Lulu’s ‘Celebrating India’ fest highlights heritage
abu dhabi — Top retailer Lulu unveiled the bi-annual Indianthemed festival ‘Celebrating India’ across its stores in the UAE, coinciding with Indian Independence Day. The week-long Indian festival will be highlighting food, offers, cultural shows and celebrity visits until August 20.
The event was launched by Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, in the presence of Saifee Rupawala, Lulu Group’s chief executive officer; Archana Anand, chief business officer of ZEE5 Global, the official partners of this promotion; other top officials and government authorities at Lulu Hypermarket Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi.
Suri said: “This is a wonderful initiative by Lulu in showcasing the rich culture and food heritage of India. I am looking forward to welcoming the residents and citizens of the UAE to come and explore the delicious flavours of India. I am sure these products will be highly appreciated not only by Indian nationals, but also the local and other expat communities residing here.”
Lulu has brought in more than 3,000 products in different categories, such as fruits and vegetables, meat, food products, kitchen essentials and traditional wear like sarees and churidars. Lulu is putting a spotlight on a huge range of freshly-prepared hot foods being prepared in store every day.
Powered by ZEE5, the global entertainment app for the best of Bollywood movies, Indian TV shows and more, Lulu gives customers a chance to join and win a free subscription of ZEE5 for every Dh50 purchase. Lulu customers will also have access to the latest movie releases exclusively on ZEE5, and a chance to meet their favourite stars.
Anand said: “With a huge demand for Bollywood and Indian content from not only the South Asian diaspora but also mainstream audiences, and a highlyconducive digital and payment ecosystem, the Middle East is an extremely exciting market for us. As the largest retail conglomerate in the Middle East, Lulu has an extremely strong presence in the market and our partnership with them will help us reach our fabulous content bouquet to audiences in this market. I’m thrilled to be here today at the inauguration of the Celebrating India festival, which marks the first step of this partnership.”
Rupawala added: “We have always taken pride for showcasing the beauty and diversity of Indian culture through a festival like Celebrating India. This is our humble tribute to the glorious tradition, food and offerings of India, which have been popular and embraced by the UAE population with more than 200 nationalities residing in it. More than five million shoppers are expected to experience India through this festival. Other than the wide product range that we offer in store, this is our initiative to bind together all communities for a common interest.”