BRINGING BRANDS AND BUILDINGS TOGETHER P12 Oman Avenues Mall A Transformative Journey P34 Social Commerce The Next $1.2 Trillion Retail Business P14 Times Square Center Welcomes RoboThink to its Portfolio
NOW OPEN at Hafr Al Batin, Riyadh, KSA
CONTENT 04 WELCOMEONREMARKSTHECOVER 08 VINDICO Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence in the Retail Real Estate Industry! PeterFeaturing:Row, Marc McQuain – Founding Directors Richard Kim - CEO & MD, Paul Mathews – COO SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE 12 OMAN AVENUES MALL – A Transformative Journey 14 TIMES SQUARE CENTER – Global Children’s Education Concept RoboThink, with the Largest & Most Premier Franchise 16 LUCKYONE MALL – The Place To Be SPECIAL FEATURE Honoring the Life & Legacy of Greg Vogt 18 The Talented Mr Vogt Déjà vu 2.0 19 Friendship…Brewed to Perfection Shops and Pops 20 To Happy Times Greg The Gentle Giant 21 A Pillar of Joy 22 Cheers to Life – Greg 23 Leadership is Action, Not…Position 24 Sail On, My Friend Our Great Loss (Greg Vogt) 25 Relationships, Loyalty and Authentic Living - A Wonderful Legacy EVENTS GALLERY 28 The Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals 32 SpringBoard Networking Event in Dubai FEATURE 34 Social Commerce – The Next $1.2 Trillion Retail Business 36 Entertainment Has A New Bright Future at Al Othaim 38 Reinvention – A Fresh Approach 41 Optimise Retail Centre Management with All-In-One Solution 42 Evolution. Relevance. Success. 8 Key Areas to Future Proof Shopping Centre Excellence 45 Shopping Malls’ Evolving Customer Dynamics 46 The Three Faces of Digital Transformations for Retailers 48 The Silos Infection Within Your Company CONTENTS Christian Baldonanza Digital Media & Innovation connect@mecsc.orgManager Justin Espiritu Relationship and Business Development publishing@mecsc.orgManager CONTENTS PUBLISHED BY: https://www.mecsc.org/site/publications/RPM CONTACT US: Mariz Matocdo | +971 56 548 1380 /+971 55 551 7605 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you would like to contribute an article, place an advertisement for our 2022 issue or share your comments, suggestions or ideas, contact customercare@mecsc.org Disclaimer: The viewpoints, articles and opinions contained in the Retail People Magazine are not necessarily those of MECS+R. 08 49 7 Reasons Why Good Signage Is An Essential Part of Any Business NEWS BRIEF 50 Majid Al Futtaim Inaugurates latest Carrefour Store in Saudi Arabia Dubai Outlet Mall Onboards Yateem Group As Part of its Exciting Line-Up of Lifestyle Brands 51 EdgeStone Launches First Mall Specialized in Gold Jewellery in Egypt Retail Operator Sharaf Group Plans More Forever 21 in Middle East, Southeast Asia 52 Dubai Metaverse Firm Everdome Secures $10 Million Kuwait’sFundingToyand Gifting Portal Teeela Ropes in $3.75m from Saudi Investors 53 Dubai: Region’s Biggest Cinema Screen Set to Open on Aug 31 Wise Buys Opens First Branch in the Kingdom at Seef Mall - Muharraq WHAT’S NEW? 54 Report: Mall Giant Sees No Downturn in Store JLLOpeningsSecures $585M Funding for Massive MixedUse Development in Boston Area KFC Australia Pilots Drone-Delivery Service in NYEQueensland&RGPDevelopment and Siam Piwat Join Hands in a Strategic Deal to Manage “Park Silom” RelianceProject Brands ‘Well Positioned’ to Tap India’s Luxury Apparel Market In Singapore, Zalora Launches Supermart-Style Pop-Up with Adidas 55 Romacorp, Inc. Joins The National Retail SportsFederationRetail Giant Decathlon Partners with Zeus Labs to Handle UK Freight Australian Made Apparel Group Moves into City Retail Market Lewis Retail Centers to Build 169,590 SF Town Center at The Preserve in Chino, California Abercrombie & Fitch Launches ‘Getaway’ Store Design Concept TGI Fridays Expand C3 Partnership with New Virtual Brands RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .3
Oman’s Premier Retail and Lifestyle P.O.Box 436, P.C. 130, Baushar Sultanate of Oman | Tel: +968 2200 5420 | Mob: +968 9910 3312 | www.omanavenuesmall.com ! ﻚﻴﻟإ بﺮﻗأ ن ا نﺎﻤﻋ ﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ! ﻚﻴﻟإ بﺮﻗأ ن ا نﺎﻤﻋ ﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ
Lifestyle Destination now Closer to you! www.omanavenuesmall.com ﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ ﻲﻓ ﺎﻠﻣﺎﻜﺗ ﺮﺜﻛ ا ﺔﻬﺟﻮﻟاﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ ﻲﻓ ﺎﻠﻣﺎﻜﺗ ﺮﺜﻛ ا ﺔﻬﺟﻮﻟا
WELCOME
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett Trust can be a fragile thing, but it is the foundation on which all relationships are built. It is built and maintained by many small actions over time. It is not a matter of technique, tricks, or tools but of character. We are trusted because of our way of being, not because of our polished exteriors or our expertly crafted communications.
Member
Celebrating success is what we do here at the Retail People Magazine – and in this edition
JUBY JOSE Head of Marketing & Specialty Leasing DALMA MECS+RMALLBoard Treasurer ALESSANDRO GAFFURI CEO & Founder CELS MECS+RGroupBoard
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GOGI GEORGE GM - Development & Leasing Lulu Group International - Oman MECS+R Board Member MOHAMMED AL QAED Manager, Property Management SEEF MECS+RPropertiesBoardMember SAMAR AKKOU Senior Manager - Leasing Nakheel Malls MECS+R Board Member
DUAIJ AL RUMAIHI Mall Director, Bahrain Shopping Malls City Centre Bahrain MECS+R Board Member
In business, we can afford to lose money, but we can’t afford to lose reputation. When we trust someone, we have confidence in them and in their honesty and integrity. We believe that they will do the things they say they will and recognize their abilities and strengths.
BRINGING BRANDS AND BUILDINGS TOGETHER P12 P34 Social CommerceP14 ON THE COVER CelebratingVINDICO 20 Years & Counting WELCOME
Thanks as well to ourcontributors who took time to write an informative and fresh insights packed in this issue.
Watch out for our Retail Congress MENA, ‘REBORN’, happening on December 5-6, 2022 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC Hotel, Dubai, UAE. We would like to thank and recognize our early sponsors and exhibitors to our 28th RECON MENA. This immersive event experience will serve as an incubator for innovation and engage with industry executives, leaders and visionaries in the shopping centre and retail industry. Come, join us, be a sponsor or exhibitor and book your booth now! We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as the team at MECS+R has enjoyed bringing it to you.
“Bringing Brands and Buildings Together” is no exception. The MECS+R rejoice with Vindico as they celebrate their 20th Anniversary. 20 years is not a short time and it’s not easy to reach this corporate success. We wish the whole team a Happy 20th Anniversary and we hope that they will continue to soar high in the coming years. In this edition, we take pride to introduce the leaders behind the success of Vindico who graces our front cover. Peter Row and Marc McQuain, Founding Directors, Richard Kim, CEO & Managing Director and Paul Mathews, COO. 20 years ago, Peter and Marc founded the retail delivery and design business. Over the years, Vindico has collaborated with many of the premier retail developers in the industry to achieve success in opening their marquee assets. Since then, they have been on a mission to help their clients obtain this certainty and redefine retail real estate with what they have labeled as retailmomentum. It connects brands and buildings with agility to deliver a complete retail Itexperience.givesusgreat pleasure to welcome readers in this edition. We have an abundance of articles covering shopping centre updates, shopping centre fresh approach, keys to future proof shopping centre, social commerce, entertainment industry, digital transformations, and a lot more. This latest issue of the RPM would not have been possible without our fabulous sponsors and contributors. We would like to thank Vindico, Al Othaim Leisure, Oman Avenues Mall, Yardi, Souq 7, The Clock Towers Shopping Center, Axis Partners and Times Square Center.
Eng. Wail M. Balkhair Board MECS+RPresident DAVID MACADAM Chief Executive Officer MECS+R YOUNUS AL MULLA MECS+R Chairman Dubai, UAE ENG. WAIL M. BALKHAIR MECS+R Board President Saudi Arabia KAMEL SHABAN CEO, MECS+RSOLOBoard Vice President
Most notably, the fashion zone is on leasing progress for opening by late Q3 2022. The fashion zone is comprised of 10 blocks, with each block containing 20 exhibitions, hosting a variety of stores for gold and jewelry, wedding dresses, designer leather bags, travel apparel, and more! As we speak, over 60% of the 7 zones has been leased with more leasing agreements unfolding as the project approached Ledcompletion.byAzad Real Estate, Souq7 aims to offer the merchants and residents of Jeddah a unique cultural and commercial complex that pays homage to the city’s rich heritage. It is established as a contribution to the aspirations of the KSA 2030 vision. 92 00 22 575 +966 55 402 6677 +966 50 690 6777 Let’s Talk Souq souq7Souq7Azad marketing@azad.com.sasouq7.sa
HEADING
Souq7 continues to unfold with more exciting development is on the horizon. As we speak, phase 1 of this grandiose project is expected to launch soon in 2022 as the first two zones are nearing completion! TOWARD A SPECTACULAR SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
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Over the years, Vindico has collaborated with many of the premier retail developers in the industry to achieve success in opening their marquee assets. From the likes of Place Vendôme Qatar in Doha, to Aldar’s Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, to EXCELLENCE Management Team
L-R Back - Paul Mathews - ChiefOperatingOfficer Nicci Anderson - ChiefFinancialOfficer Maryam Patel - HeadofRetailDelivery Nihad Muzamil - Director | Ramesh Anbalagan - HeadofTalent&Digital
September 2022 marks an important anniversary for Vindico. 20 years ago, this retail delivery and design business simultaneously launched in London and San Francisco. Founded by Peter Row and Marc McQuain, Vindico began servicing owners and developers of retail assets with a disciplined approach to the design and construction of tenancies. In 2007, they established their head office in Dubai.
IN THE RETAIL REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY! STORYCOVER RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .8 VINDICO
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The move to the UAE represented the continual efforts of Vindico to grow and push international best practices into different parts of the globe.
L-R Front - Trapti Rai - MarketingManager Abdullah Al Rafaei - Executive Advisor Marc McQuain - FoundingDirector | Peter Row - FoundingDirector | Richard Kim - CEO&ManagingDirector Lynn Hemingway - HeadofQatar&Oman
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VINDICO CELEBRATES YEARS OF
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Opening a new shopping center is never easy. It creates what Vindico defines as the Developer’s Dilemma. Developers always face the three forces that create opening uncertainty or dilemma: 1) volatility of the leasing markets, 2) dependency on tenants and their teams, and 3) the complexity of rigid construction methods and programmes. When opening days go wrong, there are disgruntled brands, disappointed customers, delayed returns, and damaged reputations.
PLACE VENDÔME Lusail, Qatar LULU MALL LUCKNOW Lucknow, India
facilitates the relationship between landlord and tenant which evolves beyond the initial development stage and sets the tone for a successful operating asset.
Vindico overcomes the Developer’s Dilemma by creating a process which addresses those three forces. Their process achieves certainty over what opening day looks like. They have been on a mission to help their clients obtain this certainty and redefine retail real estate with what they have labeled as retailmomentum™. It connects brands and buildings with agility to deliver a complete retail experience. As Vindico scales their business and expands their offerings, a collection of key partnerships has formed. Anarock, one of the leading real estate services companies in India, has
YAS BAY Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Galleria Al Maryah Island Abu Dhabi, UAE (Photo provided by Al Maryah Retail Company) between leases or solutions for vacancies. Temporary or popup retail has been utilized more widely in recent times and pocketshops™ were created to address this need.
JIO WORLD DRIVE
is currently lead by an executive team composed of CEO and Managing Director - Richard Kim, COO - Paul Mathews, and Director of Operations - Nihad Muzamil. We recently had the opportunity to interview Richard to get his thoughts on a variety of different topics affecting Vindico and the retail industry. 1. What is Vindico doing now in the international market? We have several dozens of on-going projects and clients worldwide, including India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Our partnerships with companies such as Anarock and Pradera have proven to be beneficial in adding to our sales pipeline whilst increasing our exposure to different markets. They have been critical in developing our plans for scaling the business across various regions. We’ve also had the opportunity to expand our service offerings through these partnerships along with our technology investments.
partnered with Vindico to create a more robust and wellrounded service offer across that country.
STORYCOVER Bringing Brands and Buildings Together RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .10
Vindico’s sister company, Pop Retail, was formed in 2014 to provide tenants and landlords with a product offer for pocketshops™ inside retail assets requiring a transition Mumbai, India Abu Dhabi, UAE
YAS MALL
Vindico has also joined with Pradera, a European fund and asset management company. This joint venture expands their presence in the middle east whilst expanding Vindico’s service offerings. Using 3D graphics, vacancy activation specialists, 3DWD create engaging storefront activation solutions for upcoming brands and commercial real estate developers. Vindico’s local presence in the Middle East & India and 3DWD’s design solutions are redefining the experiences that shopping malls and airport retail centres can offer their customers.
And in the United States, Vindico has invested in a company called Volstrukt, an LSF manufacturer for the residential market. Volstrukt was developed to administer cost effective solutions to housing shortages found in various parts of the Vindicocountry.
5. Where will Vindico be in 10 years?
We have positioned ourselves to scale significantly over the next several years by penetrating additional regions and setting up partnerships to facilitate the increasing demands of the market and our clients. We think the continuing pressures on commodity and material pricing will force developers to innovate and find efficiencies in building processes, which then lends itself to hyper efficient use of space. Subsequently, retailers will find themselves pivoting and designing spaces and products that must be viewed, experienced, and purchased online and offline, through continuously diversifying omni-channels. We believe in being part of a circular economy that demands sustainability and zero waste. The repositioning of existing assets to become multi-functioning (not just mixed-use) properties will demand focused design parameters that cater to multiple consumer and community needs. Additionally, we believe in giving back to the communities we work in. For many years we have contributed to an international organization called B1G1 which provides education to children. We are excited to continue this association with B1G1 and other charitable organizations in the future.
