KUWAIT: The Kuwait Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (KUCCS) affirmed on Sunday that it is keen on keeping prices of commodities in check and providing consumers with goods at reasonable prices. Speaking to KUNA on the issue, chairman of KUCCS Abdulwahab Al-Fares said that the union had recently launched a platform where consumers could be updated about the prices of different commodities, saying that a hike or decrease in prices would be available for the masses to see.
He affirmed that the cooperative society movement in Kuwait is unique, noting that the union had always backed nationally produced products, whether in Kuwait or after being exported. He reiterated KUCCS’s stance on countering monopolies and making sure that prices were in check, affirming that no one is above the law in this regard.
On his part, chairman of the board for the Al-Rawd and Hawali Cooperative Society, Mohammad Al-Kanderi, said that there was a solemn effort to keep prices reasonable for consumers, adding that the board had taken necessary measures to ensure the quality of goods and their availability. He affirmed that KUCCS had proven itself to be a major player in providing consumer goods in the region.
Regarding the hike in price for certain commodities, Al-Kanderi revealed that sometimes goods increase in price due to global disturbances such as the one created by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, Kuwait had made sure that consumers would get their products during crises. Some countries in the region were eager to benefit from the Kuwaiti Cooperative Society experience, said Kanderi, who pointed out that Kuwait was to show its expertise within this domain.
Consumer cooperative societies were first introduced in Kuwait in 1962 as entities dedicated to providing consumer goods to the masses. Cooperative Societies represented 70 percent of the retail sector business in Kuwait.- KUNA