Leading retailer Carrefour has announced the launch of the first sail-thru supermarket in Dubai, to serve the city’s yacht passengers, jet-skiers and beach-goers.
Open six days a week from 10am to 6pm, ‘Carrefour Bites and More by the Shore’ will serve customers on three Dubai beaches, Kite Beach, Jumeirah Public Beach and Al Sufouh Beach.
A custom-built Aqua Pod will offer 300 products, including fresh food, which can be bought from the window counter or ordered by phone or through the Aqua Pod app and delivered within around 45 minutes.
Hani Weiss, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Retail, which launched Carrefour in the Middle East back in 1995, commented: ‘Carrefour Bites and More by the Shore is a world-first for Carrefour and our industry. More than ever, a successful business depends on continually reinventing itself to stay ahead of customer needs and expectations.”
Miguel Povedano, chief operating officer and head of operational excellence at Carrefour UAE, added: “It’s exciting to know that we can reach our customers anywhere, whether it be land or sea, and we can’t wait to delight them with this world-first service.”
The Aqua Pod, conceived and designed by Aquatic Architects Design Studio (AADS) in Dubai, has a strong eco-friendly focus and is powered by rechargeable batteries, allowing it to cruise out to sea and back.
The Pod has a ‘sea-bin’ to vacuum up any floating debris in the water, while an in-built purifier converts grid water into drinking water, eliminating the need for plastic bottles on board.
The service will only provide customers with biodegradable paper straws and bags and encourage customers to dispose of any waste from their purchases in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner.
