Hypermarket chain operator aims to be number one wholesaler in 5 to 10 years

Dubai: Hypermarket chain operator Majid Al Futtaim has said it will launch Carrefour Business, a new wholesale grocery service targeting restaurants and hotels, by June 2019.

The wholly-owned subsidiary of supermarket chain Carrefour will offer businesses over 4,000 products on a new website as it seeks a slice of a $37 billion (Dh136 billion) regional wholesale market.

“We aim to be the number one wholesaler … in five to 10 years,” said Miguel Povedano, chief operating officer of Carrefour UAE. “This is a long-term commitment”

Povedano declined to specify the exact amount of money that Carrefour was spending on launching the service, but pointed to the Dh300 million investment in a new Dubai distribution centre announced last year as an indication of the company’s commitment to expanding its services.

The company’s first clients will be 13 Majid Al Futtaim-owned hotels that are adjacent to Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira and City Centre Bahrain.

A statement from Carrefour Business said that the company would also cater to small groceries, wholesalers, airlines and other public and private institutions such as hotels and restaurants.

Carrefour has yet to announce the service’s first external clients.

Customers will receive volume-based discounts, Povedano said, and will be able to order exclusive products not available in Carrefour supermarkets. The service will be based entirely online, with buyers placing bulk orders that are then delivered within a required timeframe.

Many of these will be sourced directly from France, where the company is headquartered, and Carrefour France’s Promocash wholesale range.

Products on offer will include fresh and dry food, personal care products, appliances and textiles.

“Carrefour Business represents another step forward in our strategy to personalise our offering to our different segmented audiences,” Povedano said. “We’re already offering consumers high quality, fresh products at unbeatable prices with convenient delivery options.”