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Consumer driven solutions and goals have never been more important. And with the advent of data sciences that aggregate and churn through metrics that analyze buying trends with a level of specificity beyond anything we could have imagined just a few years ago, the pressures on retail brands and subsequently the landlords that house those brands, is immense. There has never been a time that requires more collaboration between landlords and tenants than now and Vindico always sits in the middle of those relationships and have witnessed some remarkable shifts. The change that brands have brought to their products, in how they market themselves, in how they manage their supply chains, in how they interact with their customers, etc. have all manifested in a shop that acts as a store, as a fulfillment center, as an experiential environment and continues to be a local commercial hub for that brand. And what some of the great landlords have done is simply house those brands in an environment with commercial agreements and physical connections that are mutually beneficial, rather than creating animosity and conflict. We ensure these relationships flourish.
For several years now, we have been offering a Technology Platform solution to retail delivery called VRDnet.
I’m generalizing here, but compared to other industries like finance or automobiles, real estate and development have had a tendency to underutilize digital tools. Additionally, research and development of industry specific technology has always been less of a priority than that found in other industries. It’s no surprise our industry operating assets and buildings have not changed much from 20 years ago. That being said, there are some really creative companies and ideas transforming the way retail and commercial spaces are being designed, built, and operated. We include ourselves in that group of innovative businesses. We see the inefficiencies in legacy processes, and we are determined to provide better solutions. Our business began as an Analog Platform, bringing various parties together to work collaboratively towards a common goal. We have since digitized much of that process.
3. How is Vindico using technology to enhance service to your clients?
2. How have current world events affected the company? Prior to the pandemic, the retail industry was already seeing softness in the market and as we were adjusting to that slowdown, the pandemic hit, and we all experienced the difficulties in living through that. But weathering global and regional economic slowdowns is nothing new. Whether it’s a recession or a virus, every business, and person for that matter, needs to pivot when events beyond one’s control happens. We are a nimble company that has and will continue to weather any downturns while advising the best course for our clients. And as many experts have determined, the pandemic ushered through an evolution in many industries, including retail, during the span of those 2 years. It would have taken decades had the pandemic not hit. We look at this as a huge opportunity to innovate and find solutions, particularly from a tech and digital perspective.
4. What changes have you seen in the retail industry and where do you see the opportunities?
We have ourofincreasingtopartnershipsandadditionalyearsthesignificantlyourselvespositionedtoscaleovernextseveralbypenetratingregionssettingupfacilitatethedemandsthemarketandclients.
LuckyOne Mall
OMAN AVENUES MALL - FROM HUMBLE ORIGINS
Along with impeccable and meticulous planning that was painstakingly put together, land development and site engineering factors were given utmost importance, especially in light of increasing the Mall capacity while operating the existing Mall without reducing customer traffic, while keeping in mind the local zoning ordinances which meant that there needs to be a properly planned extensive implementation of the project with phase-by-phase rerouting of traffic, resulting in no obvious hassle for the Mall customers.
OMAN MALL - A TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY
Hence, the redevelopment was zoned into 4 phases - the lower ground level, the parking extension, the ground level and IKEA building. The zoning of each phase was done with careful consideration and meticulous planning to ensure that all details were adequately taken care of.
The Mall now has 3 main entry corridors, with the new structure being connected to the west wing entrance with seamless integration to the Mall and the parking. The rear side road of IKEA is also enhanced to directly connect to three main road arteries (1) Ministerial District, (2) Dohat Al Adab Street and (3) Muscat Expressway. Over 4000 vehicles commute directly on the flyover which will establish seamless connectivity from roads to the parking. A dedicated loading and unloading access is developed to establish a hassle-free traffic movement to the Mall. To comfortably house the burgeoning parking needs, new parking spaces were created which included additional 500 bays on the roof level which integrates horizontally into the second floor of the Mall where key categories of the Mall are operational like the Cinema, Family Entertainment Centers and the Food Court. Similarly, the north wing has been connected to the parking area through another extended parking package of 500 bays.
Oman Avenues Mall, located at the heart of the city of Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, is a luminary landmark that harks back to its humble origins from a standalone Hypermarket centric retail complex to a destination Mall that stands tall as the redefinition of shopping, lifestyle, and entertainment centre. From a standalone LuLu Hypermarket in 2004, the property has transitioned into a five-level Mall that started operations in 2015, flourishing through pertinent demand in terms of retail offering in the area and the high potential that it presented. 2019 saw the attachment of a world-class, 14-screen mega-scale Cinema complex being added to the thriving Mall. In 2022, the Mall embarked on a massive expansion increasing the footprint by another 30,000 m2 of GLA in a 62,000 m2 built-up area expansion with the anchoring by IKEA, the Swedish behemoth with its first megastore experience at Oman Avenues Mall. Oman Avenues Mall is an archetypal example of how a Mall can reposition itself to be an adaptive, re-imagined Lifestyle Destination while retaining much of its classical fervour. The Mall has been a torchbearer of redefining a retail offering that is a product of an ever-evolving marketplace.
In order to ease traffic and provide a seamless commute experience to the Mall visitors, the rear side road feeding the parking was enhanced to a four-lane road from a two-lane road, two bridges are being built and a flyover extension from the Sultan Qaboos road is being linked directly to the Mall parking complex to provide a seamless and hassle-free connectivity experience.
This elaborate project encountered several complexities throughout its implementation, yet was completed and open for trade within a record time of 20 months which IKEA built was delivered for fit out 6 months prior to trading.
THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
AVENUES
UPDATECENTRESHOPPING RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .12
In this regard, the leadership was envisioning a larger connected purpose, bringing the Swedish furnishing giant, IKEA’s first ever store in Oman as the anchorage. IKEA at Oman Avenues Mall has substantially supported in boosting the overall foot traffic for the Mall.
Revitalization of the area as not only a shopping destination, but a customer experience hub, was a potential opportunity that needed to be capitalized on, to stay well ahead of stifling competition and consolidate the Group’s position in the market. This was a conscious and informed decision that was taken to potentially increase the overall profitability of the asset while reinvigorating the community with new amenities and experiences.
IN LINE WITH THE NEED OF THE MARKET
GOGI GEORGE GM-DEVELOPMENT & LEASING OMAN AVENUES MALL LULU GROUP INTERNATIONAL www.omanavenuesmall.om/omanavenuesmall RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .13
The leadership at the LuLu Group International, the property operators and Al Taher Group, the developers of Oman Avenues Mall, partnered on this ground-breaking vision. The firmly rooted vision was linked to powerful and well-directed actions, which have translated into one of the largest redevelopment projects in the country. The Mall has become a quintessential and inescapable part of Oman’s consumer culture, ushering in considerable customer traffic from across the country.
In his words, redevelopment and reconfiguring of a project usually follow the market demands and the need for the project to be relevant. In his previous stints at many landmark projects across the region including projects in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the project redevelopment cycle has been usually undertaken in a span of 5 years or so, however, Oman Avenues Mall has gone through multi-phase expansions in the past 7 years since the start of operations mainly due to the paradigm shift in retail scenarios, multiple challenges including threats posed by e-Commerce businesses, change in the competitive landscape as well as the need to stay relevant in current times. In his opinion, malls would never lose their sheen in Middle Eastern markets unlike visible in matured markets like the American and the European markets considering the consumer behaviours, weather conditions favouring mall visits, as well as, as generally high disposable income levels that are conducive to consumerism.
LEADERSHIP
Gogi George has been at the helm of the project since 2013 delivering the project from the original blueprint of the hypermarket into a full-fledged Mall to the current development as it is. He is the Asset Management Head for Lulu Group International in Oman and has since led the opening and the subsequent 4 phased redevelopment.
REDEVELOPMENTS
ROBOTHINK, WITH THE LARGEST AND MOST PREMIER FRANCHISE
Headquartered in the USA, there is no other STEM franchise brand with the same experience or global presence as RoboThink – a testament to the quality of the programs offered. “We, at Times Square Center, are honoured to be chosen as the destination for RoboThink’s largest global studio and excited to introduce this distinct educational offering to our customers. It is the perfect addition to our edutainment footprint, and as a core community mall, we are positive that our visitors, guests, and customers alike, will appreciate our continued pursuit to provide a holistic lifestyle destination, that has a distinct identity drawn from our retailers’ and consumers’ shared values. We are underpinned by the mission to create a space that caters for families and community, and not just a retail nameplate. Our embedded mantra is driven by fitness, health, education, and togetherness that resonate with positive human emotions.
Times Square Center expands upon its edutainment offerings by welcoming RoboThink to its portfolio.
SQUARE CENTER SIGNS
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The 21,000 sq ft STEM experience centre will be the first of its kind in the world
TIMES ON GLOBAL CHILDREN’S EDUCATION CONCEPT
An international education brand, RoboThink teaches children about robotics, computer coding and engineering. It is the world’s largest STEM education franchise with a presence in over 22 countries, and with the institution opening later this year at Times Square Center, it’ll be the biggest and first of its kind in the world.
UPDATECENTRESHOPPING
Set to launch in Q4 of 2022, RoboThink will offer parents exclusive access to a world of futuristic tech to spark their children’s imagination and creativity. Spread across a 21,000 sqft, RoboThink will be located on level one, neighbouring Sharaf DG, and strategically situated opposite the newly opened PICNIC SQUARE dining and meeting hub.
RoboThink will equip children with the necessary skills and information to succeed and thrive in a future world powered by robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence. Students are also trained in topics like problem-solving, logical thinking and spatial awareness, offering noticeable improvements to a child’s personality, approach to education, and attitude.
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Every retail tenant located at Times Square Center ties into this goal, and RoboThink is an ideal partner to amplify our message,” said Nancy Ozbek, General Manager, Times Square Center.
NANCY OZBEK GENERAL MANAGER TIMES SQUARE CENTER
Nancy Ozbek is a career retail industry professional with more than 20 years of experience. Prior to joining the dynamic team at Times Square Center as the General Manager, Nancy held several senior leadership positions across various renowned malls and community centres in the UAE such as Al Hanaa Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Ibn Battuta Mall, The Mall in Jumeirah and Deerfields Mall. She has taken responsibilities in all aspects of the mall management from leasing, tenant relations, business planning, finance, facilities and operational management to maintenance, mall inspections and safety functions.
“We are very excited to be opening the first RoboThink World concept in Dubai. The reason we chose Dubai for our largest and most premiere location is because of its hyperconnected economy, desire to embrace technology in the economic fabric of the country and competitive education market. RoboThink Dubai has one purpose, and that is to better prepare the children of UAE for a 21st-century future powered by robotics, AI and automation. We hope to be a positive influence on the future economy of Dubai by inspiring and nurturing brilliant engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators as such a talent pool is critical for any country looking to have a strong valueadded technology economy in the future,” commented Heba Al Shwiki, Owner of RoboThink.
Both Times Square Center and RoboThink recognize the importance of giving children an educational head start. According to statistics, 74% of companies say that they value workers with STEM experience because they know STEM involves heavily into problem-solving and critical thinking skills. For more information, visit www.timessquarecenter.ae or follow @ timessquaredxb on Instagram
THE PLACE TO BE
UPDATECENTRESHOPPING
LuckyOne Mall is in fact one of the most quotable examples in Pakistan, of how an idea becomes a reality and how that reality can surpass all expectations!
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Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, was in dire need of a place which can provide something more than just an opportunity for shopping contrary to the prevailing concept and trend of shopping malls in the city at that time. What the city was missing was a destination mall that could provide a whole new level of engagement for customers and that would become a part of their lifestyle – their go-to place for all their needs. A place that doesn’t just offer convenience in shopping, but where customers could spend quality time, be entertained and create joyous memories with their loved ones.
LuckyOne Mall is located in one of the city’s premier locations with a catchment of over 8 million and opened its doors to the public on the 6th of May 2017. It changed the skyline of Karachi and completely transformed the landscape of the retail industry by encapsulating entertainment with shopping and dining all under one roof. This was the first time ever that a mall offered unparalleled EXPERIENCE with a touch of class to its visitors.
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With a carefully selected retail mix comprising 200 retail outlets and approximately 300 brands, leased in intelligently planned zones, LuckyOne Mall has surpassed tenants’ and customers’ expectations. The creation of theme-based zones such as Pakistan’s first ever in-mall Health & Wellness Avenue which houses a state-of-the-art eye clinic, dental clinic and a renowned pharmacy, a Banking Enclave featuring banks and money changers, a Fashion Alley that offers an array of top fashion brands, a Wedding Galleria that presents a wide range of beautiful wedding ensembles by multiple designers, largest Food Court and of course the only planned In-Mall Open-Air Food Street has set us apart from the other malls in AsidePakistan.from this, LuckyOne Mall prides itself on having the biggest Carrefour in Pakistan as one of its anchor tenants. In order to cater to the recreational needs of the entire family, an international standard state-of-the-art family entertainment centre (FEC), Onederland, has also been established inside the mall. At LuckyOne Mall, we strongly believe in creating an unmatched experience for our visitors by embracing and celebrating seasonal and category-based festivals as well as national and international events. Our main Atrium, being the largest in Pakistan, with its arena seating makes it the most sort after in-mall brand activations and entertainment spot in the city. The largest event ever hosted here was on the celebration of Pakistan’s Independence Day on 14 August 2019 when 117,000 people attended this indoor event. It has hosted many national and international celebrities over these past five years. Another feather in LuckyOne Mall’s cap is to become the only mall in Pakistan to set up one of the best-managed free-ofcost COVID Vaccination Centers (CVC) in coordination with the Ministry of Health that has so far administered more than 150,000 vaccines and counting. LuckyOne Mall’s CVC has been recognized by various national and international forums and has earned several awards for connecting with and serving the community in a meaningful manner.
Recognized for providing a quality lifestyle for life, LuckyOne Mall continues to expand, renovate, and offer an innovative and engaging experience to its audience making it the place to be trendy, foodie, happy, entertained, and the place to be YOU!
