Retail People Magazine – Issue 12

Al MARYAH CENTRAl Technological Sea Change Approaches the Gulf Page 14

FUTURISTIC Global Retail VR & AR in Future Retail Page 29

MODA MAll Bahrain’s Luxury Retail Shopping Destination Page 40

ISSUE 12 JUL-SEP 2017

Circulated in 45 countries

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN RETAIL a

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PREMIUM SHOPPING EXPERIENCE & MORE...

ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE

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CONTENTS

O te ts M

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Contributors

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Retail Technology Runs on Yardi Aditya Shah, Director of Middle East Operations at Yardi

to y Addressing the Employment Gap in Oman Through Retail Training Maimunah Shebani, Managing Director of The Retail Agency

Education and Technology in Retail Property Development Phil McArthur, Founder & Managing Director at McARTHUR + COMPANY

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Loyalty of Things Souffiane Houti, Founder and CEO Via Fone Technologies

How Technology is Elevating the Food and Hospitality Industry?

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Al Maryah Central – Store 4.0: Technological Sea Change Approaches the Gulf

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Futuristic Global Retail VR & AR in Future Retail Eng. Wail M. Balkhair, Deputy CEO Al Mahmal Development Co. Ltd.

Zero 6 – Leveraging Technology to Bring a Holistic Lifestyle Experience to Sharjah’s Residents Saudi Arabia

u lis in ata ase ana e ent Coordinator u hn o a ers i h

Sweatnet Any Sport Anywhere – New App James McWilliams Founder & CEO Sweatnet Any Sport Anywhere

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The New Era of Shopping Centres Samar Akkou, CSM, CLS Lebanon Regional Representative of MECSC

Digital Retail…Really?

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Welcome Note

E C S C Bur u an Business To er Box Dubai A

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Arabian Centres - How Tech Savvy Millennials are Key to a Growing Retail Sector

Cityland Group Secures Term Loan of USD 142.74M for Construction of Nature- Inspired ‘Cityland Mall’ Dubai Retailer Opens First Store in Malaysia Amid Global Push

e ia ne To er Dubai Box Dubai A

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T F oti atepublishing co connect oti ate ae

Dubai’s Damac picked to develop $1bn Oman waterfront project

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Abraaj acquires Nairobi Based F&B Operator

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Boulevard Saudi Arabia – Jeddah

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Amazon to Retain Souq.com name ‘for now’ Accelerating Retail With Detail

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Lulu and Union Coop Join Samsung Pay’s Network

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Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai

Dubai Developer Azizi Starts Work on Dh12billion Waterfront Project UAE’s Retail Sector is Still the Place to be in

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NextGen Dubai Networking Event at the Ritz Carlton DIFC RECon Forum Jeddah – first ever ICSC/ MECSC Conference & Exhibition in Jeddah

n o u MODA MALL – Bahrain’s Luxury Retail Shopping Destination (Featured Mall)

Majid Al Futtaim Acquires 26 Geant Stores in UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait LVMH Moët Hennessy Vuitton: 360 MALL Welcomes KENZO Fashion House

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John T. Riordan Global School Professional 2017

Building the Future of Retail with ABRA (Featured Service Provider)

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o n Tapping The Potential From Tourism

by Khalid Suleiman Aljasser CEO of Arabian Centres Saudi Mall Industry – Jeddah RECon 2017 Conference & Exhibition

by Marcello Larizza, CSM, CRX General Manager – Shopping Malls Line Investments & Property LLC/ Lulu Group International

nt MECSC New Members On-Board MECSC Featured Member Mohammad Alawi CEO of Red Sea Markets Co. Ltd.

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WELCOME

Al MARYAH CENTRAl Technological Sea Change Approaches the Gulf Page 14

FUTURISTIC Global Retail VR & AR in Future Retail Page 29

MODA MAll Bahrain’s Luxury Retail Shopping Destination Page 40

ISSUE 12 JUL-SEP 2017

Our theme for this edition of the Retail People Magazine focuses on Education and Technology in Retail. We are blessed to have such a talented group of members willing to invest the time to share their knowledge and understanding of the retail industry.

A huge thank you to the authors who submitted their articles for publication!!

Circulated in 45 countries

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN RETAIL a

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To our many sponsors and advertisers in the Retail People Magazine, Thank You!! Your interest and support keeps us motivated and expanding our reach.

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O t e O eR Maimunah Shebani Managing Director of The Retail Agency

Thank you to H.E. Majid Al Ghurair

MECSC Board Chairman Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, President of BurJuman Shopping Centre

Marwan Eskandarani

MECSC Board President Group Business Development Director – GCC Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group LLC

Andrew Williamson

Education is the foundation to creating employment opportunities for our young people in the MENA region. Our Retail People Magazine this quarter is dedicated to expanding the educational footprint in the MENA region through utilizing the strength of the ICSC / MECSC education programmes. In addition we have joined forces with PK Menon and his Retailer Training Programs called the Black Belt in Retail, also available in English and Arabic. Maimunah Shebani, our Board Member from Oman has launched a government initiative there to promote education in the retail sector to promote Omanisation.

Technology plays a massive role in retail and in the future we will see even greater impact in the retail industry. Our theme is also technology this quarter. Our authors have been very insightful which we are thrilled for. Jim McWilliams has launched his new mobile app called Sweatnet which is based in Dubai. Souffiane Houti Founder and CEO of Via Fone describes a new level of loyalty scheme which is truly digital, in his article ‘Loyalty of Things’. Phil McArthur discusses the importance of Technology and Education in Retail Property Development describing the balance which is necessary. Aditya Shah from Yardi describes the importance of Retail Technology through his experience of managing and overseeing multiple software implementations. Education and technology is featured in the article from Jamal Al Shawish on the launch of Zero 6. Samar Akkou sent us another great article titled The New Era of Shopping Centres. Wail Balkhair, our regional representative from Jeddah discusses the future of Augmented Reality in retail and how important it will be for us in the very near future.

Thank you to our team at the MECSC for their diligence and hard work to keep the Retail People Magazine growing in fresh content and appeal.

We all have a stake in the continued success of retail locally, regionally and globally.

The Retail People Magazine is our way at the MECSC to reach out to you.

We trust you will enjoy this latest issue of the Retail People Magazine as much as we enjoyed bringing it to life for you.

National Director – Head of Retail MENA, JLL

Avijit Yadav, CMD, CSM, CLS, CDP, CRX Chief Operating Officer GLA Property Management Co. LLC

Khalid Suleiman Aljasser

Chief Executive Officer Arabian Centres Real Estate Co.

Luca Cappuccitti

Head of Global Business Development & Strategy Design International

Maimunah Shebani

DAVID MACADAM Chief Executive Officer MECSC

MARWAN ESKANDARANI MECSC oar Presi ent Group usiness evelopment irector amal Osman am oom Group LLC

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Managing Director The Retail Agency

Marcello Larizza, CSM, CRX

General Manager Line Investments & Property LLC

Mohammad Alawi

Chief Executive Officer Red Sea Markets Co.

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C NTRIBUTORS

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Maimunah Shebani Managing Director The Retail Agency

Francis Loughran Managing Director Future Food

Brett Cameron Managing Partner SPX

Greg Vogt Leasing Director Gulf Related

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Jamal Al Shawish Director of Leasing and Sales Alef Group

Khalid Suleiman Aljasser Chief Executive Officer Arabian Centres

Aditya Shah Director of Middle East Operations Yardi

Phil McArthur, CRX, CDP, CSM Founder & Managing Director McARTHUR + COMPANY

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Souffiane Houti Founder & CEO Via Fone Technologies

Samar Akkou, CSM, CLS Lebanon Regional Representative Middle East Council of Shopping Centres

Jim Mc Williams Founder Sweatnet Any Sport Anywhere

Eng. Wail M. Balkhair Deputy CEO Al Mahmal Development Co. (Ltd.)

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Anand Kumar Executive Director ABRA VM&SD International FZ LLC

Marcello Larizza, CSM, CRX General Manager - Shopping Malls Line Investments & Property LLC / Lulu Group International

Mohammad Alawi CEO, Red Sea Markets Co. Ltd. Chairman, Shopping Malls Committee at JCCI

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Al Maryah Central, combined with The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, will feature 500 of the world’s leading entertainment, dining and retail brands in the heart of the capital.

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COVER STORY

Addressing the Employment Gap in Oman through Retail Training

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he retail sector in Oman has flourished over the past few years, supported by an increase in both the supply of new retail spaces and the growing number of shopping centers in the country. The Omani retail industry is expected to experience significant growth in the next couple of years with several major new projects underway. In particular, according to JLL, prime retail space (shopping center space) is expected to increase by 63% by 2020.

This increase is estimated to create more than 54,000 full time jobs by 2020!!!

What a fabulous opportunity for the local Omani population. Many of these new jobs require skill sets that Omani job seekers currently do not possess. These new retail jobs will be filled by Omani’s which can learn and develop new skill sets.

No other segment of the Omani economy currently offers more job opportunities for people with limited education than the retail industry does today.

The roles which we refer to in the retail industry are not the jobs as sales assistants

working on the sales floors of the retail shops. The new roles for the Omani job seekers in the retail industry include vital roles in security, property management, leasing, marketing, traffic management, loss prevention, visual merchandising, tenant coordination, construction, pop-upretail, negotiation, logistics and generally understanding how the retail industry ticks.

This education opens the door for many Omanis to pursue a career in the retail industry and take advantage of the many career progressions that are possible in the retail industry. The retail industry has the demand today and the ability to absorb semi-skilled Omanis and train them to become retail professional experts.

Addressing the country’s current challenges of high unemployment, training in the retail industry is a logical and natural next step for the Oman Government to pursue.

With targets for Omanization of the work force as high as 60%, the projected high growth rate of the retail industry makes it an ideal career choice for the young people of Oman to embrace.

Maimunah Shebani, Managing Director - The Retail Agency MECSC Board Member

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COVER STORY

Today employers in the retail industry cannot find Omanis with the valuable skill sets which they need.

The retail and wholesale industry is an important pillar of Oman’s economic diversification strategy. Currently contributing only 8% to the GDP of Oman, retail plays a far greater role in other GCC countries where the retail sector contributes nearly 30% of the GDP. The retail industry provides a solid diversification from the petroleum based economy.

A third of all consumer spending in Oman is with retailers in shopping centers. Yet, this sector only employs an estimated 41,000 Omanis. The estimated current 18% Omanization rate in the retail sector is well below the 60% target set by the Ministry of Manpower.

