a 10,000 sq m warehousing facility being developed, with plans to quadruple the warehouse in the future phases, the spokesman said.

The facility would serve to provide a variety of value-added services, including third party ambient temperature warehousing, third party temperature controlled storage, and other logistical services such as domestic trucking, customs clearance, and express and freight services, according to him.

This robust warehouse will serve the current requirements, and will cater for future growth as well at competitive rates, the spokesman said, adding Al Meera and its partners would co-manage the design and construction of this and future facilities.

On expanding the domestic network, Al Meera will shortly open three new branches in Al Hilal, Beverly Hills Tower in West Bay, and the Beverly Hills 3 compound in Waab.

The Sealine seasonal outlet would also become a permanent fixture as of next year, effectively starting from the first quarter of 2013.

Al Meera is also bringing three international and regional brands to Qatar, which includes WH Smith Travel, the Thai-based Index Living Mall Company and United Electronics Company (a Saudi electronic company owning the brand name “eXtra”).

“Our expansion strategy does not only include building more outlets as to increase access to our stores, but additionally to increase our product offerings,” al-Qahtani said.

Al Meera will operate WH Smith Travel franchise in Qatar, with the stores to be located in Ezdan Mall, Giant Hyatt Plaza, and Nuaja Mall.

On its recent acquisition of Safeer Stories in Oman, the company said renovations and refurnishing have already started to ensure all the stores were re-branded to ‘Al Meera’ by the first quarter of 2013.

The purchase includes three supermarkets and two 5,000 sq m hypermarkets. A total of five stores will be operated, two of which are located in the capital, Muscat, with the company actively looking to purchase or lease more properties in the coming year, the spokesman said.