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April 29 - May 05 , 2020
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Gulf Weekly Community chain

Gulf Weekly Naman Arora
By Naman Arora

Saudi Arabia’s leading supermarket chain, Tamimi Markets, has opened its first eponymous supermarket in Bahrain and first joint branch with Nature’s Market at the up and coming Mall of Dilumnia (MOD), just in time for Ramadan, writes Naman Arora.

The 1,800sqm joint branch of Tamimi Markets and Nature’s Market, owned by the Saudi-based supermarket chain, is the second supermarket foray in Bahrain for the group, after their Nature’s Market outlet at The Avenues.

“Bahrain is a close friend and neighbour of Saudi Arabia and here in Eastern Province many enjoy visiting Bahrain on holidays and weekends or have second homes there,” said Bobby Rajendran, general manager of the chain during an interview with GulfWeekly. “We have long had requests by both Bahrainis and Saudis to bring Tamimi Markets to Bahrain. For our loyal Saudi shoppers, our new Tamimi Markets Bahrain store is a touch of home while enjoying their visit to Bahrain. For our new Bahrain customers, they can now experience Tamimi Markets first hand and enjoy the many unique items they find at Tamimi Markets when they visit us in Saudi.

“Nature’s Market was a small beta test focused on the organic and health food market, whereas Tamimi Markets is a mainstream brand, differentiated from the big box hypermarkets with a higher level of quality, variety and service than the others can provide. With such a preponderance of hypermarkets in Bahrain, we believe the time is right to introduce an affordable and better option.

“We are all about fresh foods, wide variety, attractive prices and exceptional service. We bring to Bahrain our unique mix of international brands, including exclusive lines like Safeway USA’s Signature line, Costco’s Kirkland Signature range and more. We are pioneers in Healthy Living products (organic, natural, gluten free, free from, over all ‘good for you’ items) and have taken that to the next level with the addition of our Nature’s Market health and wellness centre.

“You’ll find all your local favourites at attractive prices, plus international brands from around the world. Ours is an experiential supermarket, filled with fresh products prepared daily on site. You can even enjoy your favourite Starbucks beverage made at our Tamimi Café while you shop. There’s a lot to see, taste and experience when you shop at Tamimi Markets Bahrain. We hope you’ll enjoy the experience.”

The supermarket chain’s successful rewards programme has been paired with its Saudi-counterpart, offering extra savings for loyal customers – and those rewards can now be earned and spent interchangeably across Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at any Tamimi Markets location.

The supermarket is primarily focussed at families with children targeting the female decision maker, aged 25 to 45, who decides upon the family’s daily meal. Tamimi hopes to make food and consumable shopping a family outing with treats and delights for each member of the family.  

The store has incorporated more than 3,500 items from its Nature’s Market range and developed a Nature’s Market corner that incorporates many organic cosmetics and health supplements that its customers have come to enjoy, with new items added daily.

Bobby added: “We welcome locally made healthy food options and certified organic products. To start we have built our assortments around our best-selling favourites and internationally renowned brands, but we are always on the lookout for new and innovative local products that our customers will enjoy. Certainly much of our produce and seafood is locally sourced, but we look forward to adding more local additions throughout the store.”

The supermarket imports food and consumables from around the world, with exclusive items like Safeway USA Lucerne brand cheeses and O Organics packaged foods found only in its aisles in the kingdom.

The outlet is also uniquely positioned, because of its existing supply chain with Saudi Arabia, to continue to provide a diverse set of products, despite the border shutdown amidst the current global Covid-19 crisis.

Bobby added: “We are a significant player in Saudi Arabia and many of our major vendors are the same ones supplying the Bahraini market. We can therefore leverage our strength, category management skills and market volume to provide our Bahrain customers with great variety, value and service. The geographic proximity also allows us to efficiently transfer needed products whenever necessary. This flexibility is an added advantage and ensures our customers in Bahrain of dependable supply.”

The opening of the store has been timed to coincide with the start of Ramadan, extenuating circumstances notwithstanding. With plans to open more stores in Bahrain, the group is currently evaluating locations for a second store.

According to Bobby, for the group, opening the store in time for Ramadan was critical and not opening the store now, especially while many are struggling with unemployment and underemployment would have been unconscionable.

Husain Ashkanani, Tamimi Markets Bahrain’s operations manager, said: “As a new store in a new market, where many of our stylish fixtures and equipment are imported, the recent challenges have impacted import timing. But we have not cut corners and have delivered a fantastic store. We have taken the best from our Saudi successes and created something very special here in Bahrain. And our Bahraini partners have brought it all to life. We think that our Bahrain shoppers will enjoy discovering our home made baked goods, specialty cuts of meat, fresh seafood, international produce and innovative and exclusive lines, and our Saudi visitors will already feel right at home with all their favourites from Tamimi Markets.”







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