To address Omanization in the wider retail sector, the sector needs to overcome challenges from both Omanis’ and employers’ perspectives. The challenges identified from the Omanis’ point of view include the following: • Lack of awareness of existing jobs and career advancement opportunities in the retail industry • Perceived limited career growth prospects • Sentiment in the retail job market that jobs are limited to repetitive, transactional tasks such as sales associates on the retail shop floor From the shopping center owner and private employers’ point of view the following are the challenges faced: • Lack of available skilled workforce • Lack of a sufficient pool of Omanis with practical retail industry skills and retail managerial experience.

• Lack of suitable training alternatives for Omanis which are Government Led and Government Sponsored initiatives Other GCC countries have recently started several training initiatives to advance locals’ retail careers and support the sector. Similar types of retail vocational training do not currently exist in Oman.

In this context, collaboration between the Ministry of Manpower in Oman and the retail industry sector should be established. This synergetic relationship will provide the young Omani population with opportunities to grow and develop in their retail careers, now and into the future. By introducing strong retail industry vocational training programmes in Oman, it will promote skill development and build the capabilities of the Omani workforce in order to bridge the gap between the market supply and demand. Additionally, it will enable Omanis to obtain better employment opportunities with great futures and fill skill shortages in the retail industry.

Dedicated training programmes for developing the Omani workforce in the retail sector will enable nationals to develop and strengthen necessary skills to secure and succeed in a job in the retail industry that requires more than a high school diploma and less than a four-year bachelor degree. The Retail Agency, through the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC), the regional trade body representing the Shopping Centre Industry in the Middle East & North Africa, can provide professional and certified retail industry training courses for Omanis.

The goal is to ultimately support the Government’s efforts to Omanize the country’s young and growing workforce in the retail industry sector.

The Retail Agency is an Oman based boutique firm specialized in shopping center and retail education.

The Retail Agency was born to fulfill a gap which exists in the job market for skilled retail professionals. The Retail Agency will provide the retail sector education programmes through industry leading dedicated retail courses. The goal is to provide a readily available pool of local skilled retail industry professionals to be prepared for full-time employment prospects. The Retail Agency is the first of its kind in Oman and is fully backed by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC) headquartered in Dubai and the International Council of Shopping Centers with headquarters in New York.

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7/19/17 12:10 PM

‫ﻣﻮﺿﻮع اﻟﻐﻼف‬

‫ﺟﻴﺪة ﻟﺘﻠﺒﻴﺔ اﺣﺘﻴﺎﺟﺎﺗﻬﻢ‪ .‬وﺑﻴﻨﻤﺎ ﻳﺸﻜﻞ ﻗﻄﺎع‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ واﻟﺠﻤﻠﺔ رﻛﻨ ًﺎ ﻣﻬﻤ ًﺎ ﻓﻲ اﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﻨﻮﻳﻊ اﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎدي ﻓﻲ ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪ ،‬إذ ﻳﺴﻬﻢ ﻫﺬا‬ ‫اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﺑﻨﺴﺒﺔ ‪ %8‬ﻓﻘﻂ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻨﺎﺗﺞ اﻟﻤﺤﻠﻲ ا ﺟﻤﺎﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪ ،‬ﻓﺈن ﻫﺬا اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﻳﻠﻌﺐ دورا ً أﻛﺒﺮ‬ ‫ﺑﻜﺜﻴﺮ ﻟﺪى دول ﻣﺠﻠﺲ اﻟﺘﻌﺎون اﻟﺨﻠﻴﺠﻲ ا ﺧﺮى‪،‬‬ ‫ﻼ ﻋﻦ ذﻟﻚ‪،‬‬ ‫ﺣﻴﺚ ﻳﺴﻬﻢ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﺑﻨﺤﻮ ‪ %30‬ﻓﻲ اﻟﻨﺎﺗﺞ اﻟﻤﺤﻠﻲ ا ﺟﻤﺎﻟﻲ ﻟﻬﺎ‪ .‬ﻓﻀ ً‬ ‫ﻳﻮﻓﺮ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﺗﻨﻮﻋ ًﺎ ﺑﻌﻴﺪا ً ﻋﻦ اﻻﻋﺘﻤﺎد ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻨﻔﻂ‪.‬‬ ‫اﻟﺠﺪﻳﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﺬﻛﺮ أن ﺛﻠﺚ ا ﻧﻔﺎق اﻻﺳﺘﻬﻼﻛﻲ ﻓﻲ ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن ﻳﺼﺐ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫وﻣﻊ ذﻟﻚ‪ ،‬ﻓﺈن ﻫﺬا اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﻳﻮﻇﻒ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻘﺪر ﺑﻨﺤﻮ ‪ 41000‬ﻋُ ﻤﺎﻧﻲ ﻓﻘﻂ‪ ،‬أي ﺑﻨﺴﺒﺔ ﺗﻌﻤﻴﻦ ‪%18‬‬ ‫ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪ ،‬وﻫﻮ أﻗﻞ ﺑﻜﺜﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﺴﺒﺔ اﻟﻤﻄﻠﻮﺑﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ وﺿﻌﺘﻬﺎ وزارة اﻟﻘﻮى اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﺔ‪،‬‬ ‫وﻫﻲ ‪.%60‬‬ ‫وﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻟﺘﻌﻤﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪ ،‬ﻳﺤﺘﺎج اﻟﻘﻄﺎع إﻟﻰ اﻟﺘﻐﻠﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺤﺪﻳﺎت ﻣﻦ وﺟﻬﺔ ﻧﻈﺮ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ وأﺻﺤﺎب اﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﺪ ﺳﻮاء‪ .‬واﻟﺘﺤﺪﻳﺎت اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﺤﺪﻳﺪﻫﺎ ﻣﻦ وﺟﻬﺔ ﻧﻈﺮ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ‪ ،‬ﻫﻲ‪:‬‬ ‫ﻋﺪم اﻟﻮﻋﻲ ﺑﺎﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ اﻟﺤﺎﻟﻴﺔ واﻟﺘﻄﻮر اﻟﻮﻇﻴﻔﻲ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺼﻮر ﺑﺄن آﻓﺎق اﻟﻨﻤﻮ اﻟﻮﻇﻴﻔﻲ ﻣﺤﺪودة‪.‬‬ ‫اﻟﺸﻌﻮر ﺑﺄن اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ ﺗﻘﺘﺼﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﻬﺎم اﻟﻤﺘﻜﺮرة ﻣﺜﻞ اﻟﻤﺒﻴﻌﺎت‪.‬‬ ‫أﻣﺎ اﻟﺘﺤﺪﻳﺎت اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻢ ﺗﺤﺪﻳﺪﻫﺎ ﻣﻦ وﺟﻬﺔ ﻧﻈﺮ أﺻﺤﺎب ا ﻋﻤﺎل وﻣﺮاﻛﺰ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺴﻮق‪ ،‬ﻫﻲ‪:‬‬ ‫اﻻﻓﺘﻘﺎر إﻟﻰ اﻟﻘﻮى اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﺔ اﻟﻤﺤﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺎﻫﺮة‪.‬‬ ‫ﻋﺪم وﺟﻮد ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ ﻛﺎﻓﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ ﺑﻤﻬﺎرات اﻟﺒﻴﻊ ﺑﺎﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ واﻟﺨﺒﺮة‬ ‫اﻟﻌﻤﻠﻴﺔ ا دارﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻋﺪم وﺟﻮد ﻣﺒﺎدرات ﺣﻜﻮﻣﻴﺔ ﺗﺪرﻳﺒﻴﺔ ﻣﻨﺎﺳﺒﺔ ﻟﻠﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ ﺗﺆﻫﻠﻬﻢ ﻟﻠﻌﻤﻞ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﺑﺄﻗﺴﺎﻣﻪ اﻟﻤﺘﻨﻮﻋﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫وﺑﺪأت دول ﻣﺠﻠﺲ اﻟﺘﻌﺎون اﻟﺨﻠﻴﺠﻲ ا ﺧﺮى ﻓﻲ ا¼وﻧﺔ ا ﺧﻴﺮة‪ ،‬ﺑﺎﻧﺘﻬﺎج ﻣﺒﺎدرات ﻋﺪة‬ ‫ﻟﻠﻨﻬﻮض ﺑﻤﻬﻦ اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ اﻟﻤﺤﻠﻴﺔ ودﻋﻢ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع‪ .‬ﻟﻜﻦ ﺣﺘﻰ ا¼ن ﻻ ﺗﻮﺟﺪ أﻧﻮاع ﻣﻤﺎﺛﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﺑﺮاﻣﺞ اﻟﺘﺪرﻳﺐ اﻟﻤﻬﻨﻲ ﺧﺎﺻﺔ ﺑﻬﺬا اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﻓﻲ ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪.‬‬ ‫وﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺴﻴﺎق‪ ،‬ﻳﻨﺒﻐﻲ إﻗﺎﻣﺔ ﺗﻌﺎون ﺑﻴﻦ وزارة اﻟﻘﻮى اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﺔ وﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪ ،‬ﺣﻴﺚ ﺳﻴﺘﻴﺢ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺘﻌﺎون ﻓﺮﺻﺔ ﻧﻤﻮ وﺗﻄﻮر اﻟﺸﺒﺎب اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻲ ﻓﻲ أﻋﻤﺎﻟﻬﻢ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﻬﻨﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﺎل اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻮﻗﺖ اﻟﺮاﻫﻦ واﻟﻤﺴﺘﻘﺒﻞ‪.‬‬ ‫إن ﺗﻘﺪﻳﻢ ﺑﺮاﻣﺞ ﺗﺪرﻳﺐ ﻣﻬﻨﻴﺔ ﻗﻮﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﺳﻴﻌﺰز ﺗﻨﻤﻴﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﻬﺎرات وﺑﻨﺎء ﻗﺪرات اﻟﻘﻮى اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﺔ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ‪ ،‬ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ ﺳﺪ اﻟﻔﺠﻮة ﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﻌﺮض واﻟﻄﻠﺐ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﺗﻤﻜﻦ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ ﻓﺮص ﻋﻤﻞ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻮق‪ .‬وإﺿﺎﻓﺔ إﻟﻰ ذﻟﻚ‪ ،‬ﺳﻮف‬ ‫أﻓﻀﻞ وإﻛﺴﺎﺑﻬﻢ اﻟﻤﻬﺎرات ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫إن ﺑﺮاﻣﺞ اﻟﺘﺪرﻳﺐ اﻟﻤﺘﺨﺼﺼﺔ ﻟﺘﻄﻮﻳﺮ اﻟﻘﻮى اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﺔ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﺗﻤﻜﻦ اﻟﻤﻮاﻃﻨﻴﻦ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻄﻮﻳﺮ وﺗﻌﺰﻳﺰ اﻟﻤﻬﺎرات اﻟﻼزﻣﺔ ﻟﻠﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ وﻇﻴﻔﺔ‬ ‫ﺳﻮف‬ ‫ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪ ،‬واﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺘﻄﻠﺐ أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺷﻬﺎدة اﻟﺜﺎﻧﻮﻳﺔ اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ‪ ،‬وأﻗﻞ ﻣﻦ أرﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﺳﻨﻮات درﺟﺔ اﻟﺒﻜﺎﻟﻮرﻳﻮس‪ .‬وﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻟﻮﻛﺎﻟﺔ اﻟﺒﻴﻊ ﺑﺎﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل ﻣﺠﻠﺲ اﻟﺸﺮق‬ ‫ا وﺳﻂ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺰ اﻟﺘﺴﻮق‪ ،‬اﻟﻬﻴﺌﺔ اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ ا ﻗﻠﻴﻤﻴﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻤﺜﻞ ﻗﻄﺎع ﻣﺮاﻛﺰ اﻟﺘﺴﻮق‬ ‫ﻓﻲ اﻟﺸﺮق ا وﺳﻂ وﺷﻤﺎل أﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴﺎ‪ ،‬ﺗﻘﺪﻳﻢ دورات ﺗﺪرﻳﺒﻴﺔ ﻣﻬﻨﻴﺔ وﻣﺼﺪﻗﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﺎل‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻟﻠﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ‪.‬‬

