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Sheikh Mohammed to grant UAE citizenship to talented expatriates

Fashion group Boohoo buys collapsed Debenhams brand

Not long after the introduction of the ten year ‘golden visa’, given to experts in STEM, doctors, and sporting professionals, a new incentive has been announced for talented professionals. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to Twitter on January 30 to announce an amendment to the law. The new law grants UAE citizenship to that investors and expatriates of specialised talents and professionals including scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, authors and their families. Source: MSN News (https://bit.ly/3cErhVV)

British online fashion group Boohoo said Monday it had bought the intellectual property assets of collapsed UK department store Debenhams, allowing it to use its brand going forward. Debenhams collapsed last month with the loss of thousands of jobs, having struggled to adapt from a bricks-andmortar business long before the coronavirus pandemic forced shoppers online. The cost of the deal is £55M ($75M, 62M euros; Dh275M), Boohoo said in a statement. It added that it plans to rebuild and relaunch the Debenhams online platform, as Boohoo looks to lead the fashion e-commerce market by entering into news areas including beauty, sports and homeware. Source: Gulf News (https://bit.ly/3r9dZog)

Coca-Cola Coffee Makes U.S. Debut With Drone Deliveries From Walmart

The skies over Coffee County, Georgia will be buzzing with drones on January 26-27 as the new Coca-Cola with Coffee product is delivered via drone from a Walmart supercenter. Drone deliveries will be made during daylight hours to single-family homes within a one-mile radius of a Walmart supercenter. Coca-Cola teamed up with Walmart and DroneUp, a nationwide drone services provider, to offer a two-pack of Coca-Cola with Coffee and Coca-Cola with Coffee Zero Sugar for $2.32. The offer is available to those who opted in last summer to receive updates about the product launch. Source: Progressive Grocer (https://bit.ly/39xgjiG)

A shared vision for Qiddiya, a future global entertainment hub

“The city — which will cover over 366 square kilometers of land — will host a Formula 1 racing track, a Six Flags theme park, a water park, sports facilities” One of the key advantages that the team behind Saudi Arabia’s ambitious drive to create a global hub of entertainment have is the shared vision for the project held by all those involved, the CEO of the Qiddiya Investment Company has told Arab News’ sister news organization Asharq news. “The beauty of a project like the Qiddiya project is that you don’t have to spend too much time to explain to people what they are here for — they know,” Phillipe Gas said. Qiddiya is one of the biggest investments in the future of entertainment in the Middle East. Source: Arab News (https://bit.ly/2L8benO)

PepsiCo, Beyond Meat Create a Plant-Based Powerhouse

Beyond Meat and PepsiCo are forming a joint venture to sell new plant-based snacks and drinks. The companies are forming The PLANeT Partnership to develop, produce and market snack and beverage products made from plant-based protein. According to company statements, the venture will leverage Beyond Meat’s technology in plantbased protein development and PepsiCo’s marketing and commercial capabilities to create and scale new snack and beverage options. The financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Joint venture operations will be managed through the newly created entity The PLANeT Partnership, LLC. Source: Progressive Grocer (https://bit.ly/2MrMNCf)

Saudi Crown Prince unveils plan to make Riyadh one of world’s 10 largest city economies

Riyadh aims to more than double its population and become one of the 10 richest cities in the world under ambitious plans unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) gathering in the Saudi capital. “All of Riyadh’s features set the groundwork for job creation, economic growth, investment, and many more opportunities,’’ the Crown Prince told Matteo Renzi, former prime minister of Italy, during a panel session on the future of Riyadh. “We are therefore aiming to make Riyadh one of the 10 largest city economies in the world. Today it stands at number 40, the fortieth largest city economy worldwide. We also aim to increase its residents from 7.5 million today to around 15-20 million in 2030,’’ he added. Source: Arab News (https://bit.ly/3pAQNyQ)

American Eagle shares rise as retailer plots at least 200 store closures in malls, making Aerie a $2 billion brand

