The Ministry of Economy revealed a new initiative aimed at reducing the prices of 5,000 food and consumer goods in various regions of the country, with rates ranging between 25 and more than 60%, from yesterday to the end of this month, on the occasion of the "15th Gulf Day for consumer protection".

The Director of Competition and Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Economy, Dr. Hashem Saeed Al-Nuaimi, said in a press statement yesterday that the ministry coordinated with major retail outlets and cooperatives to implement the initiative, pointing out that the cuts would include basic commodities, in order to support price stability, and provide many Opportunities for consumers to obtain their needs at low prices.

Al Nuaimi added, on the sidelines of a conference organized by the Ministry in Dubai, on the occasion of "Gulf Consumer Protection Day 2020", which will be held under the slogan "Towards a secure electronic shopping for the consumer", that he will follow the implementation of the initiative to start preparing for major discounts campaigns before and during the month of Ramadan, with rates exceeding season initiatives The previous Ramadan.

Al-Naimi stressed that the country’s markets have not witnessed any negative effects due to the repercussions of the Corona virus in China and a number of countries, as the markets witness a large abundance of goods, in addition to price stability, as well as discounts on a number of goods.

With regard to the new law for consumer protection, Al-Naimi indicated that he is currently going through the necessary legislative stages before its issuance, in order to keep pace with various modern and future developments in the markets.

He said that the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection will hold a meeting in Dubai today, which will discuss within its business new initiatives to enhance consumer rights in the e-commerce sector, in line with the demand witnessed by the sector.

Al-Naimi explained that the initiatives that will be discussed will include the necessity of the availability of standards of clarity, ease of use in e-shopping applications on smart phone platforms, in addition to committing companies to the standards of speed availability, and maintaining the integrity of goods when connected, in addition to obliging all sites and applications, including dealing via Social media, even if it is based in external markets and operates in the state’s markets, to register in the local departments concerned, in order to support consumer confidence in the sector.

For his part, the director of the Consumer Protection Department in Dubai’s Economy, Ahmed Al-Zaabi, said that Dubai’s economy worked to develop a smart and effective system in order to deal with consumer complaints, noting that the retail sector is an essential part of the economy of the Emirate of Dubai, accounting for about 26% Almost of its GDP, so an effective system for dealing with consumer complaints and finding solutions to them in a smooth manner is considered a strategic potential for retail trade in Dubai.

Al-Zaabi reviewed a number of smart services provided by Dubai Economy in relation to protecting the rights of consumers, including the "smart protection" service, the first of its kind that adopted artificial intelligence to respond quickly and efficiently to consumers' inquiries and solve their complaints, available on the "Dubai consumer" application, and on the protection site Consumer in Dubai.

In turn, the Director of Happiness and Marketing Department at the Union Cooperative, Dr. Suhail Al Bastaki, said in a speech on behalf of the Consumer Cooperative Union, that the cooperative will launch in conjunction with the "15th Gulf Day for Consumer Protection", and the Cooperative Shopping Festival, offers discounts that include more than 300 items of the mark " Cooperation », with rates of up to 30% from the beginning of March until the end of the same month.

He pointed out that the total number of goods bearing the "cooperation" mark has reached 921 commodities so far, available in 18 cooperatives with 170 branches, noting that the number of cooperative branches will rise during the next two years to 188 branches, with plans to construct 19 new branches.

6.3 billion dirhams sales of cooperatives

The Director of Happiness and Marketing Department in the "Union Cooperative", Dr. Suhail Al Bastaki, said that the total number of cooperative sales amounted to 6 billion and 311 million dirhams at the end of last year, while the number of shareholders reached 77 thousand and 359 shareholders.

Al Bastaki stated that the Union Coop has launched a secure electronic shopping platform that provides more than 30,000 products, noting that its sales exceeded 30.8 million dirhams in 2019.

Hashem Al-Nuaimi:

"The state markets have not witnessed any negative effects due to the (Corona) repercussions."

300

A commodity from the “Cooperation” brand that is included in the Union cooperative cuts.

188

A branch of cooperatives for the next two years.