‫واﻟﻬﺪف ﻣﻦ ذﻟﻚ دﻋﻢ ﺟﻬﻮد اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﺔ ﻟﺘﺤﻘﻴﻖ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻟﺘﻌﻤﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﻄﻠﻮﺑﺔ ﺑﺸﻜﻞ ﻋﺎم‪ ،‬وﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫ﺑﺸﻜﻞ ﺧﺎص‪.‬‬ ‫اﻟﺠﺪﻳﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﺬﻛﺮ أن وﻛﺎﻟﺔ اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪ ،‬ﺷﺮﻛﺔ ﻣﻘﺮﻫﺎ ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ‬ ‫ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪ ،‬وﺗﻌﺪ ﻣﺘﺨﺼﺼﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺘﺪرﻳﺐ واﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻢ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫وﻣﺮاﻛﺰ اﻟﺘﺴﻮق‪ .‬وﻗﺪ أﻧﺸﺌﺖ وﻛﺎﻟﺔ اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻟﺴﺪ اﻟﻨﻘﺺ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻋﺪد اﻟﻤﻬﻨﻴﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺨﺘﺼﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪ .‬وﺳﺘﻘﺪم وﻛﺎﻟﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﺑﺮاﻣﺞ ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻤﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل دورات ﺗﺪرﻳﺒﻴﺔ راﺋﺪة ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺠﺎل‪ .‬واﻟﻬﺪف ﻣﻦ ذﻟﻚ‪ ،‬ﺗﻮﻓﻴﺮ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺨﺘﺼﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻟﻴﻜﻮﻧﻮا ﻋﻠﻰ اﺳﺘﻌﺪاد ﻟﻠﻌﻤﻞ‬ ‫ﺑﺪوام ﻛﺎﻣﻞ‪ .‬وﺗﻌﺘﺒﺮ وﻛﺎﻟﺔ اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ أﻳﻀﺎً‪ ،‬ا وﻟﻰ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻮﻋﻬﺎ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‪ ،‬وﻫﻲ ﻣﺪﻋﻮﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻜﺎﻣﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ اﻟﺸﺮق‬ ‫ا وﺳﻂ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺰ اﻟﺘﺴﻮق وﻣﻘﺮه دﺑﻲ‪ ،‬واﻟﻤﺠﻠﺲ اﻟﺪوﻟﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺰ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺴﻮق وﻣﻘﺮه ﻧﻴﻮﻳﻮرك‪.‬‬

‫‪10. Retail PeOPle . jul-seP 2017‬‬

‫‪7/19/17 3:10 PM‬‬

‫‪10-11 Arabic_Retail-People.indd 11‬‬

‫ﻣﻮﺿﻮع اﻟﻐﻼف‬

‫ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﻓﺠﻮة اﻟﺘﻮﻇﻴﻒ ﻓﻲ ُﻋﻤﺎن ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﺧﻼل اﻟﺘﺪرﻳﺐ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫ازدﻫﺮ‬

‫ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺪى اﻟﺴﻨﻮات اﻟﻘﻠﻴﻠﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺎﺿﻴﺔ‪ ،‬ﻣﺪﻋﻮﻣ ًﺎ ﺑﺰﻳﺎدة ﻓﻲ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺴﺎﺣﺎت‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺨﺼﺼﺔ اﻟﻤﺤﻼت اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ وﻋﺪد ﻣﺮاﻛﺰ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺴﻮق ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ‪ .‬وﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺘﻮﻗﻊ أن ﻳﺸﻬﺪ‬ ‫اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﻧﻤﻮا ً ﻛﺒﻴﺮا ً ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﻘﺒﻠﻴﻦ ﻣﻊ‬ ‫وﺟﻮد اﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺸﺎرﻳﻊ اﻟﺘﻲ ﻣﺎ زاﻟﺖ ﺗﺤﺖ‬ ‫ا ﻧﺸﺎء‪ .‬ووﻓﻘ ًﺎ ﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻘﺎرﻳﺮ‪ ،‬ﺳﺘﺰداد ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺮاﻛﺰ اﻟﺘﺴﻮق ﻓﻲ ﻋُ ﻤﺎن ﺑﻨﺴﺒﺔ‬ ‫‪ %63‬ﻓﻲ ﻋﺎم ‪ .2020‬وﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺘﻮﻗﻊ أن ﺗﻮﻓﺮ‬ ‫ﻫﺬه اﻟﺰﻳﺎدة أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻦ ‪ 54‬أﻟﻒ وﻇﻴﻔﺔ ﺑﺤﻠﻮل‬ ‫ﻋﺎم ‪.2020‬‬ ‫وﺗﻌﺘﺒﺮ ﻫﺬه اﻟﺰﻳﺎدة ﻓﺮﺻﺔ راﺋﻌﺔ ﻟﻠﻌﻤﺎﻧﻴﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﻴﻦ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﻟﻠﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ وﻇﺎﺋﻒ ﺟﺪﻳﺪة‪،‬‬ ‫ﻏﻴﺮ أن اﻟﻤﺸﻜﻠﺔ ﺗﻜﻤﻦ ﻓﻲ أن ﻣﻌﻈﻢ اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﻴﻦ‬ ‫ﻋﻦ ﻋﻤﻞ ﻳﻔﺘﻘﺮون إﻟﻰ ﻋﺪد ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻬﺎرات اﻟﺘﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺆﻫﻠﻬﻢ ﻟﻠﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ ﻫﺬه اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ‪ ،‬ﻣﺎ ﻳﺘﻮﺟﺐ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ ﺗﻌﻠﻢ ﻣﻬﺎرات ﺟﺪﻳﺪة وﺗﻄﻮﻳﺮﻫﺎ‪.‬‬ ‫واﻟﻴﻮم‪ ،‬ﻳﺘﻤﻴﺰ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻋﻦ ﻏﻴﺮه ﻣﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﻘﻄﺎﻋﺎت‪ ،‬ﺑﺄﻧﻪ ﻳﻮﻓﺮ ﻓﺮص ﻋﻤﻞ ﻛﺜﻴﺮة ﻟ‪Î‬ﻓﺮاد‬ ‫ذوي اﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻢ اﻟﻤﺤﺪود أو ﻏﻴﺮ اﻟﻤﺘﻌﻠﻤﻴﻦ‪.‬‬ ‫وﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﻧﺸﻴﺮ إﻟﻰ اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‪،‬‬ ‫ﻓﺈﻧﻨﺎ ﻻ ﻧﻌﻨﻲ اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻘﺘﺼﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻨﺪوﺑﻲ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺒﻴﻌﺎت واﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﺤﺎل اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ‬

‫وﺣﺴﺐ‪ ،‬ﺑﻞ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ ا ﺧﺮى اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺤﺘﺎج إﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﻣﻬﺎرات ﺧﺎﺻﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫وﺗﺸﻤﻞ اﻟﻮﻇﺎﺋﻒ اﻟﺠﺪﻳﺪة ﻓﻲ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫أدوارا ً ﺣﻴﻮﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﺎﻻت ا ﻣﻦ وإدارة اﻟﻤﻤﺘﻠﻜﺎت‬ ‫واﻟﺘﺄﺟﻴﺮ واﻟﺘﺴﻮﻳﻖ واﻟﺘﺮوﻳﺞ وﻣﻬﺎرات اﻟﺘﻔﺎوض‬ ‫واﻟﺨﺪﻣﺎت اﻟﻠﻮﺟﺴﺘﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﻌﻠﻘﺔ ﺑﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫وﻏﻴﺮﻫﺎ اﻟﻜﺜﻴﺮ‪.‬‬ ‫وﻫﺬا ﻳﺘﻴﺢ اﻟﻤﺠﺎل أﻣﺎم اﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ ﻟﻤﻤﺎرﺳﺔ ﻣﻬﻦ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﺎل اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ‬ ‫واﻻﺳﺘﻔﺎدة ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﻘﺪم اﻟﻮﻇﻴﻔﻲ ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻘﻄﺎع‪.‬‬ ‫ﻛﻤﺎ أن اﻟﻄﻠﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻣﺘﺰاﻳﺪ‬ ‫وﻳﺴﺘﻄﻴﻊ اﺳﺘﻴﻌﺎب ﻋﺪد ﻛﺒﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ‬ ‫ذوي اﻟﺨﺒﺮات اﻟﻤﺘﻮاﺿﻌﺔ وﺗﺪرﻳﺒﻬﻢ ﻟﻴﺼﺒﺤﻮا‬ ‫ﺧﺒﺮاء ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﺠﺎل‪.‬‬ ‫وﻓﻲ إﻃﺎر ﻣﻮاﺟﻬﺔ اﻟﺘﺤﺪﻳﺎت اﻟﺮاﻫﻨﺔ ﻟﻠﺒﻼد‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺘﻤﺜﻠﺔ ﻓﻲ ارﺗﻔﺎع ﻋﺪد اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﻴﻦ ﻋﻦ ﻋﻤﻞ‪،‬‬ ‫ﻳﻌﺘﺒﺮ اﻟﺘﺪرﻳﺐ ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻘﻄﺎع ﺧﻴﺎرا ً ﻣﻨﻄﻘﻴ ًﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﺔ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ‪ ،‬وذﻟﻚ ﺑﻬﺪف ﺗﻘﻠﻴﻞ ﻣﻌﺪﻻت‬ ‫اﻟﺒﻄﺎﻟﺔ‪ .‬وﻣﻊ ا ﺧﺬ ﺑﺎﻻﻋﺘﺒﺎر أن ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻟﺘﻌﻤﻴﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﻄﻠﻮﺑﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ ﻫﻲ ‪ ،%60‬ﻓﺈن ﻣﻌﺪل‬ ‫اﻟﻨﻤﻮ اﻟﻤﺘﻮﻗﻊ ﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ ﻳﺸﻴﺮ إﻟﻰ أﻧﻪ‬ ‫ﺳﻴﻜﻮن اﻟﺨﻴﺎر اﻟﻤﻬﻨﻲ اﻟﻤﺜﺎﻟﻲ ﻟﻠﺸﺒﺎب اﻟﻌُ ﻤﺎﻧﻲ‪.‬‬ ‫واﻟﻴﻮم‪ ،‬ﻳﺼﻌﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ أﺻﺤﺎب ا ﻋﻤﺎل ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻗﻄﺎع اﻟﺘﺠﺰﺋﺔ اﻟﻌﺜﻮر ﻋﻠﻰ ﻋُ ﻤﺎﻧﻴﻴﻦ ﺑﺨﺒﺮات‬