American Eagle shares rose Thursday afternoon, as the teen apparel retailer outlined plans to close hundreds of stores in the coming years, while it looks to grow it lingerie and active-wear brand Aerie to a $2 billion business. The stock was last up more than 3%. Chief Financial Officer Mike Mathias said during a virtual meeting with investors that the company, which has about 880 stores, is looking to shut between 200 and 250 mostly mall-based locations in the next two to three years. Meantime, it plans to grow the number of Aerie stores by 50, to about 400 at the end of 2021, and is targeting having 500 to 600 Aerie locations in 2023. “It’s a tale of two brands,” the CFO explained. Source: CNBC (https://cnb.cx/3j3O4LE)

Amazon to Expand Tech Hub in Boston with 3,000 New Jobs

Amazon announced plans on Tuesday to expand its technology hub in the Boston area, creating some 3,000 jobs in the next few years. The Boston hub will add teams working on the Alexa digital assistant, robotics, Amazon Pharmacy and the giant’s web services unit. The company, which already employs some 3,700 people in the Boston area, has leased a new 17-story office tower which is part of the Boston Seaport project. Rohit Prasad, Vice President and head scientist for Alexa at Amazon, said the new hub will expand research and development for the artificial intelligence system. Source: The Jordan Times (https://bit.ly/39zNClu)

Lulu Hypermarket To Host Indian Food Festival in Bahrain

Lulu Hypermarket will host colourful and tasty foods of India festival over the weekend, from tomorrow until 29 January, as part of its Indian Republic Day celebrations. Fourteen popular Indian restaurants are taking part in the festival which will run every evening of the weekend from 5 to 10pm in the open parking space area of the Dana Mall in Sanabis facing the main road. Indian food is among the most popular in the world and this will be Lulu’s tasty tribute to Bahrain’s buzzy Indian restaurant scene. Source: The Daily Tribune News Of Bahrain (https://bit.ly/3ow5C4d)

Dubai to have the world’s first Clothespin Tower

The common clothespin takes on a unique dimension in the hands of famous Israeli artist Zygo. Now a leading team of his is planning to create the first Clothespin Tower in Dubai using innovative design and cutting-edge technology to build the 40-floor tower as a symbol of love, peace and hope between the world and the UAE. In an interview with Gulf News, artist Zygo talks about making the tower a life-long addition to the city’s skyline. The Clothespin Tower is the first conceptual building of its kind that turns the mundane clothespin into an icon of eternal love and unity. While most buildings and skyscrapers boast of height and architecture but lack truth and philosophy, the Clothespin Tower, based on the famous artwork of Zygo, can be called a “monument of art”. The concept behind the Clothespin tower shows two halves complementing each other, just like the everyday Clothespin. Source: Gulf News (https://bit.ly/3pFxlRu)

Breathing New Life Into Sitra Mall

Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) Group CEO, Sanjeev Paul, signed an agreement with Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau (MSCEB), Managing Director Thamer Salahuddin, paving the way for a significant revitalization of Sitra Mall. Edamah CEO, Amin Alarrayed, and Edamah Property Management Company (EPMC) General Manager, Waleed Ali, were present. As per the deal, Bahrain-based MSCEB will oversee the design of the new facility and maintenance works over three phases, the first and second of which are valued at approximately BD3 million. The agreement aims to boost the mall’s commercial activity, improving shopping and entertainment options for resitdents of Sitra and surrounding areas. EPMC was appointed to manage and operate Sitra Mall as per an agreement with BDB. Source: The Daily Tribune News of Bahrain (https://bit.ly/36vYgaZ)

Prominent UK Supermarket Chain Sainsbury’s to Set Up Shop in Qatar

Qatar’ first branch of the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, is set to open in the Gulf state following the signing of an agreement between Doha-based firm Qatari Diar and Ariane Holding Group. The branch will be located in the heart of Lusail City’s Downtown area and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022. Ariane Holding initially supplied products from the UK chain’s products to the Middle East and North Africa and later decided to expand its operations by launching a Sainsbury’s branch in Qatar. Sainsbury’s products were first distributed at Qatar’s main local supermarket chain Al Meera last year. Source: Doha News (https://bit.ly/3oA565p)