SAAD ZUBERI DIRECTOR OPERATIONS LUCKY LANDMARK PRIVATE LIMITED LuckyOne Mall set a new trend in Pakistan’s mall industry by providing a unique experience for customers that appealed to all their senses making Customer Engagement a buzzword and an accepted norm for events in malls across Pakistan.
Greg is not only a mere Landlord’s representative but also a friend to his retailers and colleagues. He is a great negotiator and has always had a cool disposition that values your contribution, coaches, encourages and deals you with respect. The biggest takeaway that he taught me was to live life happily without compromising the quality of my work. He was my great backer on my global sojourn and once dubbed me as “the 007 of stealth travel” which earned me to renew my passport at least twice during my stint with him.”
Ihad the pleasure of working with Greg at Majid Al Futtaim, during a difficult period whereby we needed to compromise on an existing deal to allow for the new cinema in City Centre Beirut. We both worked for the same company, yet the difficult task of closing a deal, designing and building a 15-screen cinema, within the space allowed for an 8 screen cinema, whilst the mall and cinema were under construction fell upon our shoulders. Without Greg’s support, the deal would not have been closed, the cinema would have been
Ronie Pinero PARTNER,RPREALESTATECONSULTANCYABUDHABI,UAE delayed, and ultimately the cinema may not have become the highest grossing cinema in Lebanon. Despite the tough negotiation, Greg’s sense of humour, worth ethic, comradery, and commitment during this challenging period, resulted in a great friendship, and getting to enjoy countless infamous Robinson brunches together. I later had the privilege of again working with Greg on the Al Maryah Central project, and again Greg was shrewd and tough, but dedicated, compromising and reasonable, traits not always enjoyed in Leasing discussions. Like everyone who interacted with him, I liked, respected, admired and really enjoyed knowing Greg. Greg set the bar very high. Too soon to lose such a man. the parking. I consider his gestures with a lot of humility and absence of arrogance, the essential attributes that I can be proud of my leader.
Honoring the Life & Legacy of
Cameron Mitchell worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years, initially in various regional operational roles across Australia, before joining Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas as CEO (VOX Cinemas) in January 2007. During his tenure as CEO, VOX Cinemas delighted over 200m guests, expanding the cinema circuit from 40 screens (1 country) to 650 screens (8 countries), expanding into content distribution and later production. VOX Cinemas led the development of cinemas across the MENA region, being proudly recognized by CinemaCon in 2017 with the Global Achievement in Exhibition, and more recently with re-establishing cinema across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2021, Cameron relocated with his family to Australia, and established the company, Consult Middle East, consulting on Cinema & Entertainment globally. Ronie Pinero is a Real Estate professional with 18 years of working experience in the field of Retail, Property and Commercial Leasing, Leasing Administration, Tenant Relationships, Shopping Mall Management & Operations, and Business Development in the GCC region (UAE, Oman & Qatar) and has always been a part of successfully launched shopping malls that involves start-up and continuing operations.
Being held by the same leader twice is no longer a coincidence but a choice, a decision that I will never regret because I was working with Greg Vogt. Our initial encounter dates back to 2007 at Emaar’s prestigious The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Greg’s sense of calmness, efficiency, and tactful ways captured all the hearts of his direct reports. Looking back as the opening crews, we dust off the mall, and he personally directs cars in
THE TALENTED MR VOGT
Fast forward to 2015 after my call of duties in Oman and Qatar, I have had the second chance to work with him at Gulf Related in Abu Dhabi. Having other options in hand, I still waited and chose to join him because I knew how it is to have worry-free days at work. With Greg, I consider the job half done and the other half to be concluded in no time. He is supportive in many ways, very appreciative, and let the excellence of his team unfold without boxing them into a stereotyped employee that they are not. I can only find myself reciprocating this by being excellent at my work.
Cameron Mitchell
DIRECTORCONSULT MIDDLE EAST
RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .18
Gary Burrows CEOACR PARTNERS personality. Having a friendly demeanour, he brought fun and positive energy to those working with him and was an extremely popular colleague. He always had time to share his experience with team members and was open and willing to provide advice and assistance. This extended to his role within MECS+R where he was a regular contributor lecturing at educational events.
First and foremost, Greg was an absolute gentleman, who was always ready to help anyone who needed it. I first met Greg in Greece during 2003 when we both worked for Cushman and Wakefield, he impressed me with his knowledge, experience, and vision. Despite his size, he was a gentle giant of a man, who had a kind smile and firm handshake. Being a global village and a small industry, we bumped into each other again at City Stars in Egypt in 2006, where I was consulting, and he was a Leasing Director. His sense of adventure and love of sailing was always close to any decision of what we were going to do, or where we would have dinner. It did not surprise me, when I moved to Dubai in 2009, that I again crossed paths with Greg, who welcomed me to Dubai like a long-lost brother. He always made people feel welcome and comfortable, in any situation or environment.
Greg’s passion was sailing, happiest when spending time on his boat “Lady Lucie” and was always open to having company on board to join him for “pops”. I fondly remember visiting him on the boat with my 3 small daughters under the age of 10. I’ll never forget the look of sheer panic across his face as my children ran around his most prized possession, clambering through hatches, peering through portholes, hiding under sail covers and squealing with delight. It was very alien to Greg the affable bachelor. I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit Greg on Lady Lucie during his last visit to Dubai, despite the battle with his health he remained upbeat. Always a gentleman and a pleasure to spend time with, he’ll be missed by those who were lucky enough to have him touch their lives. Sail on in Peace.
Chartered Surveyor, husband and father of 3 girls, with 25 years in Real Estate, Retail Leasing, Retail Development Consultancy and Asset Management of Shopping Centre Projects.
After returning to Europe for a few years, I came back to the UAE in 2018. When I moved to Reem Mall in Abu Dhabi, guess who was the Leasing Director for Galleria Mall next door, the man himself, Greg ItVogt.would be wrong to say that we were close friends, however, whenever you were in his company, he made you feel like his best friend. I can say this, that Greg was one of those characters that you meet in your career path and life journey, who you always remember, and always wish you had more time with. He made a big impression on me, and I respected and admired him, although, I am very sure that many people will say the same thing about him.
Vogt (1962-2022)
Gary Burrows is mall and meeting places consultant and strategic advisor, who has developed, launched, operated or asset managed some of the world’s leading and iconic large-scale, mixed-use, and retail led investments. With over 30 years international experience, Burrows has worked with over 90 malls and meeting places, across 37 countries in the MENA region.
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ADAM PEMBERTON VICE PRESIDENT – LEASING MEREX INVESTMENT
Ihad the honour of first meeting Greg at the end of 2009, we had both recently joined Majid Al Futtaim (MAF). Greg took the role of Vice President at MAF following the opening of The Dubai Mall (Emaar). At MAF, he worked on Mall projects being developed in The Levant, at the time I was working on the delivery of Mirdif City Centre.
Greg had an established reputation and significant experience in Mall Development having delivered projects in Canada, Poland and Egypt. His most noticeable traits were his huge stature and his equally sized
Greg
Greg was such a positive friend and colleague and an absolutely joy to be around. Always with a little joke on the side, laughing, and engaged in conversations (even though some of the stories about our kids must have bored him silly).
was a leader; he knew when to coach and when to counsel. He made sure strengths win their laurels and weaknesses become learned lessons. No matter how small the task was, you always get one of his numerous “thank you”s.
A go-to person, always willing to give advice, and someone that volunteered his time and contributed to lecturing at MECS+R, ICSC and other educational events and forums over the years.
TO HAPPY TIMES – GREG
When Greg was faced with pressure, you will not see him break a sweat. You just knew because his ears were cherry red but he carried on with precise calmness while he gets things done. He always had your back. Even during his struggle with that horrible disease, he still had your back. He would assure you that he was feeling good and that he’s got his mojo back. Greg was a fighter, and he has taught us so much about how to adjust our sails against the wind and make the journey worthwhile even when one is barely 5 feet tall.
At barely 5 feet tall, I was instantly anxious about how I would communicate with my boss, Greg Vogt, the day I met him.
JO ESCRIBA SENIOR LEASING ASSISTANT AL MARYAH RETAIL COMPANY
Instead, each time he called for me, he made sure he was seated, or he would actually kneel beside me, as I sat. He made things work. He
Rest in peace my dearest Greg.
Honoring the Life & Legacy of
I imagined craning my neck each time he gave his instructions and worried that I will spend most of my salary on back massages.
LIZELLE FITOUSSI
Lizelle Fitoussi is the Director of Marketing at Merex Investment. In her role, Lizelle is responsible for strategic corporate and destination marcomms for key destinations including City Walk, La Mer and The Beach. With an honours postgraduate degree in marketing and communications, a marketing director certification, and over 25 international marketing awards, Lizelle has worked across the Middle East and Africa for the past 2 decades and became recognized as the curator of consumer experiences.
Greg built his AMC team via Ferrari World, knowing he cannot get on any of the rides because he exceeded the height limit. Perhaps his goal was to see who can take a challenge and how it was accepted.
DIRECTOR – MARKETING MEREX INVESTMENT RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .20
I was fortunate to meet up with Greg and the ‘Canadian bunch’ for an outdoor beachside dinner when he visited in December 2021 and can still recall sharing tons of stories and plenty of laughs whilst sitting with our feet in the sand, soaking up the good weather. A tall, handsome, positive man….always friendly, always smiling and taking a keen interest in others.
(Speaking of challenges, can we talk about his handwriting? One had to be a pharmacist from his past life to determine if it was an actual word or just him doodling as he tested his new pen…anyway..).
Ihad the honour of meeting Greg many years ago at Majid Al Futtaim when I was working at Mall of the Emirates as Senior Marketing Manager. Although I did not work directly with Greg, we regularly met at MECS+R networking events, and both lectured at what is now called the Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals. It is thanks to my Canadian circle of colleagues and friends that I was invited to all the ‘Canadian’ functions and celebrations, and it comes as no surprise that Greg’s name was on the top of the invitation list…. no event, party or even Christmas dinner was complete without this tall and happy ‘Canuck’.
THE GENTLE GIANT
Jo Escriba is the Senior Leasing Assistant at The Al Maryah Retail Company. A proactive, results-oriented, team player, act as inhouse architect for the Leasing Department. She has been in the region for more than a decade and handles different position that proves her capability, strength and technical skills.
My memories of my buddy Greg are many and definitely not to be forgotten. Only cherished...
Greg’s projects brought him to a number of additional countries, namely Lebanon, before returning to the UAE. Only this time it was Abu Dhabi whereby, for the first time, we actually worked side by side. I marvelled in watching Greg nurture his team, treating them with the utmost respect, patience and encouragement.
Before moving to the Middle East in 2007, my career in the North American retail leasing/shopping centre development industry began in 1987. It is easy to appreciate that over the ensuing 35 years, I have had the privilege of being introduced to, and working with, a myriad of countless interesting, learned and vital individuals around the globe. If we are lucky enough, life may direct us to a person who stops us in our tracks as we fall completely in their thrall. Greg Vogt was one of these Twenty-foursouls.years ago, my company Haiku, was hired by Cambridge Shopping Centres. It was then that I was first introduced to Greg Vogt, a Leasing Manager, who stood 6 foot 5 inches, making a striking juxtaposition to my 5-foot stature. I instantly gravitated towards Greg’s charm, wit and disarming personality.
Not long after, Greg ventured to Poland and Greece to hone his shopping centre development skills. We lost touch during those years as we forged our career paths in different countries. That is until the spring of 2005 when Greg and I ran into each other at an industry conference taking place in Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace.
(1962-2022)
RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .21
“Get out of town! Greg Vogt is that really you?”, echoed loudly amongst the throngs of enthusiastic World Summit attendees. It was easy enough for me to detect my towering friend, less so for him as I was hidden amongst the crowd. When he finally ascertained where this high-pitched voice was emanating from, a big “M.J., holy smokes dude!”, (or a facsimile thereof) came bouncing off the many heads, making its way to me. That was it, contact was made, and a strong friendship was sealed from that day forward.
Greg was living in Cairo at the time, and I was on a world tour of shopping centres. By 2007, I had moved full-time to Qatar and Greg to Dubai. We never missed a chance to get together when in each other’s respective countries. At the end of our all-consuming work week, laughter was our mantra and one we sought out in each other whenever possible. But when it came time to work, our shopping centres had our 100 per cent attention.
A PILLAR OF JOY M.J. Dooher OWNERHAIKU RETAIL CONSULTING PHUKET, THAILAND M.J. began her career in 1987 with Snowcap Investments Inc, the industry’s first international retail leasing consultant company. She later moved to the development side with JDS Properties and Bramalea Ltd. M.J. created Haiku Developments Inc, a retail leasing and development consultant company which she managed and operated. From Canada, M.J. moved to Qatar to head up the leasing of a new development in Doha and continued in the Middle East to work with various developers in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Greg Vogt
Greg’s impact on my life was a profound one and shared equally with my husband. His never-ending enthusiasm, along with his joie de vivre, was truly infectious. His love of family was palpable. His eagerness to assist others and rejoice in their victories was boundless. Simply put, his lust for life and sense of adventure was bigger than himself. And as Mick Jagger sang when the two of us attended the Rolling Stones UAE concert...“you can start me up and never stop”...
In between all this, Greg’s love of the water, especially the Gulf, was further realized with the acquisition of “Lady Lucie”, his 50-foot-long sailboat. If you have ever had the pleasure of being invited on one of Greg’s sails, epic or otherwise, you know it was always a day well spent. His joy of sailing was infectious, even to those without sea legs. Greg always made sure his guests were well fed and watered, peppered with his ubiquitous laughter and playfulness.
Once I started working for him, our morning coffees were intense strategy discussions. Through all the challenging discussions, he would always have a simple solution. I learned a lot from him!
HEAD–SPECIALTYLEASING,PROMOTIONANDMEDIAMEREXINVESTMENT
Shilpi Sengupta
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GREG
28th of July 2019, I still remember the day, when Greg was first diagnosed with cancer. When I heard the news, not just me, but the whole office was emotional. Greg had such a strong impact on everyone who worked with or for him that it was hard for us to believe the situation.
