Developers sought for central fruits & vegetables market

Business Monday 13/August/2018 15:36 PM
By: Times News Service
Developers sought for central fruits & vegetables market

Muscat: Khazaen Economic City (KEC), the master developer of the first integrated economic city in northern Oman, has announced its plan to establish a state-of-the-art Central Fruits & Vegetables market in the new city.
Khazaen Central Fruits & Vegetables market is planned to be developed over 430,000 square metres land. It will include shaded and air-conditioned areas for wholesale outlets and retail shops.
The market will provide world-class infrastructure and facilities and adopt best international practices in infrastructure development, storage, packaging, handling, transportation, parking and value-added services. The central market will also provide complete warehousing and cold storage logistics solutions for multiple products such as fruits, vegetables, fish and meat.
“Fruits and vegetables consumption volume in Oman has increased at a compounded growth rate of 14.1 per cent during the last five-year period to reach 1.94 million tonnes in 2017. The increasing urban population, rising tourist arrivals, growing food consumption and evolving consumer preferences for year-round demand for fresh and quality produce are factors driving the demand for the new central fruits and vegetables market in Khazaen,” Eng. Kalat G. Al Bulooshi, Chairman of KEC, said.
The project offers attractive opportunity for local and international private sector developers and investors, and inviting them to be the largest provider of fresh products in Oman, he added.
Khazaen Central Fruits & Vegetables Market will serve as a one-stop hub for the retail and wholesale activities of fruits, vegetables, fish and meat in Oman by consolidating importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers and consumers in one central destination.
KEC has appointed Colliers International, a top-tier global real estate services and investment management company with more than 12,000 skilled professionals operating in 69 countries, to market the project to regional and international developers, operators and investors.
KEC is seeking proposals from local and international private sector developers, operators and investors to design, build, finance and operate the proposed Central Fruits & Vegetables Market in Khazaen.
Interested developers, operators and investors are invited to purchase the tender from Khazaen’s head office, in Al Thabat Building, Airport Heights, and submit their proposal as per the tender process.
Khazaen Economic City(KEC) is a unique integrated city to be developed over an area of 51.5 million sqm located in Barka, Oman. Oman Investment Corporation SAOC (OIC), a leading private equity investment company based in Oman, owns a controlling stake in KEC. OIC has a demonstrable track record of developing successful projects and investments, building and operating high-quality businesses across multiple sectors in Oman.
Khazaen will include an inland dry port, logistics facilities, various types of warehouses, truck depots, a free zone with tax benefits, commercial and industrial zones, fruits and vegetable market, automotive markets, residential/mixed-use areas, recreational and retail areas with world-class infrastructure and outstanding facilities and services. Khazaen will be developed in several phases to become an integrated city, located strategically between Oman’s capital and SoharPort.
The city is only 45 minutes away from Muscat International Airport and a 2 hours’ drive away from the Port of Sohar and will have a direct connection to the future railway, making it ideal for multi-modal transportation. The city has excellent direct access to major roadways in the North (Batinah Expressway) and the East (Barka-Nakhal Road). The Batinah Expressway connects the city to highways throughout Oman and to the UAE.