METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan opens first wholesale center in Islamabad

Islamabad, 3rd April 2008 – Today, METRO Cash & Carry, the international leader in self-service wholesale, opened its first outlet in Islamabad in Sector I-11/4, near the Railway Carriage Factory. The company exclusively caters for professional customers like hotels, restaurants and small retailers like Kiryana stores. The assortment and services are tailored to the special needs of this target group. Islamabad is METRO Cash & Carry’s second wholesale center in Pakistan.

“With a population of over 170 million people and eight cities with more than a million residents, Pakistan is a very attractive and important market for our company”, said Frans Muller, CEO of METRO Cash & Carry International. “We see a huge potential for the expansion of our business-to-business wholesale concept in this country. Along with expansion, we also aim to contribute to the dynamic economic development of Pakistan.” If all pre-conditions like the allocation of real estate are met, METRO Cash & Carry sees a potential to open up to ten wholesale centers in mid-term in Pakistan. On average, the capital investment for a new METRO Cash & Carry outlet is 20 million Euros.

Islamabad is METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan’s second location after Lahore where the country’s first wholesale center opened in October 2007. The new METRO Cash & Carry wholesale center in Islamabad features more than 10,000 square meters of selling space and offers a comprehensive product range of more than 20,000 food and non-food articles. The focus on local suppliers, which is typical for METRO Cash & Carry, is also pursued in Pakistan. Around 80 percent of the goods on display originate from Pakistani producers and distributors. Each METRO Cash & Carry wholesale center employs 300 people from the local community. Moreover, 200 people are working at the company’s country headquarters in Lahore.

METRO Cash & Carry wholesale centers are open exclusively for professional customers, all of them duly registered and provided with a customer card. This means that the company does not sell to private end consumers. The core target group comprises hotels, restaurants, caterers as well as Kiryana stores and other small retailers. At METRO Cash & Carry‘s wholesale centers they can find everything they need to run their business under one roof. Moreover, the company offers a constant availability of highest quality products at competitive wholesale prices. For instance Kiryana stores can use METRO Cash & Carry as their warehouse and utilize their free capital for their businesses, rather than lock it up in inventory. The company’s unique business-to-business concept also caters to the professional work schedule with extended opening hours of up to 15 hours a day. “By this means we clearly help our professional customers to increase their competitiveness and thereby strengthen their own business”, said James Scott, Regional Operating Officer Asia, METRO Cash & Carry International.

Contrary to the traditional delivery wholesale, METRO Cash & Carry’s customers select their merchandize at the wholesale center in the quantities they need, pay in cash and transport their purchase back to their businesses by themselves. Products of any type are offered on a permanent basis and in large quantities.