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INSIGHTS

How Technology is Elevating the Food and Hospitality Industry?

The Digital Foodscape The Digital Foodscape is the language of Millennials (the foodie generation) and Gen Z (the MasterChef generation). They read menus on their phones, choose items based on the photos they’ve seen and share their experiences with friends via their own social media platforms.

Consumers are seeking more information than ever and today’s digital technology makes information available anytime, anywhere. The downside? There is a bombardment of content, fake food news and poorly designed and managed social media pages and websites.

Ra is lOu Ra Managing irector uture oo Francis has been involved in the retail, food, restaurant and hospitality industries for over 40 years and has built a wealth of knowledge and experience using a customer-centric approach in concept development, food service strategic planning, design, retailing and food service management.

His global work includes a diverse list of projects, involving planning and development of shopping centres, waterfront developments, restaurants, cafés, food courts and fresh food markets, art and restaurant precincts, sports stadiums, airports, mixed use developments, leisure, business and entertainment precincts.

Consumers are looking for simple, engaging information that stands out and is multi-sensational The dining experience starts well before the customer arrives at the table and the digital foodscape shapes the decisionmaking process. A savvy food operator will incorporate a well curated digital foodscape as an integral part of their business model as the Millennial and Gen Z customers eat with their eyes first, then their mouths.

The Digital Foodscape Map Consumers are looking for more than just an address and phone number, in fact, unless they want to make a booking, they will never pick up the phone to speak. Their “conversations” are taking place online and the operator’s side has only one chance to make a good impression.

Website A well-designed, easy to navigate website with all the key information they are seeking is key – make it easy for them to choose you!

For extra points, include an engaging blog full of “free” information making it more than just a service – it’s an experience!

Social Media You need a collection of well-managed, up to date, engaging and communicative social media platforms – Facebook and Instagram are the most popular in the food world at the moment.

Media Attention A reputable Public Relations (PR) agent can direct traffic by taking advantage of the numerous food sites, blogs, and media outlets riding the foodie wave. Like the Last Exit Food Truck Park, Dubai, get the right people talking, for all the right reasons and your digital foodscape will be buzzing.

Simply put, the digital foodscape is the newest step in the customer service chain - “would you like fries with that?” and provides consumers with a complete, informed, experiential and sensational dining experience which starts on their iPhone at home and ends with the card being tapped at the end of their meal.

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INSIGHTS

Digital Retail…Really?

Why is e-commerce always reported as taking away from bricks and mortar sales?

Is this really the competition? Shouldn’t all brands be embracing both aspects to deliver a cohesive journey? Shopping malls are as popular as ever, however, our purchasing habits have evolved. The problem is mall and retail experiences are stubbornly antiquated.

Our shopping experience typically begins in the carpark and yet these are a barren wasteland when it comes to delivering a positive sense of arrival. Then what about way-finding inside the malls? There has been some improvement in recent years, and the Dubai Mall App is a leader in this area, however the ongoing prevalence of traditional static grid-style location maps and the lack of smart apps that can identify your location while feeding you relevant brand information means the experience in most malls continues to be underwhelming and disconnected. Then once you enter the retail store, and if you are time challenged and shop for clothes like me by pointing at a mannequin and telling the sales assistant that’s what you want, then you are typically limited to the 5 or 6 static mannequins that are on display, despite the myriad of combinations created by that brand’s designers and displayed on their online site.

However, change is coming. Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods for $13.7B suggests an overhaul of the retail experience is coming and could see an integration of their payless Amazon Fresh Pickup concept. Imagine the world without the horrible experience of queuing at the supermarket check-out…it’s almost too good to be true!

When I meet with a retail brand, the first thing I ask them is how they believe they are offering a genuinely different experience in their space. Often their positioning is very good online, but it is somewhat lacking in the physical space making it difficult to see what attributes will connect customers emotionally to the brand. Furthermore, if digital connectivity does not continue into the physical space then crucial data on the purchasing habits is lost.

Without the appearance of an ‘always on’ experience in the retail space, then the message is that the retail environment is always one step behind the online offering.

To retain a top-of-mind position, then brands need an integrated programme of in-store digital interaction, online activities, in-store events and co-branded experiences that reiterate how the brand is an integral part of our life.

Rett a eRO Managing Partner SP Brett is the Managing Partner of SPX, the Experience Design arm of the Serviceplan Group. He has a Masters in Design and a 25 year international career extending across Asia and the Middle-East and is a two-time winner of the prestigious Singapore Presidents’ Design Award.

Brett firmly believes that retailers with e-commerce and bricks & mortar platforms need to accept both are components of the same brand journey.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

Store 4.0 Technological Sea Change Approaches the Gulf Engaging with innovative retail trends is crucial to capture the next generation of UAE consumers, says Greg Vogt, Leasing Director at Gulf Related, the developer of Al Maryah Central – Abu Dhabi’s next-generation.

T

he retail industry has been a shining jewel in the crown of the UAE’s economy for the past decade, hitting a spending high of $69 billion per year in 2016 . In many ways we’re outpacing established shopping capitals in London, New York and Paris – but our strong sales are overwhelmingly predicated

on in-store transactions, encouraged by high-quality mall environments.

Brick and mortar retail is alive and well in the Middle East, while e-commerce has lagged noticeably behind international markets – but with rapid infrastructural developments and major players including Amazon and Noon.com poised to enter

Re O t Leasing irector Gulf elate

Greg is an international retail leasing professional with over 29 years’ experience who manages the leasing program of Gulf Related’s superregional shopping centre Al Maryah Central being developed on Al Maryah Island in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

Greg gained his shopping centre experience in Canada and honed it through 15 years’ international experience, which included launching market dominant retail properties across Europe and the Middle East.

Greg directly contributed to the success of stand-out properties including: Wola Park, Warsaw; CityStars and The Mall of Egypt, Cairo; The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and Mirdif City Centre, Dubai and most recently Beirut City Centre, Beirut.

He is an International Council of Shopping Centers’ Certified Leasing Specialist and Certified Shopping Center Manager and has a Real Estate Property Administrator Certificate from the Building Owners and Management Association.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

the online retail space, this will all change in 2017. To get ahead on capturing the attention and spend of UAE consumers, however, retailers need to think beyond just ordering clothes online.

Here, malls aren’t only a functional destination. Recent research by Gulf Related found that visiting malls is one of the most popular leisure activities in Abu Dhabi.

People aren’t just going to shop, but for a whole range of activities, including dining, exercising, socialising and entertainment – experiences which can’t be replicated digitally at home. And while low-cost and functional items sell well online, luxury experiences remain in-store.

The technological revolution will change every aspect of retail businesses, from customer experiences, to operations and supply chains, to marketing. There’s a gap in the UAE’s industry for a clever first actor who can jump on upcoming innovations to maximise what Deloitte are calling the “Store 4.0” experience.

“Store 4.0” has technology built into every facet of a shopper’s visit, starting at home – not as a gimmick, but to create a fun, convenient and friction-free customer experience which also boosts sales. This might mean everything from augmented-reality changing rooms which scan your measurements and recommend the best clothing fit, to geofenced physical locations for highly targeted mobile advertising, to push-button purchase functionality via digital wallets like Apple Pay. Increasingly, digital media is the store, with the value of purchases made on smartphones and tablets set to pass $252 billion in the USA by 2020, and mobile’s share of global e-commerce increasing from 40% to 70% in 2017. Retailers need to prepare for tech-savvy consumers’ crossplatform approach to purchasing, thinking about how online and in-store experiences can reinforce each other to result in increased purchasing, not cannibalise each other in competition.

This technological change requires malls to redouble their focus on creating spaces that are not just functional, but also beautiful, pleasant destinations to spend time – but as developers, we also need to be thinking ahead about how we can facilitate and encourage retailers to embed innovative functionality into our storefronts. The Store 4.0 digital transformation presents an exciting opportunity for retailers and landlords alike to develop the mall experience for the 21st century, and the UAE’s industry must evolve and adapt to succeed.

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CONTENTS

Zero 6: Leveraging Technology

to Bring a Holistic Lifestyle Experience to Sharjah’s Residents

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volved lifestyle preferences and a desire for unique experiences have given rise to shopping hubs that transcend conventional retail. These are shared spaces that offer more than just shopping goodies; they host a diverse mix of activities that both play the functional role of delivering convenience and ensure the emotional benefits of quality time shared by the entire family.

‘Zero 6’ is one such community-centric lifestyle destination by Alef Group that is far from its traditional retail-only counterparts. It is a vibrant platform that combines sophisticated contemporary design with an array of unique entertainment,

leisure, dining, shopping, fitness activities and more - all under the same roof. This unique proposition is the result of thorough research gone into understanding the social aspirations of residents in the United Arab Emirates and collaborations with innovative trendsetters who are aligned with its vision to bring new on-trend and in-demand brands and concepts to Sharjah.

Sharjah’s rich legacy in promoting education through its prestigious institutions has positioned it as a beacon of knowledge in the Arab world.