Shilpi Sengupta is the Head of Specialty Leasing, Promotions, Media and Sponsorships at Merex Investments. She have worked with all the top Landlords in the UAE and Canada including Majid Al Futtaim, Emaar, Al Futtaim Group Real Estate, Gulf Related and Ivanhoe Cambridge.
CHEERS TO LIFE -
Honoring the Life & Legacy of
The Galleria Mall opened on the 4th of September 2019…I met Greg again! He looked a bit pale and a bit weak, but he still stood tall with his smiling face. We had lunch together and bid him farewell unsure if we would meet him at all. Few months later my friend MJ, mentioned Greg was reacting positively to the drugs and I was ecstatic....I reached out to Greg, wanting to meet him when he travelled to Dubai. He responded and in December 2020, he was back in Dubai for a visit. I suddenly got a call from my colleague Adam who said, “Shilpi, I have a surprise for you. Come to the fountain now!” As I rushed towards the fountain and saw Greg from a distant. I could not believe my eyes… the next one hour flew by… I spoke my lungs out. Gave Greg a tight hug and he looked good! I bid him goodbye but at the same time I knew I would see him again...I knew he would come back strong…
The following year when he was in Dubai, I could not meet him, but we did exchange a few texts. After he left, I had hoped that I would see him again but it seemed like that would be an uphill task as he was not really feeling well. Greg was a positive person. Always smiling and cheering people around him. It was an honour to work with Greg! Till we meet again. Rest in peace! I bid goodbyehim but at the same time I knew I would see him again… I knew he would come back strong… Iknew Greg since 2008, when I first got introduced to him at The Emaar Malls Group office. Tall, pleasant personality who was heading our Leasing for the communities. At that time, I had joined as a Specialty Leasing Manager and he seemed to be a quiet person, working away….To be fair, most of us in Emaar Malls Group barely had time to “chit-chat” as we had aggressive targets. Years later when I started to work with MAF Leisure and Entertainment, Greg approached me to enquire if I was interested in an opportunity to work with him at Gulf Related Services. By the time, I had heard a lot of positive feedback on his working style, and so I immediately responded with a positive note. My interview (more-like-a-catch up) happened at The Dubai Mall at Café Nero. Greg and I laughed and spoke about all the fun/challenging times we had shared during the opening of The Dubai Mall.
The first time I met Greg was when at a job interview in December 2014, he entered the room with a bright smile on his face. He made me feel comfortable, he was humble and very easy to talk to. I was the first person hired to join the leasing team for the planned expansion of The Galleria.
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Greg
Vogt (1962-2022)
I remember a conversation I had with him regarding increasing the rent for tenants. He was opposed to the idea because he truly wanted our tenants to succeed. He said it was not just about generating profit, but more about building relationships and creating successful businesses for the tenants. This way we would benefit our tenants, bring joy to the community,
DANA HOMSI LEASING COORDINATOR AL MARYAH RETAIL COMPANY
As a team leader, Greg was patient and kind, educating me on the leasing process. Whenever I or another member of the team made a mistake, he never responded with anger or annoyance. He was always thankful for the work we did and validated our efforts.
Dana Homsi currently holds the position of Leasing Coordinator at Al Maryah Retail Company in Abu Dhabi. She manages the admin work like drafting leases, renewals, terminations and amendments agreements. She was also a student of Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals in 2019 wherein Greg nominated her to enrol in this training course. and create a successful brand. I came out of that conversation thinking that Greg was not just a great leader, but also a good and genuine person. Greg was generous with his time and made it a priority to build and connect with his team. This made everyone feel included, seen and cared for. In the business world, many of the people you work with come and go without leaving much of an impression. But on rare occasions, your path crosses a person that leaves a profound impression, fundamentally changing the way you think and treat others. I can say without a single shred of doubt that Greg is one of those people. I would like to sincerely thank him for his generosity, his care, his patience, and his support. Greg has greatly impacted my professional life and shaped the way I carry myself and treat people in business dealings. I recently need to interview an applicant for one of our open positions, and I tried to come in with a big smile and create a comfortable environment just as Greg did when we first met. I hope to treat my subordinate in the same way Greg did, providing them with support and care, teaching them what I know about business, and imprinting the same values and morals that he did onto me. Greg, you will truly be missed, and may your soul rest peacefully.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT TRIOVEST REALTY ADVISORS OUR GREAT LOSS (GREG VOGT)
Greg was a risk taker, and a pioneer in the Canadian mall business. When he left for life as an expat, I followed his many adventures from afar, while he traveled to Warsaw, Athens, Cairo and eventually to the UAE. Each step of the way Greg developed his craft and gained the respect and admiration of all those with whom he worked. We were eventually reunited in the UAE in 2014. He was the first person I called when I arrived, and when we met again after those many years, it was as if time had stood still. We met up at It is with great pain that we say goodbye to such an amazing person, full of positive energy, knowledge, love and care he showed to me and the rest of my team members. When I started working for Citystars that was when I met Greg for the first time. He was extremely helpful and supportive, and I am blessed to meet such a great mentor like him in my first job.
SAIL MY FRIEND
Roba is the GM of Reptile company specialized in shopping centres consultancy and operations services. She is a retail leasing professional that has been in the industry for more than 17 years. Roba managed the leasing of prominent leading shopping centres in Egypt such as Citystars and Marakez Malls and helped deliver and implement long term successful leasing plans with excellent communication and management skills.
Greg and I go back a long way. We both started in this industry at about the same time in the early 90’s and began working with the same company in 1994 – Cambridge Shopping Centres - in Canada. I remember fondly, although a bit hazily, many late nights at company conferences where Greg and I would work on solving the world’s problems into the wee hours of the morning. He was always the funniest, wittiest guy in the room. He was also the most willing to provide a word of support and encouragement.
ON,
the infamous Splash Fashion Show, where surrounded by a huge circle of friends and industry colleagues, Greg showed my wife and I what life in Dubai was really like. And he was still the funniest, wittiest guy in the room. My fondest memories, though, will always be of the many hours Maha and I spent with Greg and Amy aboard the second love of his life, the Lady Lucie. It was on the water that Greg was at his best, where he was at peace. When I think of Greg now, I picture him at the helm, with a cold beverage in-hand, and that infectious grin on his face. Sail on my Friend. himself. He was so kind enough to offer his help and said to contact him if we need anything. That is the time we recognized Greg as one of the Citystars’ management team and he was checking out the newbies like us to get to know us and offer assistance to make our work better. Greg and I worked together at Citystars for many years and to be honest, I was hoping for more years to work with him and be mentored by him. We will grieve for his loss, but we will remember all the great memories and moments we had with him. Until we meet again… Brad Merchant has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience, leading large Asset and Property management teams for institutional ownership groups, with a focus on retail and mixeduse assets across multiple domestic and international markets. Brad is currently the Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Triovest Realty Advisors, based in Calgary, Canada.
Honoring the Life & Legacy of
Roba Elmazloum
BRAD MERCHANT
I remember the first time I saw him; I did not know who he was and the same with my colleague. He approached us and asked us about an event which is about to take place in Citystars to make sure that we are fully aware of the event details. I gave him all the required information about the event, but he noticed that my colleague is not fully aware of the needed information about the upcoming event. So he waited for me to step out and asked him again to ensure that he knows Afterwards,everything.mycolleague
asked me to go back to Greg. When I came back, Greg hand out his business card to both of us and introduced
GMREPTILE
RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .24
Greg Vogt
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”-Maya Angelou
David Macadam CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MECS+R With a career spanning 40 years in the retail industry, David is a leading professional in the retail and commercial property markets locally, regionally and globally. A Canadian, resident in the UAE for eighteen years. David has held and continues to hold senior executive roles in the region. Previous roles in major Shopping Centre Development companies include Emaar, AFGRE, Msheireb and Al Othaim. Earlier on, he also headed the property advisory firm in JLL Retail Division. Currently, David is the CEO of the MECS+R and he is connected to global markets through Retail People Magazine, MECS+R Directory, What’s Up Retail Newsletter, Voice-on-Demand Retail Podcast, GVS Digital and In-Person Education Programs. David successfully leading the annual live In-Person Retail Congress MENA event with a 27-year history brings the best and brightest industry leaders together locally, regionally and globally. Having had the pleasure of working with Greg in other corporate roles regionally over the years, we enjoyed each other’s sense of humour and approach to business. Working with Greg at the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retailers was where his personality shone brightest. The chance for him to impart a portion of his vast industry knowledge to a room full of students who he cared for was a wonderful experience for all. Greg’s ‘can do’ attitude regarding the education programs at the MECS+R was another reason for us to name the program the Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals (GVS School). Each year, for many years Greg would deliver Advanced Retail Leasing programs always updating the curriculum with the industry best practices. The students always kept Greg after his session, sometimes for an hour more asking pertinent questions regarding their individual leasing challenges. His students always graded Greg as the best instructor over the many sessions each Serviceyear.to others. Authentic living, strong and loyal relationships create the legacy for Greg Vogt. He is Themissed.legacy of all our relationships with Greg is held in esteem. Celebrated often with the naming of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centre and Retailer’s education program as the Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals is a true tribute to Greg’s lasting legacy.
LEGACYAAUTHENTICLOYALTYRELATIONSHIPS,ANDLIVING-WONDERFUL
RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .25
Whether leading a classroom full of eager students while teaching the finer points of retail leasing or sailing on the Arabian Sea aboard his boat Lady Lucie, Greg lived an authentic life. He built solid, candid relationships with anyone lucky enough to be in his company. Greg inspired us all and most importantly we will never forget how he made us feel.
(1962-2022)
Now that Greg has gone, what strikes me as the most important lesson taught by him was the importance of solid, reliable and trustworthy relationships. Authentic relationships arrive when we reveal our true self to another person. Being genuine and vulnerable in our communication and interactions. Being authentic is reflecting what we feel inside is consistent with how we act and what we say to others. For relationships to be authentic, your mindset has to be one of a genuine desire to be of value to the other people around you. Greg would not only discuss the importance of living an authentic life, and is consistent he showed us this conviction by living that authentic life. Greg personified that true gift of his life is through his character.
Maya Angelou’s quote “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Honoring the Life &
Legacy of RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .26
Greg’s most significant contribution to the industry is his time generously shared and invested with the MECS+R, educating students from around the world. Greg is a ‘leasing guy’ who has inspired, mentored and created many careers for like-minded professionals. Greg’s life was a blessing, he may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.
Greg Vogt (1962-2022)
RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .27
We just brought our students a rare opportunity to learn from the best in the retail industry. A big thank you to all who have participated in making the 2022 Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals a great success. A big thank you to all our GVS instructors for taking the time, effort and energy to deliver such great presentations. Congratulations to all our students who took the time off from work and be part of the program. We look forward to welcoming you once again in all of our future activities, trainings and events.
GALLERYEVENTS RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .28
THE GREGORY VOGT SCHOOL
SCHOOL FOR RETAIL PROFESSIONALS June 20-23, 2022 | Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC, Dubai, UAE RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .29
THE GREGORY VOGT SCHOOL GALLERYEVENTS RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .30 Mall Tour at The Gate Avenue DIFC, Dubai, UAE GVS Level 1 Graduates
SCHOOL FOR RETAIL PROFESSIONALS June 20-23, 2022 | Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC, Dubai, UAE RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .31 GVS Level 2 Graduates GVS Level 3 Graduates
SPRINGBOARD NETWORKING In conjunction with the Gregory Vogt School for Retail Pro fessionals, the SpringBoard Networking Event was held on June 21 at the Centre Cut Restaurant of the Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC. It was well attended by over 120 MECS+R mem bers, GVS attendees, distinguished guests, and sponsors. We truly appreciate and thank everyone who joined us in this special event. GALLERYEVENTS RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .32
NETWORKING EVENT RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .33
FEATURE RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .34
Shopping has always been a social event. We look to our friends for what’s hot and what’s not. We now seek our friend’s opinions via social media on many of our purchase decisions. The online community is now 4.8 billion internet users worldwide. Not surprisingly 4.5 billion of these internet users are on social media. Instagram, Snap-Chat, WhatsApp, META, TikTok, Pinterest, Shopify, YouTube, TaoBao, Pinduoduo, JD.com, Alibaba and many more social media channels occupy an average of mobile sourced 2.5 hours of our lives daily. For Digital Natives, even more time is spent daily online. Social commerce is defined as when the entire shopping journey from product discovery to the check-out process is conducted on a social media platform. Social Commerce brings the store to the customer. Consumers want simplicity. Social Commerce is a naturally integrated part of social media. Peer-to-peer commerce. What is coming - millions of individuals and smaller businesses selling to one another within a vast social commerce ecosystem. Friends who connect and trust friends in the retail world are the foundation of Social NoCommerce.longercaptivated by social media advertising which is the model of Google and other digital firms, individuals now rely on friends to assist in making buying decisions. The following numbers from Impulse, a start-up market research firm delivered the following information.
83% of people share their favorite brands with friends. 53% send photos of clothes they are considering purchasing to friends for their comments and opinions. 88% trust friends’ recommendations more than social media influencers. 85% of people would happily share a brand which they have enjoyed with friends.
TRILLION RETAIL BUSINESS
DAVID MACADAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTRES & RETAILERS THE NEXT $1.2
SOCIAL COMMERCE -
Individuals now are able to curate, monetize and share their favorite products not as social media influencers but as individuals sharing experiences with a product with their friends. How do we engage and succeed in the Social Commerce business? The western hemisphere has not yet gained the same traction for Social Commerce adoption as our counterparts in Asia. The Groupon app in the West has some similarities to Pinduoduo but holds a small fraction of the Pinduoduo popularity and utility. Pinduoduo, with the high utility value is ranked as the 6th most visited app in Asia behind Alibaba, JD.com and TaoBao.
New user experiences are available online. Mobile-first digital native cultures are the early adopters globally.
Life in China is highly digital, far outpacing the slower Western adoption of digital technology for Social Commerce. Retail, healthcare, education and entertainment in China are already fully digital in reach and adoption.
