AMBITIOUS Mega Mart aims to woo shoppers on Amwaj Islands and visitors to The Lagoon with a combination of fresh produce, imported international brands and competitive prices in a bid to succeed where Waitrose failed.

The new spacious 22,000 square feet store opened with a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by four-year-old Eva Sakhel last Thursday morning as shoppers lined up to fill their trolleys with special promotions.

Delighted general manager R.V. Waghnani said the building had been completely renovated and refreshed even down to the ‘tiles on the floor’.

“The new supermarket offers all the brands and products you could possibly need, no matter where in the world you are from,” he added. “The new store is sure to enhance the shopping experience for residents in the surrounding area as well as visitors, which is in line with the company’s business objectives of variety, convenience and quality.

“In celebration of the opening of Mega Mart in The Lagoon, numerous products are on offer, meaning customers will be getting the absolute best value for money on their purchases.”

Mega Mart comes from humble beginnings as it opened its first store in Salmaniya called Babasons. The Lagoon supermarket is the company’s ninth outlet in Bahrain and it aims to open more stores in the future.

The company is one of the biggest importers from countries such as the UK, Australia, US and South Africa and is a particular favourite with expat Brits for its exclusive range of Tesco-branded products, the grocery market leader in the UK trusted for its quality and cost.

One of the big draws was the price of vegetables and one Indian expat shopper was spotted filling her trolley full with onions being sold at less than half price at 150fils per kg.

The GulfWeekly reported the closure of UK supermarket chain Waitrose’s six stores in Amwaj Islands, Riffa, Nuwaidrat, Barbar, Segaya and Saar after the country’s franchiser went into liquidation. Supa Save Bahrain ceased trading citing poor sales.

English expat and popular DJ Stevie George, who lives and works in Amwaj Islands, welcomed the opening on Mega Mart saying he was delighted to see more competition in the area: “Alosra is ideally located at the entrance but no-one’s going to mind making a slight diversion if the price is right!”

For more details, email megamartamwaj@babasons.com or call 16030106.