The integral youth, who are early adopters and trendsetters of new concepts, represent an inspiration for Alef Group and its trailblazing projects.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

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Zero 6’s carefully selected location next to the emirate’s main centres of learning provide it with an opportunity to tap into the needs of this vast and high-potential demographic. Issa Ataya, Managing Director, Alef Group, comments: “Zero 6 is located just minutes from Sharjah University City, giving us access to an eclectic group of Millennials and Generation Z students, 24,000 of whom study at the University of Sharjah alone. They will emerge as the most exciting users, promoters and reviewers of Zero 6.”

He added: “With further plans to open a well-resourced nursery in the heart of the property, Zero 6 is set to become a comprehensive and convenient societal offering for families in Sharjah. Parents can rest assured that early learning for their children will take place in the most dynamic and inspiring neighborhood in the city.”

TECHNOLOGY AT THE HEART OF DISTINCTION Zero 6 is a project guided by a commitment to unleashing the potential of Sharjah through cutting-edge consumer lifestyle experience. And an ambitious leap in today’s retail context is incomplete without a pledge towards harnessing innovation and technology. The use of latest technology and design concepts will be the wheels

that drive innovative experiences at Zero 6. Add to this the digitally connected world of the youth, and the experiences and accompanying challenges become daunting yet exciting. A movie experience at Zero 6 will be far from typical, with a state-of-the-art 8-screen Cineplex built by ‘Cinema City’ featuring the largest IMAX screen in the UAE. Creators of these magical experiences are also preparing to seal their names in record books with one of the largest advertising screens in the country that is visible from outside the destination, a feat only possible with a brave approach to merge engineering with innovative thought.

From new dining concepts and amusement parks for children to fitness facilities for adults – each venture bears the mark of technology channeled towards surprise, wellbeing, and happiness for communities.

Zero 6’s commitment to harnessing innovation transcends individual leisure attractions and fuses into the strategic ethos of the Group. Ataya explains: “A lifestyle venue that aims to thrive in the modern business landscape requires a strategic approach to tech and innovation that runs right from the planning stage through to construction and beyond. For instance, several technologies have been integrated into Zero 6’s architectural framework to reduce energy consumption. Ninety percent

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of all lights are LED, and design elements like ‘Dimming Lighting Technology’ and ‘Sky Light Area’ tap into the abundant sunshine we receive. We at Alef Group are dedicated to enhancing Sharjah’s urban environment and help expand its business and tourism ecosystem in a sustainable manner, and Zero 6 is a formidable example of this vision.”

ja al al s a is irector of Leasing an Sales Alef Group Jamal Al Shawish is an expert in the field of shopping malls and real estate development in the GCC with more than 14 years of field experience. Jamal currently holds the position of Director of Leasing & Sales at Alef Group and managing over 1.8 million sq.ft of GLA/NSA.

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How Tech Savvy Millennials are Key to a Growing Retail Sector

By Khalid Suleiman Aljasser CEO of Arabian Centres

V

ision 2030 and the National Transformation Plan has set the framework for a new Saudi Arabia as it moves towards a diversified economy and a more vibrant society.

The driver to this fundamental change will come from the Kingdom’s growing and youthful population. This too will have a dramatic impact on organized retail.

Apart from simply being the largest economy in the Middle East, a rapidly growing population with access to disposable income is cited as one of the catalysts for surge in mall construction and sector performance, according to the KSA Retail 2016 report by Colliers International.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

ali sulei a aljasseR Chief Executive Officer Arabian Centres

The report states that KSA’s population is expected to increase from 32.3 million in 2016 to 34.3 million by 2019, of which approximately 65% of the current population, born between 1977-1994, and teenagers generation born 1995 onwards, which create new and favourable social drivers for consumption.

More women entering the workforce, and the potential of being able to drive have also influenced lifestyle and behavior patterns which are important trends for retailers and mall operators to be aware of and incorporate in their strategy and product/tenant mix respectively.

For instance, under the laws in Saudi Arabia, shops selling fragrances and makeup were among the first in the retail sector to move towards recruiting primarily Saudi female staff. The recent move by the Labour and Social Development Ministry has also made it compulsory that jobs at shopping malls are limited to Saudi nationals taking into consideration that malls today are split between food and beverage and fashion retail. Would both be included in Saudization? If yes, this would present a strategic move to young Saudis to take up jobs in the sector, and also a power to progress and learn new skills through training and development to assure the smooth transition this stage is requiring.

The increasing demand for Internet services and broadband was attributed to high usage of social networking applications, video downloading and gaming, inferring an impetus for e-commerce and digital innovation in the retail space. At Arabian Centres, innovation is a core pillar of our growth strategy and an essential component of our evolving relationship with our staff, clients, customers and visitors.

Contributing one in every six jobs, the retail sector has the potential to make a dramatic impact on KSA’s economy.

Success will require all stakeholders to utilize the latest technology, empower the next generation of employees and support the development of new skills.

The future is bright for the retail sector in the Kingdom.

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Meet the next generation of retail marketing

offices in: TURIN, D

TIONS DECORA

IONS ACTIVAT

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ALESSANDRO GAFFURI Founder & CEO of CELS Group Shopping centers as the “heart of a community”: this is what we believe in.

We foster strong relationships based on emotions, for venues where culture, art, food, music, and entertainment provide experiences that truly engage customers.

Our aim is to help manage retail hubs, where social bounds prove to be just as relevant as shopping-related interests.

www.cels.ae

We support our clients in creating Preferred Meeting Places: centers for a community — their most valuable asset.

get in touch: info@cels.ae offices in: TURIN, DUBAI, DOHA, KUWAIT CITY

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NEWS BRIEF

News Brief Cityland Group secures term loan of USD 142.74 million for construction of nature-inspired ‘Cityland Mall’ The developer of Cityland Mall near the Global Village on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road has raised Dh524 million from banks to part-finance the Dh1.2 billion development. Kuwait’s Burgan Bank subscribed to “twothirds” of the debt raised, while Emirates NBD acted as lead manager.

The Cityland Group — whose portfolio includes the popular Dubai Miracle Garden and Dubai Butterfly Garden — signed the financing deal last week and made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

Construction of the mall — designed as a single-storey circular structure and which will create 1.8 million square feet of built-up area — is progressing. The steel structure works are underway, while concrete pouring has been going on for the last two weeks. The project is scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2018.

Dubai Retailer Opens the First Store in Malaysia Amid Global Push Max, the value fashion brand of Dubai-based Landmark Group, plans 600-shop network by 2020 Max, the value fashion brand of Dubai-based Landmark Group, has announced the launch of its first store in Malaysia. The opening at the IOI City Mall in Putrajaya is part of a global expansion plan that aims to have a network of over 600 stores encompassing nine million sq ft of retail space by 2020. The new store includes over 13,000 square feet and will stock Max’s label of women’s, men’s and children’s fashion - as well as footwear, handbags and lingerie. Max is part of the Landmark Group, one of the largest retail conglomerates with headquarters in Dubai. Ramanathan Hariharan, CEO of Max and Director of Landmark Group said: “Max Fashion today is the market leader in value fashion across the Middle East and India. “We are excited as we look forward to engaging and serve the Malaysian customer, and give them an opportunity to celebrate their innate sense of style through our products. Malaysia is known for its busy shopping districts and a young aspiring consumer base that appreciates comfortable fashion, at great prices.”

Source: Arabian Business (http://bit.ly/2uBkbsC)

Majid Al Futtaim acquires 26 Geant stores in UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait Dubai-based company said all stores will be rebranded under Carrefour Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim on Thursday said it has acquired 26 Geant stores and four Gulfmart supermarkets in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait from BMA International’s Retail Arabia. Majid Al Futtaim, the holding company which owns and operates shopping centres in the Middle East and North Africa, said all of the acquired stores will be rebranded under Carrefour. The deal will increase Carrefour store count in the UAE from 67 to 80, while in Bahrain and Kuwait it will increase the number of stores to 11 and 8, respectively. All Retail Arabia’s employees will be retained following the acquisition, the company said. Alain Bejjani, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, said: “This acquisition is a major milestone for Majid Al Futtaim, one which further cements Carrefour’s position as the largest and most successful grocery retailer in the region and beyond. “We are open to further

prospects, through both organic growth and opportunistic acquisitions, and will pursue these in line with our disciplined strategic and financial approach. Our ambition is to expand our physical as well as our digital presence, and reinforce our omnichannel offering.” Majid Al Futtaim was advised by Perella Weinberg Partners on the transaction.

The value of the deal was not stated.

Source: Arabian Business – (http://bit.ly/2tgT9Ik)

Alain Bejjani CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Holding

LVMH Moët Hennessy Vuitton 360 MALL Welcomes KENZO Fashion House Kuwait: 360 MALL, Kuwait’s iconic shopping center owned by

Tamdeen Shopping Centers, has recently announced its partnership with Al Yasra Fashion to welcome the second KENZO store in Kuwait. In line with the mall’s dedication to offer a wider and more diversified retail stores collection and continue providing its visitors with a truly unique shopping experience. The fashion house of KENZO was first established in Paris 1970. It brought to the fashion world a vibrant and exceptional jungle based collection that reflected the passion for travel, culture and art to provide a distinct and spontaneous assortment of clothing line for men and women in addition to a wide range of footwear, bags and accessories at convenient prices and best quality.

360 MALL has always been keen on partnering with new brands to expand and diversify its retail mix to cater to a wider segment of shoppers to become the number one visited distention in Kuwait.

For more information please visit 360 MALL social media channels Source: 4-Traders (http://bit.ly/2tI2vLS)

Lulu and Union Coop join Samsung Pay’s network Smartphone manufacturer paves way towards a cashless society Dubai: Samsung’s digital wallet service — Samsung Pay — will now be even more accessible when shopping for groceries. Samsung Pay and Visa have partnered to offer UAE shoppers a simple, convenient and secure digital payment service for a limited period when they shop at Lulu and Union Coop Hypermarkets. Branded checkout counters are now in the Hypermarket stores, exclusively for Visa cardholders. As part of this campaign, Visa will be offering customers the chance to win one of 65 brand-new Samsung S8 smartphones simply by paying via Samsung Pay at the store counter or by playing the game on the Visa Facebook Page.

Source: Gulf News – Business Sector (http://bit.ly/2tLN9IH)

Amazon to retain Souq.com name ‘for now’ US e-commerce giant looking to expand regionally, says Grandinetti For now, Souq.com will continue to operate its current website as is, for the time being, Amazon Senior Vice President, International Consumer, Russ Grandinetti, told Arabian Business. On Monday, the US e-commerce giant completed the acquisition of Souq.com after signing an agreement to acquire the Middle East e-retailer for $580 million (AED2.13 billion) in cash in March. The company revealed the cost of purchase in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

In a joint press statement, the companies said they have taken the “first step of integration”, allowing customers to log on to souq.com using their Amazon credentials, which was first reported by Arabian Business in May. “We have had customers in this region for a long time that we’ve served from our other global websites – by acquiring Souq.com, we are now even closer to our customers in the Middle East and we’ll be able to serve

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NEWS BRIEF

them even better. We just completed the acquisition and are now seamlessly moving into the next phase of the integration,” Grandinetti said, without giving details of the new phase.