The scale of growth in sales with Pinduoduo continues to surprise western experts. In 2019, 600,000 merchants sold farm produce in China through this app. Pinduoduo with agritech is inclusive of 12 million farmers supplying their fruit and vegetables to the Chinese consumer. Growth in agritech and agriculture product sales is only one aspect of Pinduoduo. The scale of growth from 2019 to 2025 for the sale of fruits and vegetables via Pinduoduo is $21B to an estimated $145B. This example is only one aspect of Pinduoduo’s business verticals which outlines the remarkable growth of Social Commerce in China. Adding the wide range of Social Commerce applications for retail, education, healthcare and entertainment, the goal of reaching $1.2 Trillion sales in 2025 is perhaps underestimated.
A recent report from Accenture, the Dublin-based Fortune 500 Company known for IT services confirms that Social Commerce is soon to be one of the fastest-growing retail businesses globally. Alive and prospering in Asia, Social Commerce is already a $492 Billion business. In the Western world, Social Commerce represents only a small fraction of the Asian business. The Social Commerce business is expected to triple to $1.2 trillion globally in the next three (3) years. In China, Pinduoduo is one of the largest interactive, comprehensive eCommerce platforms. Pinduoduo is based around browsing and interactions with friends instead of the pure search-based discovery model such as Amazon, common in Western countries. Integration of eCommerce with social media is the next evolution in Social Commerce.
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Al Othaim Entertainment has built a strong legacy of creating and operating leading Entertainment venues across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Region. With our heritage of leading the entertainment industry for 20+ years, our ambition is to dominate all markets with exciting new concepts.
MARC CAUX CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO.
Marc Caux joined the Al Othaim Investment Co. in April 2022 as the CEO for the Entertainment Business. His main experiences over the last 25 years are covering mainly CEO positions leading multicultural organizations across the globe operating businesses in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada and operating different Entertainment businesses for well-known US companies such as Disneyland Paris, Warner Brothers and Vivendi Universal. For the last 14 years, Marc Caux was the European Executive President of 20th Century Fox, a company owned by the Walt Disney Company. Marc graduated in Biochemistry from the Paris 13 University and received a master’s degree in Marketing and Management from the ISCM Business School. Before joining the KSA, he held a couple of Board Members positions in companies involved in the Food and Energy industries. Married with 2 daughters and a French citizen.
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FEATURE
ENTERTAINMENT HAS A NEW BRIGHT FUTURE AT AL OTHAIM!!!
Strategic growth will be the key driver of success for the future throughout the entire Al Othaim organization. Our Entertainment Division is the right vehicle to leverage and promote the exceptional beauty of Saudi Arabia and build on the strengths of the Saudi culture. From our existing base of 39 entertainment venues, we have plans with active business opportunities to grow to 70+ entertainment centres across the region by the end of 2023. Our entertainment locations historically have drawn younger family members. The popular traditional entertainment venues Saffori Land and Faby Land will continue to satisfy our existing younger fan base.
The 2030 plan for Saudi Arabia is extremely ambitious. Entertainment Development is a key pillar for the delivery of the 2030 plan. The people of Saudi Arabia will benefit as never before. Our consumer’s expectation about Entertainment and Consumer Experience is about to reach new heights. In a more competitive world, a better understanding of the consumer’s behaviour and their expectation is a ‘must have’. Relevance in the Entertainment Industry is now measured by the Guest Experience.
Saudi Arabia: the place to be!
Our ambition is to make Al Othaim, the House of Entertainment for the entire family aged 4 to 25 across the KSA and the Gulf region! We are at the beginning of an exciting and beautiful journey!!
our new corporate strategy is to build a unique Entertainment Intellectual Property (EIP). Our new projects will provide a mix of social interaction, green initiatives, high technology solutions and create new community expectations. Al Othaim Entertainment will be the first community-focused entertainment destination in KSA and the region. Our Guests - are in the centre of the game!
Please feel free to reach out to me or anyone in our Al Othaim Entertainment team to understand how we can upgrade your entertainment experience. Be part of our expansion plans!!!
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Since joining the Al Othaim Investment Co. just four months ago, it has been a true pleasure to find the energy, passion, talent and willingness of the entire Al Othaim team to become the leading Entertainment Player across Saudi Arabia, all GCC countries and Egypt. Our growth will come from development within our own malls and from many opportunities outside our network of Al Othaim Malls.
What does it mean for us at Al Othaim? Our corporate strategy is to move from a “customer” to a “guest” experience. Building our top-in-class loyalty program, creation of App and implementing the latest technology to facilitate our guest experience and their journey have all been implemented. Hosting our guests and recruiting new guest greeters are important to encourage our guests to come back again and again. Making our guests feel welcome, safe, happy and well taken care of at all our locations is our privilege. There is no doubt that the Guest is now at the centre of the game!
Entertainment is all about Guest Experience. Consumers have many opportunities to enjoy entertainment today. From simple to complex home-based systems to ‘the most advanced team player high tech interactive systems’ in our Entertainment Venues, the consumer has a choice. A wide range of choices will be even more available in the future.
Our goal in 2022 is to launch multiple venues attracting participants aged 12 to 25 years. Al Othaim Entertainment is now introducing new High Technology Entertainment additional venues. Virtual Reality Experiences of all kinds including VR Gaming, VR Team Gaming, Simulated 3-D Environments, Metaverse Experiences, Cyberspace, Fly-Through Telepresence, and Artificial Intelligence. Our goal in 2022 is to launch multiple high-technology venues across our portfolio. We want to attract older participants aged 12 to 25 years. Our multiple high-tech investments portfolio-wide are leading the global entertainment business. Saudi Arabia is the central hub for the development of the Al Othaim Entertainment business. Our entertainment teams residing in Dubai and Cairo offices are pivotal in their role in the successful creation and delivery of these additional entertainment businesses.
To achieve this outcome, we are integrating within our organization, talented Saudi marketing and operations executives who speak the same “social media” language. We are massively investing in all our training programs to better educate our entire staff to become “Guest Centric.”
Growth is what makes us relevant! Our ambitions just begin with these 70+ Entertainment Centres. Under the newly released corporate strategy and the talented leadership of our Group CEO, Mr Meshaal Bin Omairh, the Al Othaim Entertainment division is set for rapid expansion while delivering new content. The hard work and support of the talented Al Othaim team will propel the organization to achieve our strategic growth Partgoals.of
Samar Akkou, CSM, CLS BOARD MEMBER – MECS+R SENIOR MANAGER - LEASING NAKHEEL MALLS - A FRESH APPROACH
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Malls have always been and will remain both an economic and social hub. And for many, a way of life - the “third place” where people go to create communities, form relationships, and exchange ideas. Throughout the years and with the turmoil accompanying people’s habit changes, the internet, and the recent pandemic COVID, Malls have been constantly reinventing themselves as integrated lifestyle hubs - adding on medical facilities, sports facilities, microbreweries, offices, and the list goes on. You name it!
FEATURE
REINVENTION
However, not all Malls have been successful and with the surge in the number of similar Malls with similar tenants and lack of differentiation, some of them became known as “zombie malls” and “ghost malls”. These properties have become a burden - they sit, decay, and wait as it is very expensive to either repair or knockdown.
The Pointe Dubai, UAE
Samar Akkou is currently the Senior Manager - Leasing at Nakheel Malls. She is heavily involved in the industry for 14 years in the development and leasing of shopping centres. She attributes her success to being result-oriented by nature and driven by dedication and passion for the retail fashion, food & beverage and real estate shopping centre industry. Samar is a MECS+R designated lecturer, trainer, and writer.
Known to be communal, the idea of repurposing those malls came up as an opportunity to serve several stakeholders simultaneously. This salvages some returns for property owners and provides economic benefits to the surroundings including job opportunities, and new kinds of customer and tenant bases.
Golden Mile Galleria Palm Dubai,JumeirahUAE F&B ExperientialVenue Leisure & Entertainament Modern Design Office RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .39
Government services space
Some of these malls have been repurposed and converted into: Health and wellness centres - offering a holistic approach including fitness Universities, colleges, and training facilities Day-care or elderly care facilities Residential housing units
Foodspacehalls, restaurants, and hotels
Warehousing and fulfillment centres
Pre-Covid, the UK had announced that 25% to 40% of its retail space was “no longer viable or needed. Accordingly, repurposing emerged especially on high streets where full community centres and department store spaces have been converted into F&B venues (be it rooftops, food halls) and experiential leisure and entertainment platforms (including e-karting, bowling, street golf and AR digital darts). In China, some abandoned Shopping Malls have been transformed into Co-Working Hubs. The best example is SOHO2 3Q which is a renowned co-working platform in China offering multiple office formats and packages. Bangkok found an even more interesting opportunity for its largest abandoned mall by converting it into huge fish habitat. This has attracted both locals and tourists to see this amazing “aquarium” with thousands of fish in it. Malls shall remain the centre of the community and the drawing hub. Be it the hip cool destination or the repurposed set-up, Malls will remain an integral part of our lifestyle and daily use. The key element is the outside-ofthe-box thinking and conceptualization at different stages of a Mall’s life maturity.
Presentation, exhibition, entertainment and event
Offices and data centres
For example, Amazon has partnered up with Simon Property Group to repurpose old dying malls into fulfillment centres. In New York, the Governor recently announced the completion of an elderly affordable housing complex which has been built on the former Sears Department Store property in Rochester. At the same time, Denver has its efforts underway to transform its Cinderella City Mall into a mixed-use development including housing, City Hall offices, a library, and an outdoor art museum. With the proliferation of the online gaming mania and the rise of gamers, Epic Games (owner of Fortnite game) purchased Cary Towne Centre in North Carolina to convert the mall into a gaming facility/campus which is due to open in the Year 2024 after the repurposing. This property will serve as their global headquarter, learning campus, offices, and community space.
The world of real estate is evolving, not only in the way we operate, but how properties are structured. The ‘building of the future’ that includes retail units with coworking spaces, residential units and commercial offices, is already being developed across the world. Technology is reshaping operating models and it is changing consumer behaviours and preferences, especially within retail real estate. The modern retail experience is now immersive with something for every person. Shopping malls are no longer a place to spend a couple of hours of retail therapy in, but an all-day experience with cinemas, aquariums, amusement parks and ski slopes.
With an end-to-end solution, such as Yardi’s Commercial Suite, you can optimise all aspects of retail centre management. However, with a wide range of solutions on the market, you end up using too many platforms that result in disparate data. By investing in an all-in-one solution, you can easily evaluate current and future occupancy with visual floor plan graphics, attract prospects, improve customer experience and gain better analytical insights with a click of a button from one fully integrated platform. Drive Retail Leasing Performance with Automation
Commercial Real Estate Runs on Yardi With Yardi’s Retail Suite, you can optimise all aspects of your retail centre management and gain the benefits of a single connected solution for commercial asset management. Yardi Retail Manager fully integrates with Yardi Voyager, Yardi Construction Manager, Yardi Forecast Manager and more, providing a single connected end-to-end solution.
If you utilise an innovative, cloud-based solution, you can access insightful analytics that you can use to make betterinformed business decisions, whilst working from any location.
The retail sector generates more data each month than most vertical real estate markets. Using Excel spreadsheets is no longer suitable for you to gain valuable insights into your data or trends. It makes it difficult to find the right information and usually involves a lot of manual input. By automating retail metrics and leasing activities, you can optimise your shopping centre revenue. Property technology solutions designed for retail mall operators help remove manual processes and allow you to improve the customer experience and attract prospects. Said Haider is the Regional Sales Director of Yardi Middle East. A seasoned executive with 16+ year record of achievement – 10 of which spent with Yardi – successfully driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth. Leading the sales and business development efforts for the company, his visionary leadership, extensive knowledge of the real estate industry, and passion for technology have helped drive Yardi’s growth across the region.
Solutions such as Yardi’s award-winning retail suite can help you evaluate current and future occupancy with visual floor plan graphics. They also remove the hassle of collecting data from multiple systems, which helps reduce costs, drives revenue streams and increases asset value.
OPTIMISE RETAIL CENTRE MANAGEMENT WITH AN ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION
SAID HAIDER REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR YARDI MIDDLE EAST
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So, how can you benefit from technology in retail real estate?
Investing in the right technology that suits your operations can transform how you work. Increase Visibility Connected technology helps you make informed leasing decisions based on space availability, restrictive lease clauses, stacking plans and floor plans. By moving away from disparate systems and having an end-to-end platform, you can gain easy visualisation of your vacancies and occupancy performance indicators.
All-in-one solutions, such as Yardi’s Commercial Suite, give you better data insights that help shopping centre managers satisfy the needs of their shopping centre visitors, retailers and investors in ways that e-commerce cannot.
EVOLUTION.
Excellence
In late June, I had the pleasure of presenting “Advanced Marketing for a Rapidly Evolving Shopping & Consumer Environment” to a diverse audience of retail and shopping mall professionals at the MECS+R’s Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals. While we exchanged viewpoints, thoughts, and recommendations for the industry in our session, we agreed that the industry must continue to evolve across eight key areas to ensure it remains relevant and compelling to its customers considering quickly evolving technological, social, and economic considerations. Shopping centres and retail has evolved significantly compared to the first retail offerings of open-air markets, bazaars, and the agora of the 10th century BC. This journey of thousands of years has seen specialty and family-owned retail of the 18th century, destinationEmre Pelin is a partner with Andarakis Advisory Services, a hybrid strategy and branding firm that bring strategy to creative and creative to strategy across 18 sectors including retail, real estate, hospitality, and family offices. With over 30 years of global experience including 20 in the GCC, Emre is a regular contributor to MECS+R’s ongoing training efforts with a focus on strategy and marketing.
PARTNERANDARAKISADVISORYSERVICES RELEVANCE. SUCCESS. Key Areas To Future Proof Shopping Centre
8
based shopping, controlled supply chain, department stores offering convenience, a spectrum of merchandise and customer experience to many innovations including the cash register and ‘charge cards’ offering speed, efficiency, convenience and accessibility. In our own century, retailers have included price advantages, onstop-shopping, technology, diverse channels including e-commerce, online, digital and the metaverse. While changed in form and function, technology, innovation, customer needs, social and economic dynamics coupled with the competition continue to drive our quest for change, adaptation, relevance and acceptance across the shopping centre and retail landscapes.
