Metro Pakistan

Metro Pakistan, formerly known as Metro-Habib and Makro Habib, is a Pakistani supermarket chain stores operator based in Lahore.[2] It is a subsidiary of German chain Metro Cash & Carry and Thal Limited.

Metro opened its first store in 2007.[3] It operates 10 supermarkets, in total, in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Multan.[4]

History

Makro Habib Pakistan was established in 2005 as a joint venture between the Dutch wholesale giant Makro and the Pakistani conglomerate House of Habib.[5] The company began its operations by opening its first store in SITE Industrial Area Karachi in 2006.[6]

In 2006, Makro-Habib began construction of a store in Saddar Town after obtaining a sublease from the Army Welfare Trust (AWT) on a playground called Webb Ground, a five-acre playing field located in Tunisia Lines and named after Sir Montagu de Pomeroy Webb.[7][8] Webb Ground was originally leased to AWT for commercial purposes in December 2002.[7][9] Before the construction of the store, Webb Ground had been utilized as a sports field by Karachi Grammar School for nearly 80 years.[7] In the mid-1980s, it was incorporated into the Lines Area Redevelopment Scheme and served as a neighborhood playground for approximately 200,000 residents.[7][10] The project was halted by the court in 2009 when the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that Makro-Habib must dismantle its structures on the playfield.[11] The judgment revealed complex dealings involving the Government of Pakistan, the Army Welfare Trust (AWT), and the City District Government Karachi (CDGK).[12] The court found that the government had transferred the plot to CDGK for amenity purposes before AWT subleased it to Makro-Habib.[12] Despite being aware of CDGK's prior claim to the land, Makro-Habib proceeded with construction.[12] The court criticized the lease arrangements as undervalued and not in public or governmental interest.[12] The filed a review petition and obtained an interim order maintaining the status quo until the petition's resolution.[12] The review petition was ultimately dismissed by the court in 2015 and subsequently the store was permanently closed.[13]

In 2007, Makro's plan to open a store in Model Town, Lahore, was halted by a court injunction when Justice Muzammal Ahmad Khan of the Lahore High Court stayed the construction of store following writ petitions challenging the conversion of an amenity plot into a department store.[14] The petitioners cited a prior ruling that prohibited converting the plot to commercial use without modifying the society's master plan.[14] In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency of Punjab approved the area for store construction, and the store was opened in Model Town in 2009.[15][16]

In October 2007, Metro Cash and Carry expanded into Pakistan, opening its first wholesale center in Lahore.[17][18] Six month later, Metro opened another business-to-business store in Islamabad.[19]

In 2008, Makro-Habib store was opened near Star Gate on Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi.[20] In the same year, the Dutch parent company exited the Pakistan and sold its entire stake to House of Habib.[6]

By 2009, Metro Cash and Carry changed its business model from business-to-business to hybrid model where small consumers can also purchase products.[19] In 2010, Metro introduced the own brands concept in Pakistan, allowing small businesses to feature their products in Metro Cash and Carry stores nationwide.[21] The initiative showcased five core brands across two price tiers, with packaging designed by Metro.[21] In 2011, Makro and Metro Cash & Carry merged their operations in Pakistan.[22] In 2011, at the time of their merger, Metro Cash and Carry was operating five wholesale outlets in Pakistan: two in Lahore, and one each in Karachi, Islamabad, and Faisalabad, having started its operations in 2007.[5] Makro Habib Pakistan also had five stores, with three in Karachi and two in Lahore.[5]

In 2015, a new Metro store was opened in Faisalabad, Punjab. Two years later, it was named as the best place to work in Pakistan.[23]

In 2020, Metro expanded further with opening of a new store in Multan, Punjab.[24][25]

See also

• Metro Cash & Carry
• Makro