Lulu enters online arena

UAE retailer Lulu Hypermarkets plans to launch its online shopping portal in 2011.

Initially, the retailer will offer only non-food items, but it may expand and start selling groceries over the web in the long term, reports The National.

As consumers take to virtual shopping stores, more bricks-and-mortar retailers are moving online to tap the growing demand.

Eight e-shopping sites have launched in the past year, predominantly online-only shops such as Nahel.com and 3abaya.com, according to the daily.

In September, Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world, became one of the first multinational brands to launch a shopping website in the region.

Since then, Al Futtaim, whose brands include Marks & Spencer and Toys R Us, and Jumbo Electronics have announced plans to follow suit, said the newspaper.

However, Lulu will be the first of its kind in the region, if it decides to sell food online. While sites such as Netgrocer.com and Waitrose.com in the UK are quite popular, there is yet to be an equivalent in the UAE.