Dubai, UAE – British quality grocer, Waitrose UAE, has opened its 17th store in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa City’s recently revamped neighbourhood community shopping hub. Renowned for combining the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop, customers are invited to discover an array of responsibly-sourced, quality food and drinks.
The 34,447 sq ft store’s deli counter is packed with an array of food from fresh salads to hot rotisserie chicken and freshly baked bread that are made on a daily basis. Dedicated to sourcing locally wherever possible, shoppers can also stock up on a variety of produce including handpicked fruit and vegetables, organic UAE-farmed salmon, and free-range eggs.
For cheese enthusiasts, the store is home to the UAE’s first Waitrose Specialist Cheese counter serving up an array of gourmet specialist delights to suit all tastes and occasions. Quality is the grocer’s number one priority, which is why together the producers, its buyers agree on quality standards to ensure consistency, optimum flavour profiles, and maturity to bring out the best in the cheese.
Championing the best of British produce is just as important for the brand – from Waitrose’s No1 Vintage Cornish Cheddar which has been slowly matured for 1,000 days to its British Boneless Leg of Lamb from farmers who share its commitment to animal welfare. There’s a host of delicacies for customers to shop and devour.
Waitrose’s own brands offer customers a wide selection of responsibly-sourced, quality products to choose from. There’s the Duchy Organic range, offering the very best new products and ingredients, or the Waitrose Vegan section featuring flavour-packed products, including meals for a quick and easy dinner and staple vegan must-haves.
The store will also feature a full gifting and floristry counter where shoppers can build a bouquet of elegant flowers and stems, perfect for a special gift or treat for the home. Throughout the year, the team will source flowers to celebrate key calendar celebrations including daffodils for Easter and poinsettias for the festive season.
Sunil Kumar, CEO of Fine Fare Food UAE, said: “We are thrilled to be opening a store in such a popular community-centric residential area in the UAE’s capital. The opening reinforces the company’s ethos of always giving more than it takes – to our customers, communities, and each other. We are all about sharing our love for food, as trusted purveyors of responsibly-sourced products, and very much look forward to welcoming residents and visitors to the Khalifa City branch.”
Waitrose UAE is expanding in Abu Dhabi through the emirate’s Musataha agreement arrangements, which allows for investment across various sectors, including commercial, retail, healthcare, education, and agriculture. Musataha agreements grant rights to develop plots of land for a defined period, allowing companies to grow in the emirate. Abu Dhabi Investment Office manages and facilitates investment opportunities through Musataha agreements in collaboration with other Abu Dhabi government entities.
Raed Al Mohtar, Acting Head of Musataha Partnerships at Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), said: “Khalifa City Community Market branded as Waitrose UAE’s new Khalifa City branch is a great addition to the community and a great example of how ADIO through Musataha agreements can effectively support companies that need land to invest and expand in Abu Dhabi. These agreements help investors unlock investment opportunities and benefit from the emirate’s public land, enhancing quality of life for residents while also offering long-term opportunities for investors. ADIO congratulates the Waitrose UAE team on their continued success in the capital. It is exciting to see much Abu Dhabi-grown produce available in-store, much of which is supplied by ADIO’s AgTech partners, demonstrating the integrated nature of the emirate’s ecosystem.”
The store will be open daily from 7am to 11pm. Other key tenants in the 89,000 sq ft community shopping destination include Magrudy’s, N Bar, Mumuso, Allo Beirut, Wagamama, Love Vibe Café, Here-O Donuts and Café Bateel.
