METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan opens first wholesale center in Karachi

 March 25, 2009 - METRO Cash & Carry, the international leader in self-service wholesale opens its outlet in Karachi today. After the successful opening of its four wholesale centers, two in Lahore, one in Islamabad and one in Faisalabad, the launch of Karachi store underlines the continuing commitment of the company to Pakistan. METRO Cash & Carry exclusively caters to professional customers like hotels, restaurants and small retailers e.g. Kiryana stores. The assortments and services are customized to suit the special needs of the target groups.

 “With a population of over 170 million people and more than a million residents in eight cities, Pakistan is a very attractive and important market for our company”, said  Giovanni Soranzo, Managing Director of METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan. “We see a vast prospect for our business-to-business wholesale concept and will continue to invest in Pakistan to grow in the coming years. Along with expansion, we aspire to contribute to the economic growth of Pakistan.” On average, the capital investment for a new METRO Cash & Carry outlet is 2 billion rupees.

 The grand opening ceremony in Karachi was an immense accomplishment. The ceremony was attended by the leading business community, heads of commerce and trade bodies, government officials and a host of local suppliers. Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, the Governor Sindh, graced the occasion with his presence as the Chief Guest. “METRO´s unique business-to-business wholesale concept is going to be of great value for our traders and retailers. The sales concept has been smartly tailored to our diverse local needs. Its innovation will make the market more competitive”, said Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan.

The new METRO Cash & Carry wholesale centers feature more than 7,000 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 are sourced 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 exclusively cater to professional customers. These customers are registered and are provided with a customer card thus making it clear that the company does not sell to private end consumers. The core target group comprises of hotels, restaurants, caterers as well as Kiryana stores and other small retailers. At METRO Cash & Carry wholesale centers our professional customers can find everything they require to run their business under one roof. Moreover, the company offers a constant availability of premium 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 an inventory. The company’s unique business-to-business concept also caters to the professional work schedule with extended opening hours of up to 16 hours a day. Contrary to the traditional delivery wholesale, METRO Cash & Carry 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 and in large quantities are offered on permanent basis to fulfill the needs of our customers. 

 METRO Cash & Carry International:

METRO Cash & Carry is represented in 29 countries with over 650 self-service wholesale centers. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, the company achieved sales of € 33.1 billion in 2008. METRO Cash & Carry is a sales division of the METRO Group, one of the most important international trading companies. In 2008 the group reached sales of about € 68 billion. The company has a headcount of some 290,000 employees and operates over 2,200 outlets in 31 countries. The operating business is performed by the sales brands which operate independently in the market: Metro/Makro Cash & Carry – world market leader in cash & carry wholesale, Real hypermarkets, Media Markt and Saturn – market leader in consumer electronics centers in Europe and Galeria Kaufhof department stores. More information at: www.metrogroup.de.

Contact:
Quratulain Shahid
Public Relations Manager
METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd.
Thokar Niaz Baig, Multan Road Lahore.
Tel: +92 42 7508000
Fax: +92 42 7508112