Source: Arabian Business – (http://bit.ly/2tUF4lp)

expanding middle class, sustained population growth and increasing urbanization is creating compelling investment opportunities in multiple sectors, and we believe Java House is ideally positioned to benefit from these trends.” Abraaj has deployed $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) through 80 transactions in Africa to date.

Accelerating Retail With Detail

Source: Gulf News (http://bit.ly/2tQad8C)

With it’s brand new look and feel, Xpandretail has recently been launched by Sàvant Data System on May 17th 2017, the leading business intelligence and analytics solutions provider in the Middle East, the Asia Pacific Region and India. By using Xpandretail Analytics, businesses will be capable of coping with predominant market trends in all vertical structures of local and global enterprises. Retail businesses will have access to reports on daily, weekly, monthly and annually to better understand the flow of consumers to deliver a unique shopping experience. Once the Xpandretail platform is implemented, retailers will open channels to make better strategic decisions to improve conversion rates, track marketing campaigns, control operational costs and define key performance indicators for each department. Xpandretail powered by Sàvant will also render a fresh level of indexing for the region – a solution which is new in the region allowing retailers to obtain geographical high footfall data to better understand business expansion opportunities.

Boulevard Saudi Arabia – Jeddah

Dubai’s Damac Picked to Develop $1bn Oman Waterfront Project Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront is being redeveloped into an integrated tourist port and lifestyle destination Dubai-based Damac Properties has been chosen by the Government of Oman to develop its $1 billion Port Sultan Qaboos waterfront project through a joint venture with Omran, the government’s investment, growth and development arm. Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront is being redeveloped into an integrated tourist port and lifestyle destination that includes hotels, residences, as well as a dining, retail and leisure offering. A memorandum of understanding was signed by Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of Damac Properties, and Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Planning, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Chairman of Omran. “This historic agreement reflects the vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to transform Oman into a world-class tourism and investment destination,” said Sajwani. “As part of its commitment to the project, Damac will contribute to the local road infrastructure, improving opportunities for local SMEs and Omani nationals, as well as enhancing the economic and social standing of the community as a whole.”

Source: Arabian Business (http://bit.ly/2tPSLkM)

Abraaj Acquires Nairobi Based F&B Operator Java House has built up a presence in key East African markets The private equity firm Abraaj Group confirmed it is purchasing Java House Group — a coffee and casual dining chain operating in East Africa — in full from Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), and the Java House’s founder and chairman, Kevin Ashley. Abraaj will be buying up the equity using multiple funds it operates. (The transaction — the value of which has not been disclosed — will close once customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals are obtained). The F&B operator has three flagship brands: Java House, a coffee-led, all-day casual dining concept, Planet Yogurt, a self-service frozen yogurt chain, and 360 Degrees Artisan Pizza, an upmarket Italian pizzeria concept. Java House also operates commercial coffee roasteries, providing coffee and beans to its own stores as well as to supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and wholesale buyers. According to Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, Managing Partner and Global Head of Private Equity at Abraaj, “This transaction is a compelling opportunity to build on Java House’s success story across sub-Saharan Africa. Africa’s rapidly

Halfway into the third year, Boulevard has proven to be on a swift and balanced pace towards success.

Recently signing on board Joseph and Tous to an existing lineup of luxury brands adds even more value.

Boulevard is the premium luxury destination of choice in Jeddah that houses the finest selection of many high end renowned international brands. A luxurious district for those seeking exclusive fashion, elite brands and a stylish outdoor venue refined by nature, exotic by choice. Combining the latest in luxury amenities, Boulevard provides an international high end retail collection for ladies, men and kids, boasting 36 boutiques including the Flagships Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Prada signatures in addition to a palette of international trademarks to the example of Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Dunhill, Baccarat, Versace, Tiffany & Co, Brioni, Porsche Design are few of the names dedicated to an upscale fashion experience. www.boulevard.com.sa & Social Media on Instagram @boulevardksa

Dubai Developer Azizi Starts Work on Dh12billion Waterfront Project Azizi Developments has broken ground on its Dh12 billion (SR12.2 billion) Azizi Riviera, a waterfront project situated within Dubai’s Meydan One mega-development.

The Mediterranean-style project will have 69 mid-rise residential buildings, a retail district and two hotels, with the first two phases expected to be completed in Azizi Riviera is the first in a series of projects that Azizi December 2018. The first phase will is planning to develop at the Meydan One megacomprise 2,273 units in eight mid- development in Dubai (Courtesy Meydan Group) rise residential buildings plus an integrated retail district. Phase two meanwhile will have 2,162 units housed in 17 buildings. Meydan One is a 3.75-square kilometer community that will have the Meydan One mall as its centerpiece, and will contain about 620 shops, including a pair of department stores and a 131,150-square foot hypermarket. “We are pleased that the site preparation for this dazzling community has kicked off. With this iconic new neighborhood development, we are once again demonstrating our capability to develop unique projects that will surprise the world and contribute to this great city’s evolution,” Farhad Azizi, Chief Executive of Azizi Developments, said in a statement.

Source: Arab News (http://bit.ly/2u2D1Mi)

UAE’s Retail Sector is Still the Place to be in Dubai: Even with an all-round sales decline in 2016, the UAE’s retail sector still remains the place to be for global brands when it comes to emerging markets. And this was enough for the UAE to be ranked fifth in A.T. Kearney’s annual Global Retail Development Index, with India in the top spot. China, Malaysia and Turkey were placed second, third and fourth, respectively. The consultancy reckons that retail sales accounted for $73 billion (Dh268.13 billion) last year. “Its risks remain low as other countries in the region battle the effects of low prices and protracted conflicts in Yemen and Syria,” the report states. “The resilient economy should grow about 3.4% annually through 2022.

“While VAT (value added tax) in 2018 will likely have an impact on retail sales, analysts remain bullish on the UAE’s long-term prospects.” And along with the near-exponential growth eCommerce has been having, retail should be on a good footing. Brick-and-mortar operators are adjusting by trying to create value-add opportunities for shoppers as well as reducing their operating costs. “Past attempts to increase topline revenue with a larger store footprint have been replaced with a focus on managing expenses, opening digital channels and improving operational efficiencies.”

Source: Gulf News – Business Sectors (http://bit.ly/2tpmbEb)

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FEATURE

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY Runs on Yardi

a it a s a irector of Mi le East Operations ar i Aditya Shah has over 20 years’ experience in managing & overseeing multiple software implementations. Aditya joined Yardi in 2005; he has experience in implementation of Yardi products in US, UK, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong and Middle East with focus on the Retail Property and Asset Management solutions.

Currently, heads the Dubai operations and is Director of Services for Middle East.

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eveloping financially successful retail centres is a challenging task anywhere in the world. Investors and managers involved in retail assets must be sound strategic planners who can successfully assimilate a number of disparate factors, such as demographics, macro and micro economics, as well as cultural and political circumstances. Rising e-commerce makes a competitive business environment even more acute.

Successful strategies require engaging shoppers with the right product, creating a tenant mix that suits geographic and regional trends, and accommodating local culture, demographics, regional economics

and other factors. Many malls are adding themed restaurants and attractions to attract more customers. As consumers start to buy more of their clothing items online, dancing fountains, amusement park experiences, and themed restaurants are almost as important to attracting footfall as an anchor tenant’s spring clothing fashions or new video game boxes.

A mall can be regarded as an ecosystem that needs full financial, maintenance and leasing information to be meaningful and easily accessible. Across all markets – the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East – the tendency toward large malls mean operators must be able to handle large tenant counts. For example, due to the sheer size of the shopping area, instinct and walk-throughs are insufficient for detecting inefficiencies and troubled tenants. Only reliable data and metrics will serve that purpose.

SINGLE PLATFORM GLOBAL ‘GLUE’ With the retail sector generating more data in a single month than many other vertical real estate markets do in a year, and with investors expecting strong returns for their money, the imperative to store, maintain, manage and utilize retail property data bonds the industry like glue. These operations are as important as inventory, location, and demographics in determining the success of a retail centre. As a result, retail owners and operators around the world are turning to cloud-based businesswide systems such as Yardi Voyager ® to manage the enormous amount of data involved in retail management.

Yardi Voyager lets companies execute all property, financial and ancillary operations such as performance measurement, period closing, invoice processing, business intelligence, budgeting, and more from a single information source. This capability mitigates risk and delivers analytics to desktops and mobile devices in real time.

Other applications integrate with a retailer’s web presence to give consumers, investors, property managers and vendors an online means to interact in the retail ecosystem.

A business-wide platform such as Yardi Voyager also generates business intelligence that unifies property and accounting information to give property managers and investors crucial analysis on retail spaces. When an unhealthy tenant can’t pay rent, for example, the landlord suffers, as does the investor. Because percent rent on tenant sales boosts revenue, the monthly sales trend for a tenant is very important for investor ROI. With portfolios broadening across geographic boundaries, ongoing competitive and regulatory pressures and evolving consumer shopping habits, operators and investors cannot afford to underestimate the importance of managing operations as effectively and efficiently as possible. The value of shaping operational and financial information into meaningful accurate metrics can’t be ignored. Whether a European high street, a rural outlet in the United States or a Middle Eastern mega-mall, traditional shops and shopping are here to stay for the foreseeable future in spite of e-commerce competition, economic slumps, and other challenges. But to thrive, retailers and investors must collaborate to adopt new ways of engaging consumers while delivering services that enhance relationships, drive down costs and increase value.

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FEATURE

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY in Retail Property Development

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P il aRt uR R P s oun er & Managing irector McA COMPA With a 36-year career track record in the development and expansion of shopping centres globally, Phil has an international reputation for delivering highly-successful projects across the Middle East, North America, North Africa and Asia. His past senior executive positions include companies such as Global Real Estate giant Ivanhoe Cambridge, Al Futtaim Group, CityStars, MAF Shopping Centres and Brookfield Properties.

Phil has served as President and Board Member of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres, and is currently the Chairman of the ICSC Global Design and Development VIVA Awards jury.

ne of the great challenges of today’s modern wired era is our ability to keep abreast of the constant changes in our industry.

Gone are the days when shopping simply meant to trip to the local mall or main street shop. Today’s shopper is extremely sophisticated and has more shopping options than any time in history.