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EMRE PELIN
OMNICHANNEL PRESENCE
FOCUS ON CONVENIENCE
Malls spend enormous resources on ensuring the layout and wayfinding are convenient for customers. The same rigor needs to be implemented across owned media channels like websites, social and community management alongside paid and earned channels.
PERSONALIZED & AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS
INNOVATION 360O As malls reposition themselves as one-stop urban and community centres, revisiting the retail and offer mix to balance existing and known retailers with the inclusion of lifestyle offerings like fitness clubs, spas, farmer’s markets and blending in technology will be key. Seamlessly integrating innovation in the mall’s culture could help geneate non-capex heavy ‘easy win’ ideas as well as longerterm ideas that may require capex contribution. Globally, peers are implementing human-robot interactions to inform and provide robot-led personal shopping services, extending mall hours to roll-out fashion shows and redcarpet gala events, establishing dedicated AR/VR zones for shopping, conducting community seminars and repurposing areas for co-workspaces to introduce a world of unlimited innovation.
Malls must re-evaluate and align the mall’s positions and presence across their physical, online, social, community, digital and the emerging virtual channels. A recent review of a leading mall’s presence across these channels reveals the inconsistencies in the look and feel, messaging, offering, making the mall’s marketing seem as if it’s for a different mall. One can only wonder if the mall’s leasing, operations, and marketing teams align their plans. In today’s competitive retail environment, brands must consider how they answer continued challenges across eight areas including: Relevance Focus on Convenience Personalized and ConnectionsAuthentic Customer Connections and Convenience Omnichannel Presence Technology Integration Innovation 360o SuperiorExperienceCustomer
RELEVANCE
Shopping centres retailers and brands must have a solid and relevant marketing strategy anchored on recruiting and retaining customers and one that clearly articulates their ambition, value proposition, the areas that truly make the brand unique, ownable and attractive for their catchment areas and customers. With the proliferation of shopping malls across the GCC, the differentiated offerings of shopping centres have become blurred with malls containing similar retail brands owned by a handful of retail groups. Brand identity must reflect the ambition and position of the brand while the communication should ensure consistency in messaging, narrative, and tone-of-voice consistency across relevant channels.
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Malls today are in an enviable position to leverage multi-point customer data and partnerships to craft custom-made programs and offers to acquire and retain customers. Loyalty programs, mass SMS, email, previous visit, and purchase data can be used to personalize the message and reinforce the mall’s position, potential offers and drive footfall and customer spend. Identifying the most value customer personas based on demographics, interests, visits, and purchase data ensure marketing efficiency while building the customer relationship.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
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Malls must revisit their tenant mix, churn rates, specialty areas and differentiation to get ahead of their competitors.
While all of the areas discussed are interwoven to form a more robust brand that delivers for its customers and catchment areas, the customer experience needs to consider research and insights to validate the strategy and programs, all touchpoints including physical and online across the customer journey, wayfinding in the mall and adjacent areas include non-mall areas such as the main road for ease of navigation, design inside and out that inspires and warrants the visit and time spent.
The increase in impact coupled with decreasing cost continues to allow retailers greater access to technology. The IoT (internet of things), beacons and Bluetooth powered transmitters drive engagement and innovative experiences while RFID and smart barcodes drive efficiency and convenience. The future of face recognition and the combination of this technology with customer profiling allows for greater engagement and customization. Robots for delivery and personalized shopping assistants offer greater personalization and engagement while augmented shopping and using voice commerce through Alexa, Siri, Google, etc. allows for greater engagement convenience, accessibility and increased spend through impulse and cross-sell opportunities. Malls and retailers must keep abreast of developing technologies and seek integration into their daily operations to engage, bond and drive customer experience.
programs, community integration and seasonal programs.
SUPERIOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The customer experience must align the online and offline offering and experience to for a single clear, relevant, and differentiated ‘right to win’ that is relevant for customers and the proposition. Finally, inside, and outside environments that are welcoming, warm and “feel like home” need to be considered as more customers spend more time in the mall and see it as an extension of their communities and living areas.
In driving convenience, malls may wish to revisit three areas: first differentiating the offering and focusing on the experience through tenant mix, activation for all ages, evolving areas and offerings like markets, outdoor dining, etc. Second, transforming the mall experiencing by leveraging technologies and multichannel programs to engage and bond customer before the visit, guide and continuously communicate with them via an app, invite them to exclusive shows and activations, allow pre-booking of parking spots, etc. Third, they may wish to explore new formats and concepts including the incorporation of natural areas into the mall, taking advantage of the outdoor and open spaces for activations, and evolving and redefining the spaces to ensure greater involvement and engagement.
Finally, the timeless overarching idea that the “right to win” and right brand strategy for the mall must be backed up and implemented by a unified team with the right resources to achieve success.
CUSTOMER CONNECTION & CONVENIENCE Connection with customers and offering them convenient shopping experiences allows for revisits, recommendation and equity building for the mall brand. Beyond loyalty programs, malls need to look at their service and amenity offerings; from the rest room experience to parking, WIFI to elevators, wayfinding, and shuttle bus services. They need to reconsider loyalty, CSR, employee and tenant engagement
Along the same lines, multi-channel approach and charting the ideal customer journey complete with before, during and post-visit, experience in high traffic and waiting areas, etc. must be considered while research to understand not only the customer experience and feedback, but also understanding the reasons for lapsed users, web and online visits and overall brand equity studies would go a long ways to validate the strategy and potentially spark ideas for a stronger mall proposition marked by customer feedback.
Attainable through well-designed and implemented loyalty programs, this information helps build partnerships that attract better shoppers, improve relationships with tenants, optimises marketing spending and media selections
Traditionally, there has been a one-way relationship – the mall has a relationship (albeit often tenuous) with Its tenants and the tenants would attract the shoppers based on their brand relevance and attractiveness to the end-user. With the end-user market growing slower than the number of malls in the market, there has been a huge power shift towards the retailers. Retailers are demanding lower rents, and better payment terms and are often shutting shops and moving out of malls they have been in for years. This change in relationship is what we are here to address today. Imagine for a moment that the shopping mall actually knew who their customers were, where and what time of the day, they shopped and for what items along with their spending. Manav Fernandez has lived in the region since 1995. He is a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP) as well as a holder of the Professional Certificate in Customer Experience (with Distinction), A firm believer in continuous education, he is a recognized faculty member of the Loyalty Academy, bringing loyalty education to the MENA Region under the banner of QuickBrownFox Consulting (qbfconsulting.com) of which he is a Co-Founder. This knowledge allows the mall leasing team to have a much more informed conversation with their potential tenants and also ensures that the store mix addresses the gaps not just based on speculation or even historical / empirical knowledge but actual hard facts about who is buying what.
At QUICK BROWN FOX Consulting, we are proud to have worked on over 11 malls, including the world’s largest mall, The Dubai Mall, Emaar Mall’s Group’s portfolio of community malls and Serbia’s largest mall – Galerija Belgrade, to name a few, driving great results. Our Co-Founder, Chayya Bassi, also specializes in Gift Cards and has worked on some very well-known gift cards, delivering amazing results for the Dropbusiness.usa note at mf@qbfconsulting.com or cb@qbfconsulting.com to find out what we can do for you.
Using Loyalty mechanics to gain knowledge of our tenants’ customers allows us to influence their behaviour to bring them back into your malls, more often and spend more. A well-designed program will also help create preference over other malls and the relevance of rewards and a positive redemption event will convert your members into advocates and brand ambassadors, bringing their friends and family to your mall.
One of my favourite movies – Field of Dreams has an oft misquoted line “build it and he will come”. This line has become the mantra of developers around the world; but nowhere has this concept of “Build it and they shall come” been more powerfully intoned than in this region, which has seen millions of square feet of GLA pop-up over the last two decades. Often within a ten-minute drive of each other and now even closer – shopping malls are a pillar of our communities, springing up, literally a dime a dozen, often with the same retail mix.
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Manav Fernandez CO-FOUNDERQBFCONSULTING
Anchor supermarkets, entertainment zones, fashion retail, cinemas and coffee shops along with a few (often chain) QSR restaurants and last but not the least, services such as banks, government functions etc. are pretty much what make up these malls which are gaining ubiquity day-after-day leading to evolution and maturity in their relationships with their tenants.
SHOPPING MALLS’ EVOLVING CUSTOMER DYNAMICS
It’s important to understand that there is a limited range of benefits here, as you cannot increase speed or decrease costs endlessly. For retailers, the benefits here will match those of most other For the past 26 years, Michael has worked as a consultant to banks, retailers, technology companies, telecoms, and even governments in more than 30 countries. He is most known for his extensive experience and successful project delivery in the area of customer experience, relationship management, and loyalty. Digital and business model transformations have become a special focus throughout his career. businesses. Among other things, online interactions with customers are definitely more economical, but the availability of competitive offers and immediate price comparison seem to make customers more price sensitive and less loyal, and that pushes retailers further into the digital world.
The second face of digital transformations for retailers is using technology to improve the quality of customer relationships and to explore new forms of value creation for customers. Here, companies can benefit from almost endless opportunities to improve their competitive advantage and increase revenue, and the opportunity for retailers is to transition from mostly reactive, transactional interactions with customers to ongoing contact, dialogue, and the beginning of real relationship value. This will come largely through understanding more about customer needs, preferences, and behaviour and addressing issues larger than the simple transaction. Is our customer simply looking for a new suit, or is the goal to feel confident, to look great, and to close the deal at that next client meeting? Is our customer simply looking for a new television, or is the goal to provide entertainment and educational content to the whole family? Taking a Michael Ruckman PRESIDENT & CEO SENTEO
Recently, I was discussing online shopping with a few friends, and we agreed unanimously that there is absolutely no reason to carry things home anymore. We joked about all of the things that people were lugging home from stores before the pandemic and how much easier it is now that we just order things online and wait for delivery –sometimes in less than an hour! We talked about shopping malls and how it feels much easier to explore, try things on, find the items that we want, and then just order online after thinking about it for a day or two. Our big conclusion: the internet changed shopping behaviour over many years, but the pandemic accelerated the migration to online shopping dramatically and almost overnight. However, when asked, each of us admitted we had been in a physical store or a shopping centre within the previous 48 hours. So, it might be time for a deeper look at how shopping behaviour is really changing and the overall effect of the digital world for retailers.
The first face of digital transformations for most businesses is using technology to decrease operational costs. This depends on a company’s ability to eliminate paper, stamps, signatures, etc., with the goal of improving throughput, speed, and cost of operations.
THE THREE FACES OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS FOR RETAILERS FEATURE RETAIL PEOPLE . AUG - OCT 2022 .46
Companies can benefit from almost revenue.andadvantagecompetitivetoopportunitiesendlessimprovetheirincrease
With the entire digital world on the development horizon, retailers must embrace these three faces of digital to gain competitive advantage, to create additional value for customers and shareholders, and to develop and maintain quality, long-term relationships.
Seems there is more potential value to all of this than simply not having to carry stuff home anymore.
wider view of what customers are trying to achieve will help retailers to understand and participate in (if not orchestrate) these larger desired outcomes. To master this developmental stage, retailers must move past balance sheet and product-centric business models and move towards customer-centric, solution-based offerings. If, in the past, the main objectives for a business were to cheaply and efficiently mass-produce something and then distribute to the widest possible audience; now the main challenges are strong customer relationships, quality dialogue, and regular contact to help customers to solve problems, to improve quality of life, and to realize goals – this is significantly more complex territory for retailers.
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unsure about their decision. So providing the benefits of the digital experience together with the quality of human contact and guidance can greatly enhance the quality of customer experiences and customer relationships. We call this human-guided digital.
Retailers, historically, were focused on physical presence, but customers have moved online for many, if not most, of the things they did before in physical spaces. Nevertheless, people still find it valuable to visit a physical location to resolve a complex problem, to explore what is new, to be engaged in a physical world experience, to socialize, and, potentially most importantly, to have human contact and guidance. Many tasks that are better completed with human guidance are better placed in a physical environment, or, at the very least, over the video to allow for discussion and adaptation to concrete, individual needs and preferences. For example, while learning how to use new technology, gaining new knowledge, creating a plan, designing a customized solution, etc., many customers will prefer a human to be involved to provide advice, guidance, or reassurance when the customer may be
The third face of digital transformations for retailers is a certain halfway point between online and offline, and here I’m talking about hybrid or “phygital” experiences – the combination of the physical and the digital experience, or, potentially better defined, an experience with all of the benefits of digital (speed, convenience, cost, etc.) that is carefully choreographed in a physical environment with the added value of human contact and guidance.
It’s an infectious disease, without apparent symptoms but major long-term complications that you usually find in big organizations. Often, is disguised in the common phrase “Healthy Competition.”
Don’t get me wrong, I am all about healthy competition and the challenges that drive success, but actually, that is not what we witness nowadays. The reality is that we all join an organization with a fresh perspective, the passion and motivation to shine, and striving to succeed and here is where we all get misguided. Whether it comes as a directional approach from your superior, or just a basic style that is so deeply embedded in the organization, it accidentally becomes one of its core values inherited throughout the years. We just end up lost within its cycle and shortly after, we embrace it within our daily work.
THE SILOS INFECTION WITHIN YOUR COMPANY FEATURE
Farah Eldardiri LEASING AND ADMIN MANAGER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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Farah is an innovative business leader who excels at leading crossfunctional teams to develop and implement new ideas and services that drive business growth and market share. She previously worked with Naghi Architects, AAM, Beverly Hills, ADS-Australia, Dandy Mall and Mall of Egypt / Carrefour. Currently, she is the Leasing Manager at Majid Al Futtaim Retail in the UAE. An expert architect and financial professional, her leadership have proven to become an asset for the retail industry.
We find Silos all the time between departments, where they have KPIs to achieve but most of the time they tend to forget that they must co-exist like gears in a machine. If they don’t move in harmony, the machine won’t work.
