UAE’s Choithrams announces permanent price cuts on thousands of groceries and essentials / image: AI
Grocery bills in the UAE are about to feel lighter. Thousands of everyday essentials, from rice and dairy to cleaning products and frozen foods, are undergoing permanent price reductions as part of a large-scale retail reset across stores nationwide.Unlike short-term promotions, these reductions are being positioned as long-term pricing changes. Retail executives say the aim is to establish “everyday lower pricing” rather than temporary discount campaigns, giving residents predictable savings on weekly shopping.The move comes at a time when many households are closely monitoring budgets, especially ahead of Ramadan, when grocery spending traditionally rises.
UAE grocery price reset
Choithrams, one of the UAE’s oldest and most trusted supermarket chains, has unveiled a major strategic price reset on thousands of everyday products, affecting both in-store and online shopping. The new pricing initiative, described by the company as permanent, not promotional, will apply to around 10,000 essential items, making it one of the largest price overhauls by a UAE retailer in recent memory. Mark Mortimer-Davies, chief executive officer of Choithrams, confirmed that these price adjustments are not short-term offers but will be locked “for the long term” as the supermarket’s new everyday standard for customers across the Emirates.”
How the price cuts work?
Choithrams says the price reset will be rolled out in three phases during the first half of the year. The first phase alone covers about 3,500 products, and is expected to return an estimated AED 13 million in savings to shoppers in this round.On average, prices have been cut by roughly 15 percent across the affected items, spanning essential grocery staples, fresh produce, and everyday non-food products.
| Category | Essential Item | Typical Old Price | New Reset Price (Approx.) | Average Drop |
| Bakery & Dairy | Fresh Milk (1L) | Dh7.50 | Dh6.50 | 13% |
| White Bread (Loaf) | Dh5.50 | Dh4.85 | 12% | |
| Fresh Eggs (Dozen) | Dh12.75 | Dh11.20 | 12% | |
| Pantry Basics | White Rice (1kg) | Dh9.00 | Dh7.90 | 12% |
| Red Lentils (500g) | Dh6.50 | Dh5.70 | 12% | |
| Cooking Oil (1.5L) | Dh18.00 | Dh15.80 | 12% | |
| Beverages | Instant Coffee (190g) | Dh28.00 | Dh24.60 | 12% |
| Black Tea (100 Bags) | Dh14.00 | Dh12.30 | 12% |
While food prices saw a solid double-digit drop, household cleaning and non-food essentials have been cut even further, some by over 20%.
| Essential Item | Old Price | New Reset Price (Approx.) | Total Savings |
| Laundry Detergent (3kg) | Dh45.00 | Dh36.00 | Dh9.00 |
| Dishwashing Liquid (1L) | Dh12.00 | Dh9.60 | Dh2.40 |
| Kitchen Towel (Rolls) | Dh15.50 | Dh12.40 | Dh3.10 |
| Frozen Chicken Breasts (1kg) | Dh32.00 | Dh27.50 | Dh4.50 |
| Canned Seafood (Tuna) | Dh7.50 | Dh6.30 | Dh1.20 |
Why retailers made this move?
Choithrams’ pricing reset follows a 2025 customer survey of nearly 8,000 shoppers that highlighted two main insights: consumers trust Choithrams, but they also want greater everyday value.Dinesh Pagarani, director at Choithrams, said the company recognises that many households face budgeting challenges, particularly in the run-up to Ramadan, and the new pricing strategy is meant to help customers plan their weekly shopping with confidence.Choithrams emphasises that this reset is a structural shift rather than a one-off discount campaign. The aim is to establish predictable, consistently low prices that align with other major retailers while preserving quality and choice.
Broader context
This initiative comes amid broader efforts in the UAE to manage consumer prices and protect household spending power. The UAE Ministry of Economy has recently introduced tools such as a national digital price-monitoring platform to track essential commodity prices in real time, helping ensure stable and fair market pricing.This regulatory backdrop reflects the UAE’s wider objective to promote market transparency, inflation control, and consumer protection, particularly for essentials like rice, eggs, dairy, sugar and more.Across the retail sector, other supermarkets have also taken steps in past years to lock or limit the prices of key products, such as Carrefour’s price-freeze campaigns on everyday goods in previous seasons. Go to Source
