UAE residents find bigger malls convenient than grocery stores

Small and medium-sized groceries and supermarkets are facing a serious threat to their survival from big supermarket chains.

Speaking to ‘Emirates24|7’, several small grocery owners and their suppliers said a major chunk of their business has already gone to big malls. The opening of small branded outlets in major residential areas is another threat to small and medium-sized groceries.

The introduction of new rules to modernise the groceries have added to their problems. The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has introduced new standards to modernise groceries in the capital. Even though the objective is to improve the appearance and hygiene standards of the nearly 1,300 grocery stores, the majority of them could not comply with the new requirements and the ADFCA deadline ends on December 31.

According to the authority, groceries should have wider aisles, more organised displays and should also house ATM machines and a small kitchen with snacks and coffee.