Looking back at my 13 years of work experience moving from one department to another within Majid Al Futtaim, I came to understand that most employees become so focused on their field of expertise and work tasks that they lose sight of the bigger picture where they are on one gear of the huge mechanism of the machine (organization). Of course, companies are fully aware of this infection and that is where all the team building functions and trainings comes in, but does it really Currently,work?Iam the Leasing Manager at Majid Al Futtaim Retail. I have been working here for the past 11 years where I primary joined as an MTP Section Manager in Carrefour Egypt. One thing I distinctively remember and cherish was the first assignment the General Manager gave me. He assigned me to this Six (6) Month Training Program (MTP) where I need to stay one month in each commercial department and one week for each services department. He said, “To be able to add value to the company, you need to know how it all works.” Back then, I didn’t really grasp the importance of it. But today, I can tell you, it is one of the defining keys of a company’s success. “Great success and mastery in any field always go to those who are “brilliant on the basics” -BrianTracy And what’s more basic? To see how it all works. Understanding how it works gives you the understanding how to add value, how to solve the problem, rather than just dropping that email. And so, it has become a builtin functionality that allows me to grow and excel in my Icareer.moved to Bahrain and worked as a Nonfood Department Head. Shortly after, I moved into Retail Design Manager position for shopping malls. Even though my job had nothing to do with the actual mall operation, I became one of the main gears of this new machine. Having to jump right into it without the manual, I started observing how it all works. Three years later, it leads me to become the Leasing Manager of four countries. I realized how big the machine really is where shopping malls, commercial, business development, etc. must work together while functioning separately. Finally, my advice is to show your employees how it all really works. Do the cross-department trainings. It is definitely not a waste of time and remove the silos disease by having departments working together not against each other. Then watch how smooth your machine runs.
- CORPORATE HO MAJID AL FUTTAIM RETAIL
4. Effective Communication Tool
SHOAIB MERCHANT DIRECTORCHAMPION GROUP WHY GOOD SIGNAGE IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ANY BUSINESS
7 REASONS
In a similar way that branding works, the immediacy of signage is as effective as it can get when it comes to communicating your business. Having good signage outside of your business hinges on the visual value that it presents to potential customers.
There is a lot of theory behind the impacts of signage and psychology. When you think of international brands like McDonald’s, Coke or Mercedes, what do you see? You probably picture logos, but you also might not recognize the importance of the colors they use to achieve an emotional response. Red can elicit excitement or anger, yellow is happiness, blue is calm and purple is royal. The point is signage can take advantage of psychological reactions and the subconscious impact of color.
Having a strong business model, sound sales or service methods, and excellent expertise is all integral as the primary functions of a successful business, but these efforts might be a waste if there is a lack of branding or signage. Signage is vital to be a successful business because it allows you to market and advertise your products and services, and the business itself as a recognizable brand. So, while practicing excellent business methods and being savvy with finances is certainly important, signage should never be ignored. Being able to combine all these functions creates a more effective way to entice customers or clients to do business with you. These are 7 reasons for why good signage is essential.
1. Branding Firstly, branding is the way that you can create a lasting image in people’s minds about who you are, what you represent, and of course, what products/services you offer. In today’s digital age, branding is more important than ever.
2. Psychological Impact
6. Competitive Edge Great signage can significantly improve your edge over other businesses and competitors if they are lacking in that area. When choosing between two businesses, a customer or client is likely going to pick the one with the better-looking signage because this shows a level of professionalism that the other lacks.
7. Impulse Sales Impulse sales are especially relevant for business signage. Many people are inclined to purchase products based on how they perceive a business, just like how they believe the quality may be better, this can lead directly to conversion in potential customers to actual sales.
Shoaib Merchant is an aspiring entrepreneur with client service as his number one priority. He graduated from the University of Toronto, Canada with a specialist in Strategic Management and MBA in Marketing from Edinburgh Business School UK. Being 3rd generation in the signage business, he oversees the group’s business development, client relations and new product development. Your Brand with Champion
5. Reflection of Business Quality
Elevate
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3. Cost-Efficient Marketing
Instead of dishing out hundreds to thousands on physical and traditional marketing like bus ads, billboards, or other similar methods, you can simply make a name for yourself without breaking the bank. Good signage should elicit feelings in people, with color theory in mind, the minute customers see it. Not to mention that the sign stays outside your business for as long as you leave it there.
The legibility, design, and visual impact of signage can be directly attributed to how people view your business’ products and your reputation. Branding is one thing, it helps you recognize a distinct style or image of a business, whether you agree their products or service is good is subjective. There is a correlation between how good the signage is and how many people believe that it reflects quality work.
Source: Zawya (https://bit. ly/3PciLwX) YateemGroupwillopenitsdoorsattheDubaiOutletMallexpansioninthelastquarterof2022
Dubai Outlet Mall, UAE’s first value shopping destination, today announced that Yateem Group will open its doors at the Dubai Outlet Mall expansion in the last quarter of 2022, unveiling a new chapter for the optical brand in the UAE. With this partnership, Yateem Outlet will further add to the luxury eyewear offerings at Dubai Outlet Mall including high-end labels Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Bvlgari, Tom Ford, Police, Cartier, and Tiffany & Co.,among others.
Mall Onboards
SOURCE: Saudi Gazette (https://bit. ly/3PdVdaG)
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In celebration of this occasion, Carrefour presented a series of special offers and discounts on various products. Members of the retailer’s loyalty program “MyCLUB” had the opportunity to redeem their points, receiving additional discounts on certain brands and products.
Yateem Group as Part of its Exciting Line-Up of Lifestyle Brands
Mohammed Al-Assaf, CEO of Carrefour Saudi Arabia at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, stated: “We are excited to be opening the newest Carrefour store in Dammam as we regard it as an important step in our expansion in the Kingdom. This comes as part of the brand’s mission to elevate and transcend the retail sector in the Saudi Arabian market, supporting the growth of the economy by adding jobs for Saudi youth and contributing to Vision 2030’s National Transformation Program.”
Majid Al Futtaim Inaugurates Latest Carrefour Store in Saudi Arabia
Carrefour offers free online delivery within 60 minutes of its latest location. The all-new store stands in very close proximity to densely populated areas, providing surrounding communities with daily necessities such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and baked goods (available in the Arabic Oven). A range of organic products is also available including, but not limited to, gluten & sugar-free items and dishes from different nationalities. The brand also boasts a variety of consumer products such as home appliances, electronics, cosmetics, sporting goods and toys – all of which are highquality and competitively priced.
Dubai Outlet
Majid Al Futtaim, the leading company in developing and managing shopping malls, integrated cities, retail institutions and entertainment facilities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia has announced the opening of its new branch in Al Noor district in Dammam beginning of this month.
“The new Carrefour store adds exceptional value to our customers through an unparalleled shopping experience based on the latest technologies in the industry”, Al-Assaf concluded. “We will continue to expand our physical footprint whilst accelerating our e-commerce offering to provide a seamless, omnichannel experience across the Kingdom.”
Speaking of the partnership, Mathews Jacob, General Manager at Yateem Group, said: “We at Yateem Group have the ultimate responsibility for the care and protection of your eyes and we take our role very seriously. Hence, when it comes to your eyes, we choose nothing but the best. Whether it be our selection of lenses, frames, or sunglasses, whether it be our licensed optometrist or the service quality offered, we ensure you get the best of the best. We are proud to be associated with Dubai Outlet Mall. We offer our best quality service to all our Furthercustomers.”adding, Vishal Mahajan, Director of Dubai Outlet Mall, said: “We are pleased to welcome Yateem Group to Dubai Outlet Mall’s expansion and believe they will make an excellent addition to our lineup of leading brands. Their offerings will serve our evergrowing customer base and add to the outstanding customer experiences at Dubai Outlet Mall.”
The official opening ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries, entrepreneurs, and the senior management of Majid Al Futtaim.
EdgeStone Launches First Mall Specialized in Gold Jewellery in Egypt
El-Batal is also one of the largest real estate developers in the Egyptian market, with projects in the Fifth settlement, 6th of October, the New Administrative Capital, El-Obour, and Heliopolis, with investments exceeding EGP Shady12bn.
The fast fashion chain filed bankruptcy in 2019, closing nearly 350 stores globally. It was acquired by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which also owns Aéropostale, the following
EdgeStone Contracting Company announced on Saturday the launch of Rock Gold Mall in the Fifth Settlement, the first specialised mall in gold jewellery in Egypt.
EdgeStone is one of the leading companies in the field of project management in the commercial field and malls. This project culminates its success in establishing Tucano Commercial Complex located in Nasr City, which attracted major brands in the Egyptian and international market such as Alshaya Egypt, Americana and Spinneys and others.
Source:ArabianBusiness(https://bit.ly/3PbkYsg)
Sharaf Group said it was investing in creating an “Omnichannel Experience” for Forever 21 consumers, especially amid a competitive fashion industry headlined by increased “Brickdigitisation.andmortar stores will continue to remain relevant… what would matter is the in-store shopping experience, the ease of shopping and speedy checkouts,” the UAE operator Sharaf said.
UAE-based retail operator Sharaf Group said it was planning to open more branches of fast fashion chain Forever 21 in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The group opened a 12,000-square-foot store at Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall last week, which signals its expansion strategy across the two markets.
Retail Operator Sharaf Group Plans More Forever 21 Stores in Middle East, Southeast Asia
Samir, head of the sales sector and board member of EdgeStone, said that the cooperation with El-Batal in the Rock Gold project is based on a unique idea that meets the needs of the gold makers sector in Egypt, and finds solutions to the problem of these residents living in new urban areas. This mall is the first to bring together more than 150 stores of different sizes to suit customers’ needs and serve areas inhabited by more than 5 million people. It offers payment systems for up to four years, along with competitive prices for the first phase, in addition to providing the latest methods of insurance and security.
Theyear.Middle East operations of Forever 21 were not affected by the US bankruptcy filing, and Sharaf Group, which also operates Sharaf DG and Cotton On, signed a long-term deal with ABG to expand its licensing rights from just clothes to additional product categories.
The World Gold Council said that the Egyptians spent nearly $1.3bn on gold during the first nine months in 2021, compared to EGP 842.4m during the same period of the previous year.
Shady indicated that EdgeStone is currently establishing a new administrative commercial project in Sheraton Heliopolis. Source: Zawya (https://bit.ly/3QzmzcK)
The project will be developed by El-Batal Developments. The first phase will be launched this month, with target sales exceeding EGP 600m. The whole project’s total target sales are over EGP 1.5bn.
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“Over years, Forever 21 has established a strong foothold in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and we are excited to launch the next phase of its growth in the region,” Henry Stupp, ABG’s Middle East president said in a statement.
“We currently operate 22 stores across the Middle East and South East Asia and are endeavouring to open at least three to four more doors before the end of the calendar year 2022,” Yasser Sharaf, Vice President at Sharaf Group, told Arabian Business.
Theexplained.UAE has strengthened its efforts to becoming a hub for both talent and innovation in the metaverse industry. The Dubai Metaverse Strategy, headed by the emirate’s crown prince and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was also announced in July this year, to double the number of metaverse and blockchain companies in the emirate.
Kuwait’s Toy and Gifting Portal Teeela Ropes in $3.75m from Saudi Investors
The average price of a plot of land in Everdome stood at 130,000 $DOME, the statement said. “This is the perfect time for us to put our foot on the gas and really grow our product, which GEM’s investment commitment will help us to do,”
Dubai-based metaverse company, Everdome, has secured a $10 million investment commitment from Bahama-based Investment Group, GEM Digital Limited. The funding will be through a structured token agreement, with Everdome controlling the timing and the number of drawdowns under this facility, and has no minimum drawdown obligation, the company said in a statement. The investments will also be allocated to Everdome’s marketing efforts, partnership enablement and other investments to ensure “sustainable growth” of the company. The announcement comes during a period of heightened activity for Everdome as the company aims to auction of metaverse land plots. “Since June 2022, a total of 11,700 plots (97 percent) located throughout the Everdome metaverse were sold throughout an 8-week auction experience,” the statement said. As of now, a total number of plots were purchased for $18.6 million, which is equivalent to over 1.5 billion $DOME, Everdome’s own digital currency.
Dubai Metaverse Firm Everdome Secures $10 Million Funding
The Kuwait-based toy and gifting portal Teeela has roped in Saudi investment firm Wealth Well and others for a $3.75 million Pre-Series A funding round. Others include Mad’a Investment Company and the Al-Akeel Family Teeela will now scale up across the GCC markets, with launches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia being ‘imminent’. The Middle East’s toy and gifting marketplace is estimated to be about $30 billion. “There is a huge opportunity to serve the gifting market with an exceptional range of products and personalized gift-wrapping options, providing customers with unmatched speed and convenience,” said Abdulwahab AlKhulaifi, Co-Founder and CEO of Teeela.
Source: Arabian Business(https://bit.ly/3QcS2Bn)
Source: Gulf News(https://bit.ly/3Qencsm)
The move will position the emirate as “a leading global hub for innovative new concepts and disruptive economic and technological models,” a statement on WAM said.
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Teeela, which launched in Kuwait in 2017, built its user base around same-day delivery services and an average time from order to handover of four hours. “Teeela has carved a strong ecommerce niche in Kuwait which, through the right strategic partnerships and investment, can proliferate across the Middle East,” said Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Othaim, CEO of Mad’a Investment Company. “The business is ideally suited to meet the high online retail expectations of GCC consumers.”
The company is set to launch in three phases this year, and will allow visitors to take an immersive journey from Hatta in the UAE which is widely viewed via rocket launches, to colonize Mars in Everdome City. “GEM’s investment will be focused on team growth and metaverse technological expansion, and will see the game’s virtual reality (VR) capabilities set on a fast track,” Everdome
Everdome’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder Rob Gryn said. Gryn added “Together with GEM we’ve taken the next step in order to build our metaverse ecosystem to the next level,” as the company aims to safeguard future sustainability in the business.
Dubai: Region’s Biggest Cinema Screen Set to Open on Aug 31
Seef Mall – Muharraq is one of the prominent shopping and entertainment destinations in the Kingdom, as it is located on a sea front extending over an area of 72,000 square metres. It is also distinguished by its unique location that overlooks the historic Arad Fort and the capital Additionally,Manama.
Source: Zawya (https:// bit.ly/3A8H626)
Seef Mall – Muharraq includes various shopping options with the availability of 132 stores, a “Carrefour hypermarket”, a space designated for restaurants and cafes, and “Magic Island” family entertainment centre, in addition to a cinema complex consisting of 14 cinemas with more than 1,300 seats. The cinema complex also includes the first IMAX theatre in Bahrain, providing the finest cinematic experience that adopts the best technologies in sound, image, and theatre engineering.
