Shoppers can look forward to find “well-stocked” shelves in major hypermarkets across Qatar as the country prepares to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr on Sunday, store officials have said.
The officials said they have sourced a wide variety of food items and other types of goods from “alternative” suppliers locally and abroad, assuring shoppers that there will be “no shortage” of consumer products.
Only recently, LuLu had brought in a chartered flight loaded with 65 tonnes of fruit and vegetables from Kochi, LuLu Group International regional manager (Qatar and Egypt) Shanavas PM told Gulf Times.
“Whatever the shortage, we are sourcing the products from the Indian subcontinent, including Kochi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai,” said Shanavas.
He stressed that meat products were also sourced from Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Turkey, among other countries.
“For Eid, there will be no shortage for any meat products. Since Wednesday, full stocks were available for meat and all kinds of products. We have already planned for that and preparations have been made; there will be no shortage even in textiles and other products for Eid,” he stressed.
Shanavas added: “We are doing the same thing as we did last year; there is no reason for customers to panic. We are not pulling back any support for our customers. The Gulf diplomatic crisis has not caused any effect in our operations and we are in normal mode.”
Safari Mall senior purchase manager B M Kasim, on the other hand, underscored the “important role” and “special support” provided by government authorities, who helped expedite the release of imported consumer products.
“With the support of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, we can do a lot of things, and we very much appreciate the special support that we have received from government officials here. With their support, we can buy any product anywhere,” Kasim stressed.
Kasim also assured that there is “no shortage” of consumer products and that the situation in the market is “very normal” and “there is nothing to worry.”
He noted that Safari had sourced fresh products from Iran and Turkey. Other countries like Brazil, Thailand, India, and Indonesia, and China (for electronic products) had also supplied other needed items.
“Most of the items are already here but we are also working with new companies to bring in a lot of the fresh products because we need more varieties of products from outside sources.
“We have full supplies for meats, fresh milk, fruits and vegetables, as well as other Eid items like garments, luggage, toys, and electronic items, among other products,” Kasim pointed out.
He added: “During this time, we are also supporting ‘Made in Qatar’ products, which are available in our shelves such as food items, vegetables, and even pulses. And because of this, we did not experience any ‘out of stock’ issues.”