Jeraisy, Chairman Riyadh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), cuts the 101-meter long cake to mark the opening of Lulu Food Festival 2011 — Flavors of the World' in Riyadh, Wednesday. (Courtesy photo) RIYADH: Thousands of families have been thronging Lulu Hypermarket here which Wednesday launched the ‘Lulu Food Festival 2011 – Flavors of the World.' The festival is a family affair packed with a series of activities offering grocery items at cost prices and fun and frolicking for children. The highlight of the opening ceremony was 101-meter long cake cut by Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, Chairman, Riyadh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) amid clapping by Lulu staff, invited guests and some thousands of shoppers present on the occasion. The festival 2011 will end May 27. Shehim Mehammed Unni, Commercial Manager, Lulu Hypermarket, the winner of prestigious HACCP award from British government and Dubai Quality Award from the UAE government, told a press conference later that the Lulu Festival Food 2011 is simultaneously running in all its 89 stores across the GCC states including one in Al-Khobar. Packer Koya P. Ali, Lulu's Regional Director, was also present. Shehim said the main attraction of the 17-day food festival will be the sale of food items and other home appliances at cost price on designated days such as Fish Day, Meat Day, Vegetable and Fruit Day, Pasta Day, Saudi and Indian Food Day among others. Shoppers can find details of items sold at cost price in a 32-page booklet. “We have ordered some 500,000 booklets to be distributed during the festival,” said Shehim. Besides, a series of competitions are awaiting women shoppers and other members of the family, who can participate and win fabulous prizes in variety of contests such as cooking, salad-making, vegetable and fruit carving, potato-peeling, cake-icing, doughnut eating and juice drinking competitions, picking and collecting balloon, henna design and food-related quiz among several others. One of the major highlights of the food festival is ‘crowning the food recipe queen' on May 12, said Shehim. He said women participants can fill the recipe form available at Lulu Hypermarket and present the cooked food for selection by a panel of judges that include Lulu chef, chief chef from InterContinental Hotel and an Egyptian celebrity. “Malabar Gold Shop located in the Lulu Hypermarket premises will crown the winning recipe called ‘queen of recipes',” said Shehim. The food festival will not only be a delightful shopping experience but offer cash prizes of SR10,000 on a daily basis each at Lulu Hypermarkets in Riyadh and Al-Khobar. Shoppers have a chance to win cash vouchers worth SR1,000. Koya said Lulu will surprise its shoppers from time to time by launching a series of similar events in the future. “We have innovative ideas, not seen before in the Kingdom and designed to surprise the shoppers,” said Koya. He said Lulu Hypermarket, opened in Riyadh on March 27, has surpassed expectations both in terms of footfall and daily sales. Lulu Hypermarkets, owned by Abu-Dhabi based EMKE Group, opened its third store in Riyadh with a total investment of SR220 million and created about 350 employment opportunities for Saudis.