As shopping centre professionals, we have an obligation to understand as many influences as possible that are occurring in the retail industry and in particular, our own local markets. Developers need to deeply understand the competitive dynamics of the markets where they are building new shopping centres or renovated older properties. Leasing managers are much more effective if they know as much as possible about the local trade area and the shopping habits of our consumer target audience. The same applies to the operational and marketing team that work in each mall. We never operate in a vacuum as we are always competing for market share.

Fortunately, we have massive amounts of excellent information available at our fingertips though the intelligent use of data we can collect from the Internet. The key from any retail professional is to learn how to effectively use this information to their benefit.

Relying on information received through Google search or online investigation, unfortunately, is simply not enough. The retail professional needs to augment their electronic gathering of industry and market information with information that can only be gained in the field. Nothing can replace the need to regularly visit malls and shops and keenly observing what is really happening first hand.

Networking with retailers, developers, as well as suppliers, has always been a cornerstone of the Middle East Council of

Shopping Centres annual events calendar.

It is amazing the information one can learn from the market by simply sitting over a coffee with an industry professional.

Setting personal goals for information gathering and improving one’s knowledge of the industry is how many successful professionals have achieved their career goals. Knowing the retailers and local malls in your market require executives to visit competitive malls and shops often to understand the successes and challenges of each concept.

The quest for knowledge can also extend beyond our local trade areas.

Properly used, the Internet can help us understand trends that are happening globally by monitoring retail and mall development worldwide. Everyday new brands are opening across the globe in new and improved centres and high street locations.

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FEATURE

Loyalty of Things

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he “Internet of things” is known as the interconnection via the Internet of devices, enabling them to send and receive data. The “loyalty of things” is Via Fone Technologies concept of connecting a large variety of devices and online tools to loyalty programs as pointed out below.

Native Smartphones Wallets. Pre-installed loyalty and couponing wallets on both Apple and Android smartphones could be the easy solution to avoid the hurdles of building your own mobile app. Wallets allow you to target customers via geofenced push notifications. Users get to view their accumulated points, browse available personalized rewards, seamlessly pay thanks to Apple, Android and Samsung Pay. POS scanners can identify your loyalty members by scanning their wallet QR code or bar code. Native wallets are the perfect solution for those who are starting venturing into digitalized loyalty schemes.

Emirates ID with its RFID contact-less feature and open public data (First Name, Last Name, Gender, Nationality, Birthdate, Card Holder ID) could be used as the one card that aggregates all of the consumers’ loyalty cards. It is secure and mandatory for UAE residents to carry, hence readily available. This “loyalty of things” removes the cost of issuing, personalize, brand loyalty card, logistics, printers and inventory, while being extremely convenient to members by limiting the number of loyalty cards in their wallet and using several mobile loyalty apps.

Facebook Chat-Bot could be considered as the next generation of mobile apps.

You can build your very own branded one.

Messenger chat-bots create a homogenous customers experience by allowing users to navigate multiple applications while staying on Facebook Messenger. Its top feature is the customer journey: it works just as a shopping assistant. It has all the capabilities of a regular mobile app in terms of geo-fencing, geo-targeting, sharing your shopping experience with all your Facebook friends, ratings among other.

It also offers AI (Artificial Intelligence) and NLP (Natural Language Processing) to better serve users allowing them to ask questions and receive pertinent responses by a chat-bot. In UAE alone, 36.1% of the 8 million Facebook users are hooked on Facebook Messenger (Facebook stats).

Snap-to-store: Snap Inc. has launched a new location-based feature, “Snap to Store,” allowing brands to evaluate footfall after viewing an ad. A reported 60 percent of Snapchatters send Snaps of their retail purchases while 66 percent use the app at a shopping mall, and 80 percent at restaurants.

Wendy’s took part in the beta testing of Snap to Store via a geo-filter ad, promoting Wendy’s Jalapeño Fresco Chicken Sandwich which “drove over 42,000 incremental people to visit one of the burger chain’s various locations within seven days,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

These “loyalty of things” enables brand loyalty while enhancing customer centric and online experience.

sOu ia e Outi oun er an CEO ia one echnologies Via Fone Technologies established in 2009 with its HQ in Dubai, specializes in delivering improvements to company performance through the implementation of value-added loyalty schemes. Over the years, he has developed extensive knowledge and expertise on enhanced customer-centric experience both online and at brick & mortar, loyalty program, mobile banking and mobile payment customer engagement solutions.

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FEATURE

Amazon store in Seattle

ROLLER COASTER RESTAURANT® ROGO`s - Yas Mall Abu Dhabi

The New Era of Shopping Centres

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ver the past decade within my career development, I realized that my function as a Leasing Manager has shifted away from being essentially a commercial real estate agent whose job is to attract potential retail brands, lease them space at optimum rental rates and enhance both the property’s footfall and value. Driven by the fast progression of technology in retail, our mission has become one of evolving our Shopping Centers into becoming the hearts and centers of tomorrow’s communities and cities, thus creating new exciting, entertaining and emotionally engaging experiences ones which are simply not available online!

Retail has become truly omnichannel, whereby retailers are interacting with customers through numerous channels being physical stores, websites, social media, call centers, mobile devices, networked appliances, home services and much more. To stay ahead of the competition, successful and avant-garde retailers are proactively integrating several platforms into the omnichannel experience.

Technology allowed the customers’ dream to come true through the abundance of options and information, reviews, price transparency and special deals, and ultimately convenience. Customers search and order online but they still want to go to the store for the personalized service and the ability to experience the products firsthand- customers want a perfect integration of physical and digital.

For Malls, this means going beyond being typical landlords and creating an environment focused around the selling and promoting of the pleasures of human interaction and physical presence to ensure customer retention and repeat visits. For Malls, it means expanding and updating the F&B and entertainment offering within the merchandise mix. It also means engaging in place-making, leasing space to non-traditional tenants such as Amazon, and incorporating the latest formats of retailers. For example, Bed Bath & Beyond recently launched a store in Brooklyn that includes both a restaurant and space for cooking classes in addition to its traditional merchandise offering.

Malls of the future will transform and invert the traditional mall structure of 70% retail and 30% food and entertainment.

Malls of the future will be community hubs and entertainment complexes, with a wide assortment of great retail offerings.

Finally, as the Greek Agora, the Roman Forum, the Medieval Fair and the Eastern Bazaar have shown us throughout history, trading and commerce have always been at the heart of public urban spaces where people socialized and enjoyed human interaction.

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sa aR a Ou s ls Lebanon egional epresentative Mi le East Council of Shopping Centres Samar Akkou has been heavily involved in the retail real estate industry for the past eight years.

Being an active member of Superregional and Regional Shopping Centre’s Leasing and Retail Brand Committees has given her immense insight into the industry and confidence to manage most challenging situations. Samar is a CSM and CLS holder, being the first lady in the Middle East to achieve the “CSM” Designation. Finally, she is a contributor to “Retail People Magazine” with six published articles to date.

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FEATURE

SWEATNET

Any Sport Anywhere – New App

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illia s oun er S eatnet Any Sport Any here Jim moved to Dubai in 2006, where his retail career allowed him to travel extensively. Having witnessed the transformative power of sport and inspired by Nelson Mandela he created Sweatnet. Globally 4.7 billion people now use mobile devices and the sports industry generates $700 billion yearly, so the upstream and downstream revenue opportunities are endless. Perhaps Nelson Mandela was right; with Sweatnet’s new technology maybe sport really will change the world!

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e’ve all experienced it, touched it, felt it and watched it, the impact being emotional and life changing at its best. Remember those first steps, the moments that brought us together and kept us entertained, from your first kick of a can, riding a bike without stabilizers and that moment when you make it to the big pool.

Whatever your experience, you have to admit that sport brings us together.

Sweatnet Any Sport Anywhere is a new Dubai organisation focused on bringing people from different backgrounds, cultures and ability together through sport.

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers”. (Nelson Mandela May 25th, 2000)

Whatever your story with sport, you’ll find something interesting on the free Sweatnet App; popular sports, traditional sports, e-sports, future sports, obscure sports or even totally new sports. Whether you’re just starting out, returning, an avid amateur or a professional at the top of your game, you’re welcome. Bring your skill, knowledge and experience, but most of all bring yourself.

Sweatnet’s founder Jim Mc Williams said, “I am eternally grateful to the amazing Sweatnet Olympic Ambassadors, Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, Devon Harris, Phiona Mutesi “The Queen of Katwe”, Yusra Mardini, and Geeta & Babita Phogat “The Dangal Sisters”, who have so graciously joined us on this journey of innovating sport and technology to realize the then future vision that was so eloquently articulated by Nelson Mandela on May 25, 2000.”

We need your help spreading the news, the more active members the more we connect people.

So what are you waiting for? The Sweatnet App is free and always will be.

Download Sweatnet to meet new people, try new sports, improve your skills, or just have some fun! www.sweatnet.co

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FEATURE

Futuristic Global Retail

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Future Retail

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ho would have guessed the extent of involvement of the internet in our daily life when it was first released, or predicted its influence even before? Who predicted the death of the Walkman when iPod was announced? Did we imagine that one day we wouldn’t be able to leave our houses without carrying a device called a smart phone along with our keys and wallet?

Predicting the future would make a fortune.

Before going into the future of retail, let us get back in time and think about the most radical change that happened to the industry in the last 50 years; was it the electronic cash registers in 1960’s, the barcode readers in 1974, the emergence of e-commerce pioneers when they just started 1995 or Omni-channels retail in 2013? This will always be up for debate, but one thing for sure is that in the near future there will be another major milestone in the retail history.

The virtual world is what I expect to be the next big thing in the retail industry in the next few years. Virtual Reality “VR” and Augmented Reality “AR” is hugely invested in by the major technology giants. For instance, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2017, Apple announced the deep integration of AR with their upcoming iOS 11 in fall 2017.

This means more than a billion active iOS users will be able to enter the virtual world before the end of the year. Google’s Glass, Microsoft’s Hololens, Samsung’s Gear VR, HTC’s Vive, Sony’s PSVR and Oculus’s Rift already announced earlier about entering and investing in this world. This proves that the big players are serious about it, so why should we?

