Lulu Hypermarket opened up their Salmiya location this weekend and I passed by last night to check it out. I have to say, opening up Lulu in the new Al Salam Mall had to be the worst idea in the world and I’ll tell you why.
The Lulu in Qurain has a parking lot the size of 6 football fields and it’s always packed. Same with the Lulu in Al Rai which has parking in front, on the side and a super huge parking lot in the back the size of 4 football fields. Their Salmiya location has a parking lot that is too tiny for the mall itself to begin with yet alone a mall with Lulu in it. The whole are around the mall is now jam packed with cars parked in every conceivable spot be it in the middle of the main road or on top of sidewalks. The traffic around the mall has also increased considerably and there are now traffic jams where there rarely used to be any cars before. The ridiculous part is there used to be a multistory parking lot behind the mall but for some reason they decided to demolish it.
The other issue is the amount of people who want to shop at this Lulu. When I went yesterday you literally couldn’t shop. I was without a trolley walking around and I had difficulty maneuvering through the crowd. If you did decide to do some shopping then you were met with the longest supermarket cashier queue I had ever seen (check the picture above).
I’m not sure if its currently super packed because they just opened but I hope thats the case. I think its probably always going to be super packed because it’s the closest Lulu for everyone living in the heavily populated areas of Jabriya, Hawalli, Salmiya and Salwa. As it is right now though it’s just insane.
24 replies on “LuLu Hypermarket Salmiya Now Open”
I went to check it out too today, definitely it was packed. I see it as a blessing in disguise for Al Salam Mall. Being so close to Marina Mall, it definitely needed a crowd puller. Parking is definitely a problem. I think they will find a fix for it. Not an issue with me and Mark as, we live walking distance away 🙂 On the way in I found shopping trolley strewn up to way leading from Yaseen Street and on the way out, all the way up to Xcite Al Ghanim. I think the crowd will ease out a bit, once initial opening offers come to an end.
I feel sorry for the people who have it so close yet it going to turn out to be soooo faaar – as in inaccessible. The crowd will diminish a bit but not by a huge margin. Everyone in Salmiya and Jabriya are going to come there. I live in Salwa and I prefer getting to Dhajeej – straight 6th ring road drive and back. I prefer that to finding my way around gulf road and ‘attempting’ to get parking in that area!
You would be better off than us though as you work for yourself and can visit it during off peak hours in the morning.
But on the side let me just mention, I just came back from my second visit to Saveco and I will not go back to Lulu unless its for specific offers – I cannot believe that I ignored that place for so long after reading your review of a while back. Their prices are cheaper than Lulu if not the same, vegetables are fresh and cheaper, lots of local produce at a fraction of costs elsewhere – it was the only place where I found items were cheaper than the Salwa Jamaiya as well!
* Lu&Lu 🙂
Actually based on the large sign outside its called “Lu&Lu Hypermarket Center”. No idea why they’ve added center
I read somewhere that there is another company registered in Kuwait under the name LuLu, so the LuLu Supermarket had to change their name to Lu&Lu.
*Need to verify the source
yup its Lu&Lu but this location also had the word “center” over the logo.
It is 2018 and i shop there regularly after work … cues are alwaus long 🙂
I feel sorry for the coffee shops opening on the exterior where the bad smell of the sewers… Wondering how will they be able to pull crowds with that challenge !
I pass this same mall on my way back from work everyday, because it used to be the fastest, easiest, less crowded way to go back home.
Now it’s ruined.
Where is the Shani?
After visiting Al Salam for an opening event I knew parking was going to be a horror story once Lu&Lu opened and of course that nightmare came true. I passed by there yesterday and saw the parking full and decided nope I will drive to the one in Qurain, I’d rather go further and find parking than get stuck in that mess.
The qurain and Dajeej one are pretty decent ones. The Rai and Salmiya ones are pure waste of time, because of the crowd, car park.and the traffic u end up with. And with a large majority of lulu shoppers in salmiya, will never expect the crowd to go down.
Its good in a way, they opened in Salmiya.. Now shopping at Qurain and Dajeej..will be more pleasant. 🙂
holy sh-… well looks like i’m never going there lol
What’s up with all the crowds for a supermarket? They have never seen food before?
This looks like a nightmare of a grocery shopping experience! Were they giving away free things or offering super discounts? Is the end of the world near? I’d rather go to a supermarket in Jahra than go through this. It even looks dangerous should there be an emergency. People will trample over each other. Children are especially at risk.
I am a Saveco convert from Sultan center for major shopping trips. For “I just need milk and bread” trips, it is the co-op, and for minor “need a few things on the way home from school” trips, it is still Sultan, just because it is closer!
There is no way I would fight crowds like that just for groceries…
+1 I’d go to the local Gulfmart ‘Mini’ in Salwa for daily needs. Saveco is planning an online portal apparently plus they have delivery (4hrs) currently as well. Why Lulu Salmiya with this headache!
The parking lot infront of SaveCo does not bother anybody? OMG…it’s horrendous and easily solvable, but then again most problems in Kuwait are easily solvable. The store itself is organized, clean and with a very pleasant staff which is rare in itself in Kuwait, but the parking lot…but oddly this Lulu lacks a parking lot, yet the crowds are apparent, so maybe it is local traffic? Are the prices that much cheaper at Lulu? Cheaper than Carrefour? Quality in the produce department is lacking across the board in Kuwait, they are really not importing quality produce at all. And why don’t these Kuwaiti mall owners understand parking and how important it is to their customer numbers? Basic 101.
the people in charge of the mall was obliged to build a multistory car park before opening the mall… they apparently have a very good wasta, since they did that too in the gate mall ….
Yeah I checked out gate mall the other day out of curiosity. The interior is not bad… but there’s no parking. Like, NO PARKING. For a huge mall. I guess people are expected to park in the lot outside filled with garbage and potholes but even that is at best 100 spaces. I went during a very low traffic time and didn’t have anywhere to park, I can’t imagine what it’s like on a weekend.
Same with Arabella and their parking spaces that wouldn’t fit 1 of the 40 restaurants they have, same with Bid3. Village and Divonne are the same.
Meanwhile if you work pretty much anywhere you can expect to park in the middle of the road with everyone else and come back to a car with a bunch of dents on it and then get yelled at for not coming to work on time because you parked 20 minutes away.
I wish the government would actually enforce the law forcing establishments to have parking spaces
u need to be the mayor of salmiya asap.
imo, 2 reasons behind the crowd. 1. just opened. 2. weekend.
Pro:
+ Consistently Stocks a whole range of products that meet needs of the communities living in the immediate and adjacent vicinity
Cons:
– Location
– Parking
– Aisle spacing
– Cash Counters
– Trolley are all over the place
– Humongous waste of time waiting to check out
– Entry & Exit : one escalator for each way, and the ‘landing’ for the esalators.. This IMHO is a deathtrap for the shoppers. If one of them breaks down (which did happen for a short period on the opening day), people on other escalator keep pouring in/out, creating a stampede situation. I wonder how they would manage an emergency or evacuation?
Lu&Lu trolleys are going to be all over salmiya, considering how far away people are going to park.
There’s a New Sultan Centre coming up in Egaila near the Gate Mall in the ARABIA MALL & A NEW LULU Hypermarket Coming up in the same area in SAMA MALL!
With plentiful parking space all around it!