Al Meera SWOT and PESTLE Analysis

Strength

1. Largest Supermarket chain in Qatar: Al Meera is the largest retail chain in Qatar and a Mass Grocery Retailer (MGR) with 54 locations. To satisfy worldwide standards in areas like interior design, marketing, promotion, and other technical and operational issues, the chain has undergone significant development at its stores in collaboration with a reputable international consultancy house. The launch of three additional "MAAR by Al Meera" outlets has been announced by Al Meera Consumer Goods Company (Q.P.S.C.).

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Weakness

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Opportunity

1. First mover advantage in checkout-free stores in Qatar: Al Meera Consumer Goods Company established a partnership with Zippin, a top supplier of checkout-free technology, in order to further its expansion plan and deliver distinctive services to all community members through cutting-edge technology. Al Meera will construct completely autonomous stores in key areas to offer customers quick-service meals, drinks, and other necessities without the need for a cashier. The shops, driven by Zippin's multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) technology, will be located in desirable areas in need of a mini-market to provide consumers with rapid and self-service access to beverages and snacks including water, soft drinks, coffee, chips, nuts, doughnuts, and more. The frictionless smart shops work by following people from the moment they enter until they leave, easing and speeding up the purchase process to make customers' shopping experiences quicker, easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable. Using overhead cameras and sensors, the software in the checkout-free stores automatically recognises the things picked up or returned and generates a virtual shopping cart for each customer. When the consumer leaves the store, the software will immediately charge the cost of the acquired things from their credit card, whether they are placed in their pocket, bag, purse, or they are just carried. Zippin uses machine learning and visual cognition technologies to precisely account for customer behaviour and product location in stores.

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Threat

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Political

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Economic

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Social

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Technological

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Legal

1. Qatar levies heavy penalty for selling goods that violate Islamic values: According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), traders in Qatar who are discovered selling or displaying items that are judged to be against Islamic principles may be subject to fines of up to $274,650 (one million Qatari riyals). Other possible sanctions include a three-month administrative shutdown or the cancellation of business licences. Businesses were asked not to "present any items, pictures, or visual or auditory materials that might offend Islamic principles, public morality, customs, or traditions," by MOCI notification. This referenced Section 2 of Law No. 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection, Article No. 2, Fourth Paragraph, which states: "The right to respect religious beliefs, practises, and tradition." In order for the ministry's inspectors to take the appropriate action, the ministry also urged customers to report any items with slogans or designs that go against norms and traditions and to pinpoint their locations. Al Meera will have to increase its focus towards avoiding any products or slogans that violate Islamic values in order to avoid fines.

Environmental

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