Officials from retail outlets have reported that they are currently implementing extensive plans to prepare for the upcoming Ramadan season. These plans include increasing supply contracts for goods and boosting stockpiles of products that are most in demand by consumers during the holy month. They also indicated to "Emirates Today" that the preparation plans also include ensuring an adequate and sufficient supply of Ramadan promotional goods, scheduled to be launched gradually in the coming days, and that the preparations aim to support the early launch of Ramadan offers. They added that Ramadan will witness the highest level of competitiveness compared to previous seasons, supported by the increase in the number of stores in markets and the growth in consumer demand due to population growth, which has raised the level of preparation among retail outlets for the season. In detail, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at "Sharjah Cooperative", Faisal Khalid Anabouda, stated: "The Cooperative is implementing extensive plans for the Ramadan season, which include increasing supply contracts for many goods, whether food or consumer products, especially products that see a surge in demand during the Ramadan month." He added that "the preparations enhance the stock of goods available in the Cooperative's branches, and also support the launch of wide promotional offers before and during Ramadan, ensuring sufficient quantities of goods covered by the offers." He noted that "supply contracts for goods with high demand during Ramadan are increased by rates of up to 50% in preparation for the offers, compared to normal periods." Meanwhile, the Director of Corporate Communications at the "Lulu Commercial Group", Nanda Kumar, said: "The Group has recently finalized extensive and early initiatives for the Ramadan season, including increasing supply contracts and stockpiling goods with high demand during Ramadan, in addition to planning for promotional campaigns that are launched early before Ramadan, as well as varied offers presented throughout the month to consumers." He added that "the preparations support the avoidance of any shortages in the goods covered by the launched offers or products that see high consumer demand during the Ramadan season, whether related to food supply contracts or other products." He pointed out that "Ramadan is one of the seasons with high consumer demand, for both food and basic consumer goods, with consumer needs varying according to the expatriate communities in the country." The Purchasing Manager of one of the retail chains, Dilip Vishal, explained: "Ramadan is considered one of the most competitive seasons in the retail sector, which drives many retail outlets to race to implement early preparation plans through agreements with supply companies, either to support the early launch of discounted goods before the holy month or to avoid any shortages in the goods covered by offers or those with high demand during the month." He added that "these preparations support the increase in the number of offers available in the markets, and consequently, an increase in market shares of sales through these discounts aimed at attracting many consumer families." The Sales Manager of one of the retail stores, Muhammad Bashir, indicated that "most stores began their preparations for Ramadan at the start of this year through contracts with supply companies, ensuring a smooth launch of goods before and during the Ramadan season, and securing sufficient stock of goods for Ramadan offers, which prevents any shortage of these goods during the promotional periods, while maintaining stable prices for various goods through early contracts, especially with suppliers outside the country." He added that "Ramadan will witness the highest level of competitiveness compared to previous seasons, supported by the increase in the number of competing stores in markets and the growth in population, which raises the intensity of prior preparation among retail outlets before Ramadan."
