ENOC reveals metro retail plans

The retail arm of EPPCO’s parent company ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company) has signed up for 28 convenience stores in the Dubai Metro.

The company is taking on the contract that had previously been awarded to retailer Last Minute, and will be opening three of them on Wednesday night.

ENOC, the parent company of EPPCO, will be opening three “Zoom” branded convenience stores during Wednesday night’s opening: two in Rashidiya and one in the Mall of the Emirates station, a spokesperson said.

Open from 7 am to 12 am, Zoom stores will open a range of food, beverages, fresh fruits, and magazines and newspapers.

Most Zoom stores will be located in the public area of the Dubai Metro stations, offering access for both users and residents.

Last Minute decided to forfeit a deposit and withdraw from all of its 18 stores on the Red Line after claiming the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) refused to provide any written guarantees on when the stations would open.

However, as recently as last week it said it could still be opening 10 stores on the Green Line.

The RTA has said there will be a total of 52 convenience stores along the Red and Green Lines.

Rival retailer 24 Seven abandoned a bid for 20 outlets in July after the RTA postponed a final decision on the tenders and rents in Dubai had begun to fall.

Retail rents in Dubai are believed to have fallen significantly since around 500 retailers submitted their bids to the RTA at the beginning of this year.

The agency has said the average bid was three times higher than the minimum bidding rate.