Game on as Géant and Carrefour battle for supremacy - The National

Géant will roll out 35 new supermarkets in the Gulf in the next two years in a battle with Carrefour to dominate the US$36 billion (Dh132.23bn) market.

Both brands are embarking on major expansions this year. Retail Arabia, Géant's franchise partner in the Gulf, plans to roll out 35 supermarkets and hypermarkets across the region in the next two years, going up against an equally rapid expansion by Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), the operator of Carrefour, which last month said it was aiming to open 15 of its larger stores and 25 to 30 smaller supermarkets.

"Consumers are spending more and the [Gulf] market is back, people have their confidence back," said Arif Shaikh, the managing director for Géant at Retail Arabia. "Definitely the trend in the UAE is going at a faster rate."

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