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Union Co-Op eyeing direct goods import

DUBAI — Following the recent cabinet decision to allow qualified importers to directly import products to the country, the Union Co-Operative Society has disclosed that it plans to start implementing the same right after Ramadan.

Union Co-Op General Manager Marwan Ahmad Eisa Al Thani said the society may begin importing basic commodities like milk, flour, and rice directly from manufacturers outside the UAE by November in an effort to “further control pricing issues". "We hope that by doing this, we can influence the suppliers here to be more competitive by lowering their prices,” he stressed.

The Union Co-Op executive said the scheme would also boost the consumers’ purchasing power, as direct importation will have positive effects on the prices. “The move will also give us the freedom to choose not only the prices, but the quality of products that we put on our shelves,” Al Thani said.

He also noted that Union Co-Op has been coordinating with the Sharjah-based Consumer Co-Operative Union (CCU) for the implementation of the plan by all co-operative societies in the country. CCU General Manager Izzeldin Al Saeed, however, refused to comment on the issue at this time, saying that they have yet to review the newly released policy of the cabinet.

Union Co-Op is the largest society in the country with around 11,000 shareholders and is the second largest in terms of sales and profit. Despite some reports of overpricing in their stores, Al Thani rebuts that they continue to offer reasonable prices and that their customers are happy about it. He even disclosed that they have posted a 25 per cent sales growth from January to September this year as against the same period last year.

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