Bluebird Supermarket become Bluebird Mart

KATHMANDU, MAY 17 - 

BLUEBIRD Supermarket, the country’s first department store, has reopened after remaining shut for three months in a new avatar as Bluebird Mart. Bluebird Mart opened its doors on Sunday and will be formally inaugurated on Tuesday.

Situated on the second floor of the Bluebird Complex at Tripureshwor, Bluebird Mart is spread over an area of 8,200 sq ft. “The closure of Bluebird was an inconvenience to customers as there were no such stores in the area,” said Arjun Bhandari, managing director of Bluebird Mart. “Hence, we’ve decided to reopen it with improved services and more products.” According to Bhandari, Bluebird Mart will now focus on quality of service and products.

The mart has an inventory of more than 40,000 products including daily commodities, liquors, electronic appliances, kitchen appliances, plastic ware, linen and bedding, sea foods and frozen meats, among others. The company has invested Rs 20 million in the mart and provides direct employment to 25 people. According to Bhandari, the new management will revamp the image of Bluebird. “Most people consider Bluebird to be a pricey shopping centre. We want to change this image by pricing all the products in a very competitive way,” said Bhandari.

The reopening of the mart is also expected to promote customer flow at the Bluebird Complex. “The closure of the supermarket had adversely affected footfall at the complex with the number of visitors dropping 20-30 percent,” said Binod Tuladhar, managing director of the Bluebird Complex. “With the reopening of the mart, we are hopeful that we will be able to retain our loyal customers and also attract new ones.” Bluebird Supermarket opened in the mid-1980s with an investment of Rs 500,000. The store had earned fame for selling quality products imported directly from China, Thailand, India and other countries.