In a bid to further expand its retail portfolio in Saudi Arabia, UAE based Lulu Group has finalized two new projects in the Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. This was announced by Yusuff Ali MA, Chairman of Lulu Group on the sideline of signing ceremony which took place in the Holy city of Makkah. The agreement was signed by Badr Nadershah - COO of Jabal Omar Development Company, Eng. Waleed Ahmed Al Ahmadi - CEO, Al Manakha Urban Project Development Company (Dallah Group) and Shehim Mohammed- Director, Lulu Group KSA, in the presence of Yusuff Ali MA, in the Holy city of Makkah. The first lulu project at Jabal Omar 3 in Makkah is a mixed-use project which envisages the establishment of Lulu store in Souq Al Khalil, will be developed by Jabal Omar Development Company. The new store will be within walking distance of Masjid al Haram, Makkah Mukarramah and is part of the Jebal Omar project covering a total of 253,000 sq. mtr with a total build-up area of 2.5 million sq. mtr. This project is scheduled to be completed in seven 7 phases and the whole project will feature hotels and branded apartments to serve the millions of pilgrims from around the world who come to Makkah, making it one of the busiest pilgrimage centres in the world. The second Lulu project is located at Al Madinah Al Munawarah which is being developed by Al Manakha Urban Project Development Company. The project will cover an area of 2161 square meters. Officials from Jabal Omar Development Company and Al Manakha Urban Project Development Company expressed their confidence that Lulu being the leading retail entity in the region will contribute to the success of these prestigious shopping mall projects. On the occasion, Yusuffali expressed his immense pleasure and happiness in finalizing the projects in the Holy cities and thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi Arabian government for their wholehearted support. “To contribute to the development of amenities in Makkah and Medina is a long-cherished dream of mine and I assure the Saudi authorities that the LuLu Group is committed to bringing world-class shopping experiences closer to the people while generating more employment opportunities for Saudi citizens", said Yusuffali. “The vision and new approach which puts Saudi development at the centre of progress is boosting investor confidence and driving economic development”, added Yusuffali. Also present on the occasion were Rafeek Mohamed Ali, Regional Director of Lulu Jeddah and other officials. Apart from this, Lulu Group will also manage Makkah Commercial Center project which includes a Hypermarket among others. The project is in the final phase of completion and expected to start operations soon, said Shehim Mohamed. Currently, LuLu Group employs 3,300 Saudi nationals, including 1100 women, in their various hypermarkets across the Kingdom. LuLu Group plans to create approximately 1,000 new employment opportunities upon completion of these two projects.