The first impression takes your breath away. Day two at the newly-opened LuLu Hypermarket, located at Lakshmi Mills Compound on Avinashi Road is nothing short of a celebration.
It’s 6pm and the massive corridor at the mall is packed with shoppers in thousands across sections featuring a vibrant line up of fruits and vegetables, beauty and wellness products, mobile phones, laptops, toys, and more. Cheerful shoppers fill their carts with goodies, stop by to click selfies, share the experience over video chats, and giggle away.
Minister for Industries, Investment and Commerce TRB Rajaa (second right) and MA Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Group at the section showcasing fresh produce sourced directly from farmers in and around the Coimbatore belt | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S
The new store, spread over one lakh square feet, is the first one in Tamil Nadu. It brings to the city all the conveniences that the group’s Hypermarket chain features, including dry fruits, many varieties of dates, chocolates from around the world, an in-house bakery to serve up breads and cakes, as well as other shopping options. While the live kubus counter doles out soft and fluffy kubus off a mechanised tawa, one can savour hot jalebis at yet another live counter.
Live kubus counter | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S
There is an extensive organic foods counter showcasing millets, a colourful salad bar where you can make your own salad, health and diet food, and also some tasty dishes made by LuLu’s in-house chefs – from biryani and shawarmas to delightful munchies. The meat section boasts premium meat cuts and a large seafood section featuring catch sourced from Kerala. Precooked meat balls, sausages, tikkas, burger patties, and tandoor made with premium cuts of meat, fresh ingredients, and spices are available in plenty.
Pre-cooked meats in premium cuts at LuLu | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S
The store also includes the electronics section LuLu Connect; EyeXpress; the beauty and cosmetics division BLSH, and an extensive section dedicated to the latest IOT appliances and electronics. Spend a little time at BLSH to learn how to apply lipstick well or master that elusive smoky eye look. “The people and visitors of Coimbatore now have access to a world-class retail environment with cutting-edge amenities,” says M A Yusuff Ali, chairman in a press statement at the opening ceremony adding that the mall gives employment to as many as 5000 people, directly and indirectly.
BLSH section for cosmetics | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S
Another notable aspect is fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy are sourced directly from farmers in and around the Coimbatore belt including Pollachi, Satyamangalam, Theni, Hosur and Thanjavur. G Sriram Prasad, founder of keeraikadai.com, an e-commerce company that sells 40 plus varieties of keerai across Coimbatore by networking with farmers in Coimbatore and Madurai is delighted with the thrust given to greens and vegetables harvested from Tamil Nadu. His ready-to-cook greens and fresh cut native vegetables like ridge gourd, bitter gourd and sundakkai (Turkey berry) packed in breathable covers sold out in a few hours. While fresh vegetables like beet root and carrot come from Udhagamandalam, avocados are sourced from Kodaikanal and native mangoes from Tamil Nadu benefiting farmers in a big way.
LuLu Hypermarket is located at Lakshmi Mills Compound on Avinashi Road and is open from 9am to 11pm. There are ongoing offers up to 60 per cent on purchases till June 25. There is ample parking for cars.
