How did Imtiaz become the fastest-growing retail chain in Pakistan from a local store?

Imtiaz, probably the most renowned and visited supermarkets in Pakistan, has a fable to reflect upon, which is based on its journey from being an ordinary roadside store to becoming a well established supermarket with multiple franchises in Pakistan.

This fable is a story behind the success of Imtiaz, which every curious Pakistani wants to know, karachiites in particular.

Its journey began in 1955 when Imtiaz Abbasi’s father ventured into the business of running a retail grocery store. This first ever Imtiaz store was located in Bahadurabad, Karachi, and was later expanded by merging the adjoining shops close to it.

According to Imtiaz Abbasi, he turned his Imtiaz store into a a full fledged supermarket after getting inspired by Singapore’s Al-Mustafa store, when he made a trip to Singapore in 1978 and decided to replicate the same business model as that of Al-Mustafa store.

Read more: How did Shan Foods become a global brand from a single-room producer?

Currently, Imtiaz has become the biggest brand of a supermarket in Pakistan, with a network of 27 stores across the 12 major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Sargodha, Vehari, Peshawar, and Quetta.

Out of which, eight stores are located in Karachi only, the biggest metropolitan city in the country, while being a port city as well.

Imtiaz, which has gained the title of being the fastest-growing retail chain in Pakistan, is backed by more than 14,000 employees and 700K+ customers.