Sainsbury's, the UK's second largest chain of supermarkets, will open its first branch in Lusail City as part of its expansion strategy in the Gulf country.

In this regard, Qatari Diar and Ariane Holding Group have signed an agreement to open the first branch of the Sainsbury's chain in Qatar. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022.

Present at the signing were Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, Qatari Diar CEO, Sheikh Suhaim bin Khalid al-Thani, chairman of Ariane Holding, and British ambassador to Qatar Jonathan Wilks, according to a tweet by Qatari Diar.

The first branch of the Sainsbury's supermarket chain in Qatar will be established on the commercial street in the heart of Lusail in the Downtown area, to include a wide variety of Sainsbury's products.

The company has chosen Lusail City to establish its first branch in Qatar due to the strategic importance of the city and its many features, whether in terms of infrastructure or services, in addition to being the future city of Qatar.

An exclusive distribution agreement was signed between Marakez Trading and Sainsbury’s in May 2019, following which a Sainsbury’s shop-in-shop in Qatar was inaugurated at Al Meera’s flagship hypermarket, Hyatt Plaza Mall.

After an increase in demand for products, the UK entity decided to expand the base of operations by opening its own branches for the Sainsbury's chain in Qatar, where it aspires to become one of the most famous stores.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Company was established in 2005 by the Qatar Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund. The company’s flagship project, Lusail City, was launched in December 2005 and quickly went on to gain tremendous praise for its innovative approach to real estate.

As of 2020, Qatari Diar has a shared capital of $8bn with 50 investment projects under development held in 22 countries around the world, combining an investment value of around $35bn.