Roxy Cinemas at Dubai Hills Mall is gearing up to unveil a giant 423 square metre screen, Roxy Xtreme, that is twice the size of a tennis court for a jaw-dropping cinematic experience never seen before in the Middle East.
‘Wise Buys’ Opens First Branch in the Kingdom at Seef Mall - Muharraq
Guests in Director’s Boxes can advantage of on-demand waiter service without leaving their plush seats. At the touch of a button, guests can recline their seats and adjust the footrest and headrest for a first-class plane cabin feel.
Wireless charging, heated seats, and a personal swivel table come as standard in the Director’s Box experience.
The store is managed by Liwa Trading Enterprises, a company established and based in the UAE since 1987, and operates with a vision to provide the best in goods and services to a diverse customer base. Wise Buys continues in these steps, prioritising customer experience with excellent bargains on the store’s stock that includes well-known brands like La Senza, Gant, Celio, OVS, Zippy and more, available at everyday prices for the benefit of the average Mr.shopper.Mohammed Al Qaed, Acting Chief Commercial Officer at Seef Properties, commented on this occasion: “We are honoured to have been chosen as the key site to inaugurate the first branch of Wise Buys in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This confirms the advantage that Seef Mall – Muharraq holds as the primary destination of regional and international brands that desire to expand in the HeKingdom.”added:
“The opening of Wise Buys will increase the comprehensive quality of goods provided to mall visitors, owing to its versatile product line that appeals to individuals and families, from great fashion for all ages, to trendy kitchen and home accessories. Furthermore, Seef Mall – Muharraq continues to more prestigious brands that will further boost the exceptional shopping experience at the mall and fulfil the aspirations of visitors of different tastes.”
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Source:KhaleejTimes(https://bit.ly/3JOfrXK)
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain: Wise Buys has recently opened its first branch in the Kingdom of Bahrain at Seef Mall – Muharraq, offering fashion, home and accessory products from international brands at unmatched discounted prices to meet all the needs of visitors and shoppers.
The new Roxy Cinemas Dubai Hills Mall has 15 screens in total, including seven Platinum Screens (available to movie lovers from October), seven Silver Screens and the groundbreaking Roxy Xtreme that measures 28 metres by 15.1 metres to create 423 square metres of movie magic. The Platinum experience offers a tantalizing array of gourmet food that includes juicy burgers and decadent desserts that can be ordered in the luxury lounge before the movie or from your seat in the auditorium and served to your table. Moviegoers opting for the silver experience can choose from a wide selection of food at the candy bar including classic cinema snacks such as popcorn, nachos, and hot dogs before relaxing in comfortable reclining seats.
Opening on August 31, the Roxy Xtreme, the Middle East’s biggest ever cinema screen, sets a new benchmark in entertainment in Dubai with 382 premium reclining seats across three tiers: Standard, Premium and Director’s Boxes. Fernando Eiroa, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Holding Entertainment, said, “The 15-screen Roxy Cinemas multiplex at Dubai Hills Mall will redefine the cinema-going experience for the UAE audiences with new levels of luxury across all our screens. Roxy Xtreme sets a new benchmark for cinemas in Dubai and the wider region as the huge screen provides an unforgettable experience for all types of movie Threelovers.”Director’s Boxes, the first of their kind in a cinema, are luxurious suites perched above the auditorium to offer a spectacular view of the Roxy Xtreme screen with utmost comfort and Eachprivacy.VIPDirector’s Box has 12 luxurious seats that enable moviegoers to enjoy a memorable cinema experience with friends and family.
JLL Secures $585M Funding for Massive Mixed-Use Development in Boston Area
Inflation worries aren’t stopping retailers from opening new stores. Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall owner, said the pipeline of new businesses slated to open up at its properties remains strong. “Even with what’s going on in the world, we really haven’t seen anyone back out of deals of note at all,” David Simon, Chairman, President and CEO, Simon Property, said on an earnings conference call. He added that the company was seeing a big rebound in Las Vegas and that Florida “is on fire.” To date this year, retailers in the U.S. have announced 4,432 store openings, compared with 1,954 closings, according to data from Coresight Research, resulting in a net of 2,478 openings, reported CNBC. Read More…(Source: Chain Store Age –CSA- https://bit.ly/3BYYWGf
NYE & RGP Development and Siam Piwat Join Hands in a Strategic Deal to Manage “Park Silom” Project NYE & RGP Devt Co., Ltd., a collaboration between NYE Estate Co., Ltd., and Minor Intl PCL, inks a strategic deal with Siam Piwat Co., Ltd. for a retail asset management and property management for “Park Silom”, a premium mixeduse project in the heart of Silom under the theme “New Breed of Silom.” The retail space spans over 5-storeys of the total 39-storey mixed used project that recently won prestigious international awards. The retail concept is envisioned to be a ‘one-of-a-kind retail experience,’ that caters to the lifestyles of office occupants along with Thai and international tourists with high purchasing power. The collaboration between the three property and retail industry leaders will establish “Park Silom” as a new landmark in Silom - the prospering economic neighbourhood by introducing a new lifestyle that responds to the multi-dimensional ways of living. Read More…
A new mixed-use life science campus that includes housing and retail will be a welcome addition to Boston’s expanding lab market.
Source:RetailNewsAsia(https://bit.ly/3PetCqb)
Source: RebusinessOnline(https://bit.ly/3BQU8CS)
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JLL has secured $585 million in financing for the construction of a 580,905-sq.ft. development in Boston’s Allston neighbourhood Allston LabWorks, located on 4.27 acres at 250, 280 and 305 Western Ave., will be comprised of life sciences retail and multi-housing space. Once the project is complete, it will feature 534,000 sq. ft. of lab space; 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space; 35 multi-housing units, 26% of which will be affordable. It will also include a 12,000-sq.-ft. a public plaza with an additional 5,000-sq.ft. landscaped open space and 668 garage parking spaces. Read More…Source: Chain StoreAge–CSA- (https://bit.ly/3BZ0kbV) KFC Australia Pilots Drone-Delivery Service in Queensland In an Australian-first, KFC has enlisted a drone delivery company to bring Zingers and other fried faves to homes and workplaces in the Logan area between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Wing, owned by Google parent Alphabet, launched in Canberra in 2019 in a world-first, and in Logan the following year. Since then, suburbs within a 10km radius have been having burgers, groceries, pharmacy items, hardware products, coffee and other products zoomed in via 5kg styrofoam drones that can carry up to 1.5kg. Under a pilot program kicking off on Friday, the world’s most famous fried chicken brand will initially be available to a small number of households in the Southeast Queensland suburbs of Kingston, Logan Central, Slacks Creek, Underwood, and Woodridge. Read More…
Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) is “well positioned” to capitalise on the growing luxury market after forging partnerships with highend brands, GlobalData reported. “Balenciaga joins RBL’s portfolio of 40 international fashion brands, providing the retailer an edge in the $1.1 billion Indian luxury apparel market,” Bobby Verghese, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, said. According to GlobalData, Asia accounted for 31% of Balenciaga’s global sales, making it the brand’s second largest market, next to Western Europe. This is particularly led by China, Japan, and South Korea. “Through the partnership with Reliance Brands, Balenciaga will gain access to the conglomerate’s strong brand name and nationwide network of nearly 600 stores and 750 shop-in-shops across India,” Verghese also said. Read More…
Source: Nation Thailand (https://bit.ly/3AbAu3h) Reliance Brands ‘Well Positioned’ to Tap India’s Luxury Apparel Market
Source: RetailNewsAsia(https://bit.ly/3dlts2I) Lewis Retail Centers to Build 169,590 SF Town Center at The Preserve in Chino, California Lewis Retail Centers has unveiled plans to build Town Center at The Preserve in Chino, a city in Southern California. The retail and office development, which will span 169,590 square feet, is slated to open in summer 2023. Town Center at The Preserve will be situated within a master-planned community named The Preserve at Chino and adjacent to multifamily units. The pedestrian-friendly development will feature Main Street-oriented retail space, as well as open spaces for gatherings and events. The office space will be positioned on the second level, above the street-level retail space. KTGY is the project architect. Stater Bros., a privately held supermarket chain based in San Bernardino, Calif., will serve as the grocery anchor tenant.. Read More…
Report: Mall Giant Sees No Downturn in Store Openings
In Singapore, Zalora Launches Supermart-Style Pop-Up with Adidas Zalora Group has unveiled a supermarket-inspired pop-up store in collaboration with Adidas at Bugis Junction, Singapore. The Supermart by Zalora store is designed with a supermarket layout, featuring pop colours and Instagrammable corners. The pop-up stocks more than 90 SKUs of Adidas, ranging from footwear, apparel, and accessories for men and women, and an exclusive range. Through a ‘click-and-mortar experience’, customers visiting the store can purchase their favourite items by scanning the QR codes tagged on them and adding them to their cart on the Zalora app. The order will then be delivered to their doorstep. Zalora also partnered with three local artists, Hoon Jialing, Eman Raharno Jeman and Tiffany Tan, to create gift-with-purchase packaging with graphic artwork that incorporates the brand and artists’ aesthetics. Marking the launch, Zalora is also running an interactive game to further engage with its customer.
Source: Retail NewsAsia(https://bit.ly/3pbGin3)
Abercrombie & Fitch Launches ‘Getaway’ Store Design Concept
Romacorp, Inc. Joins The National Retail Federation Romacorp, Inc., the parent company of Tony Roma’s®, announced that it has joined The National Retail Federation, a diverse community with thousands of leading retailers and industry professionals. As a member of the National Retail Federation, Romacorp joins a prestigious group of retail leaders and gains access to exclusive events and research. The insights gained will be used to continue to drive innovative concepts as a leader in the restaurant industry, based on consumer sentiment and emerging trends. Earlier this year, it was announced that Romacorp, Inc. plans to open 200 locations over the next decade as part of their goal to bring their legendary ribs and menu items into communities throughout the US and the world. The Tony Roma’s brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and currently operates 95 restaurants around the globe. Read More…
Source:RetailDive(https:// bit.ly/3pajvrC) TGI Fridays Expand C3 Partnership with New Virtual Brands Following the early success with Krispy Rice, TGI Fridays are willing to take a chance on the new Stonie Bowls, which features signature rice, salads and poke bowls. TGI Fridays’ initial partnership with C3 generated up to an additional $1 million per location, according to the press release. This brand could help draw younger consumers, as Stonie Bowls was created in partnership with YouTube personality Matt Stonie. C3 has an entire division focused on developing new virtual restaurant brands with popular digital creators with the objective of reaching Gen Z consumers. The company expects the division to reach about $1 billion in revenue by 2025. Leveraging a well-known brand like TGI Fridays could help with this goal. Read More…
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An Australian apparel manufacturing house which has largely sold through country retailers is breaking into big city retailing, bringing with it its much-loved stable of Australian-made brands including Rossi Boots and DrizaBone clothing.
Source:RetailNewsToday(https://bit.ly/3vTHxLv)
Rural outfitters, RB Sellars has opened its first capital city store in Richmond, Melbourne, building on its extensive branch network across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, as well as a successful online business. RB Sellars, Rossi Boots and DrizaBone are now part of the Propel Group, which boasts of its largely Australian-made credentials. Propel Group Managing Director Caroline Elliott said: “We’re excited to be bringing the RB Sellars brand to Richmond. “It is a great show of the confidence in our ranges across RB Sellars, Rossi Boots and DrizaBone, particularly given the challenging retail environment of the last two years. Read More…Source: Australian ManufacturingForum(https://bit.ly/3BWPHX3)
Its new getaway concept, which is aimed at millennial and zillennial shoppers, includes wood accent walls, “elevated” fixtures and furniture, and spaces that are dedicated to some of Abercrombie’s most well-known categories. It also features a counter that looks like a check-in desk of a hotel. The store concept also includes a denim studio and fitting rooms that have customizable lighting. “Abercrombie’s young millennial and zillennial customers continue to utilize our stores for a variety of needs — whether it’s discovering new products and trends, picking up online orders, connecting with friends virtually or IRL, figuring out their best fit, or simply enjoying the brand experience,” Carey Krug, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing for Abercrombie brands, said in a statement. Read More…
Source:RestaurantDive(https://bit.ly/3JMFe2l)
Sports Retail Giant Decathlon Partners with Zeus Labs to Handle UK Freight Zeus Labs, which is disrupting the freight industry with its next-generation digital solutions, has teamed up with the world’s largest sports retailer Decathlon to help handle its UK freight. The partnership means that Zeus now handles nearly half of all the retailer’s restocking in the UK. Established in Lille, France in 1976, Decathlon opened its first UK store at Surrey Quays in in 1999 and now has 70 sites across the UK with plans to open hundreds more over the next decade. The partnership comes after Zeus has undergone phenomenal growth since its founding in 2019 by young entrepreneurs Jai Kanwar and Clemente Theotokis. The firm now serves more than 40 enterprise-level clients handling over 660,000 tonnes of cargo annually, worth circa £6 billion. Read More…
Source: The Load Star(https://bit.ly/3p7vYMC)
Australian Made Apparel Group Moves into City Retail Market
AWARDS MECS+R MENA WHO CAN ENTER? Awards entries can be submitted by Shopping Centre owners, developers, retailers management companies, architects and designers and service providers. SUBMISSION DEADLINE All entries must be submitted and paid by Thursday, September 22, 2022. Please visit our website at www.retailcongressmena.com for more details or email lea@mecsc.org. HOW TO ENTER ENTRY FEE Submit your entries at www.retailcongressmena.com/awards. Each submission must include a complete entry. Forms with incomplete entries will not be judged. USD 595 + 5% VAT (Member) USD 695 + 5% VAT (Non- Member) The Middle East and North Africa Shopping Centre and Retailer Awards are designed to honour outstanding achievements in Marketing, NOI Enhancement, Design & Development of Retail Properties, Retail Excellence, Best MENA Retail Brand and Service Excellence. The Awards will be presented at the Retail Congress MENA 2022 on 6th December at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC, Dubai, UAE. 6th December 2022
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