To explain the relationship between this and the retail sector, think about the new and creative ways retailers could use with the help of VR/AR to invite customers for a new level of experience that has not been discovered before. And with so many

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ail . al aiR eputy CEO Al Mahmal evelopment Co Lt An Engineer combining the passion useful creative technologies with 17+ years experience in wide range of the spectrum of fields starting from operations & maintenance, IT, customer support, facility & malls management along with real estate experience. Currently holding the deputy CEO in Al Mahmal Development Co. Ltd., appointed as the regional representative for the Middle East Council of Shopping Centers MECSC, also a member of the Shopping Centres committee in Jeddah Chamber, Saudi Arabia.

devices ready in our hands we will be able to give huge numbers of customers the ability to explore the world with no limits. These are not just plans on paper, many earlier adopters already announced that they will be using this service in their retail business. IKEA, for example, with the help of its AR furniture app, you can simply aim your camera at any corner in your house and you can see how the virtual new sofa would look like in that place. New experience, a new reason for you to make a buying decision. In shopping centers also, imagine events, decorations, celebrations and advertisements to be seen through the customer’s camera personalized just for them.

Imagine how creative and cost effective this would be. Again, new experience, a new way to make you visit again.

Some may say, it would be a one-time experience and people will get bored eventually. I would say this is just a gateway to this virtual world, which can be changed and re-modeled to the needs and trends. So, new more exciting experience every time. But does it stop here? VR and AR under testing in the education field show better results than traditional methods and are of course cost effective, again. Imagine training courses for multinational companies’ staff all around the world, in a virtual class.

So, what can we imagine more? Virtual store, virtual shopping centers or we may meet in the next virtual RECon!

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EVENTS GALLERY

John T. Riordan Global School

for Retail Real Estate Professionals 2017 The John T. Riordan Global School for Retail Professionals was successfully held last April 16th to 20th at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel DIFC. All the participants – from the students who took the time off from work, the instructors who came from North America and the MENA region on their own accord volunteering their time and expertise and the MECSC / ICSC Staff who did a masterful job in keeping the week flowing smoothly……….to all a HUGE Thank you!!!

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EVENTS GALLERY

JTR 2017 Students Level 1

JTR 2017 Students Level 2

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205X

EVENTS GALLERY

JTR 2017 Instructors

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EVENTS GALLERY

NextGen Dubai

During the John T Riordan Global School for Retail Professionals our team hosted the Dubai Next Gen Networking Event on 18 April 2017 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC. With over 200+ attendees, the event was a great success as well. Thank you to all the sponsors and those who came to join in the Networking and fun during the evening.

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EVENTS GALLERY

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EVENTS GALLERY

RECon Forum

Where do you begin to thank people, when so many have been involved making the RECon Forum in Jeddah such a great success. Mohammad Alawi, Wail Balkhair, Henna Maimani, Rayan Azab, Justin Espiritu are a few of the people who worked tirelessly to make this event a reality. Thank you to all the delegates and visitors who took the time to visit the RECon Forum and participate in the excitement. Of course without the generous time and resources of our sponsors, the RECon Forum would not have been possible. Thank you to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and their capable team, Our Platinum Sponsors – Red Sea Mall, Hamat Property Co., Arabian Centres, Jeddah Economic Company, Jabal Omar Development Company. Gold Sponsors – Line Investments and Property LLC, Al Othaim Real Estate Investment and Development Company. Silver Sponsors – Abnia Consulting Engineers, Al Hokair Group, Saudi Bonyan Real Estate Investments. Bronze Sponsors - Kinan International Real Estate Development Co., Al Mahmal Development Co.,Heraa International Mall, our unique and exclusive retailer – Giordano Textile & Garments Co. and Umdasch Shopfitting LLC.

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EVENTS GALLERY

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MODA Mall - North Court

MODA Mall – Bahrain’s Luxury Retail Shopping Destination MODA Mall – The retail environment of choice for high-end brands Today’s consumers are increasingly savvy. They are attuned to global lifestyle trends and travel overseas often which together combine to make them acutely aware of the world’s leading luxury brands. As a result, their expectations are rising: they demand a wide choice of brands; efficient service; and an outstanding shopping experience regardless of where they happen to be in the world. And while this presents a huge opportunity for retailers, a right retail ambience that matches the brands is of critical importance for customer engagement.

This discerning consumer pattern is even more apparent in the GCC, which boasts of an ever-increasing purchasing power and a growing population with a large proportion of expatriates.

These factors combine to create significant demand for premium brands and place the region among the world’s top ten for luxury products.

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IN FOCUS

MODA Mall: Known for its iconic, high-end brands While the availability of luxury products is important to cater to the growing demand, it is vital to have a retail environment that complements the global brand appeal. Bahrain boasts one such retail destination that is synonymous with luxury, high-end shopping.

With its diverse brand portfolio, MODA Mall, which has been the launch pad for several international brands in Bahrain including Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Valentino and much more, is the most sought-after location for luxury retailers looking to expand in Bahrain.

Set in the heart of Manama and located at the foot of the iconic landmark Bahrain World Trade Center, MODA Mall showcases some of the best international high-end brands with over 80 fashion labels. The mall has housed renowned fashion brands such as Hermes, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Emporio Armani, and others, have marked their presence in Bahrain with their flagship stores in MODA Mall.

Likewise, the mall is home to the country’s largest fine jewelry portfolio. Over 50 brands call MODA Mall home including world renowned jewellers such as Bulgari, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Chopard and more, all of which have flagship stores at the mall.

All of these brands are attracted to a mall that has literally been designed from the ground up to provide the environment luxury brand shoppers want. The ambience is elegant and relaxed.

Bahrain World Trade Centre

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15 minutes drive from Bahrain International Airport

Connected to Bahrain World Trade Center

45 minutes drive from Al Khobar

Free wi-fi

Luxury shopping destination for Bahrain and KSA Eastern province

sq. meters 1 500 of retail space

GCC region: A lucrative market for global luxury brand retailers While the demand for luxury retailing is growing in this region, industry experts such as Alpen Capital suggest that this trend is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% between 2013 and 2018, with the market estimated to reach $285 billion1.

With its appeal to global travelers as well as regional shoppers, the GCC is a very attractive destination for luxury retailers.

Among its GCC neighbors, Bahrain boasts of one of most diversified economies. Retailers and shoppers are attracted to the island – its proximity to Saudi Arabia and relaxed regulations enables it to enjoy high tourism volumes – contributing towards the growing retail economy which now accounts for around 4% of GDP, up from 3.6% in 2013.

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MODA Mall: Offers a Selection of Fine Dining Restaurant & Cafes Another luxury offering at MODA Mall is its array of international fine dining restaurants ranging from Italian at BACI and Japanese fusion at Maki to Middle Eastern cuisine at Abdel Wahab and more. Shoppers can relax at a range of cafés brought from around the world including Turkish confectionery café Künefeci by Mado, Arabian Shai Latte Café, Bonbon Chocolates, Fauchon Café as well as classic coffeehouses such as Caribou Coffee and visitors can also grab a quick bite at Chtaura Food Gourmet, Mrs Vanelli’s, Teriyaki and Subway all nestled under a skylight in the Dining Courtyard that brings a tranquil outdoor feel.

Designed by international experts Atkins, MODA Mall’s elegant atmosphere with world-class architecture, cool marble interiors and glass domes make shopping and dining an unrivalled pleasure. In addition, there is a host of other amenities providing shoppers and visitors with a unique experience, including valet parking service, free Wi-Fi, a beauty salon, a children’s soft play area, banks, a five-star hotel, a fitness centre and a convenience store.

Few destinations, if any, come to mind when you think of premium shopping destinations. And with more luxury retailers will open their doors in 2017, MODA Mall is definitely the retail destination of choice for high-end brands.

GCC etail In ustry report

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IN FOCUS

Building the Future of Retail with ABRA

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BRA was incepted in 1992 through the entrepreneurial spark of our founder K. Govindan and over a span of 25 years, ABRA has grown into one of the region’s largest design & production facilities catering to the retail industry.

FINAL MACHINE ASSEMBLY JOINERY SHOP This evolution has come through our commitment to the industry and constant addition of capabilities over these years. It was in the early 2000’s when we decided to focus our efforts on the VM & SD segment that was still in its infancy at the time and channel our STORAGE PAINTING efforts in offering a high quality to our clients which created further demand for our work in the luxury brands segment.

As of July 2017, ABRA has just completed its move into a 120,000 sq. ft. purpose build facility in Dubai Production ACRYLIC UPHOLSTERY City; to further cater to the retail industry’s shopfitting and joinery requirements.

A quick walk through the new premises gives you the impression of the thought and attention to detail that has gone LOGISTICS METAL into the development of what will become the industry benchmark when fully operational by the end of the year.

The multi-level facility includes the mezzanine floor which covers the management offices, meeting rooms, project, design and support GLASS PRINT ELECTRICAL staff offices whereas the other half of the floor, is divided between the print division and a 200-seater dining and rest area for the staff.

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IN-HOUSE DIVISIONS SPECIFIC TO RETAIL SHOP FITTING

ABRA’s 120,000 sq. ft. Factory

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IN FOCUS

Projects categories ABRA will execute in this mega factory: • •

Full Retail Stores oinery ackages

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Global and Regional ontract Furniture’s

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The ground floor and factory that takes up the majority of the space is split across multiple in-house capabilities: The fully air-conditioned factory is built keeping in mind optimum working conditions and safety of the factory staff.

The lighting and finished floor allow showcasing finished projects in a malllike environment with multiple assembly

outi ue at Galleria Mall

bays that can be isolated to provide confidentiality to client designs and projects.

Over the course of the next 2 years, ABRA will be employing 600 full-time staff across multiple shifts.

At ABRA we are excited about the future of retail in the region and look forward to welcoming retailers and brands for a full tour of our facilities. www.abravmsd.com

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As the Executive Director of ABRA, Anand leads and manages the largest production facility dedicated to retail shop fitting for the MEA region. Still under the age of 30, he has over 10 years experience in the industry. One of his biggest influences and contributions to the growth of the company has been streamlining the company’s deliverables and identifying it’s niche for business in the luxury segment; making ABRA synonymous with luxury and quality in retail.

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Al Mahmal Center was set-up in Jeddah, the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia in the year 1987 with the sole objective to influence the lifestyles and setting benchmarks in retailing.

It has been designed to enable retailers to cater for the needs of today’s consumers.

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BOARD MEMBER’S CORNER

MECSC Board Member’s Corner Tapping the Potential from Tourism

ali sulei a aljasseR Chief Executive Officer Arabian Centres Khalid Suleiman Aljasser joined Arabian Centres as its Chief Executive Officer in May 2016. As the CEO, his mandate is to further expand Arabian Centres’ operations and help transform the modern retail landscape in KSA. With an excess of 11 malls in the pipeline, Arabian Centres is set to become one the region’s top developers in this category. Currently it operates 19 malls spread across 10 cities in the kingdom. Under his leadership, the leading retail real estate company aims to double its retail offering by 2018.

There is no doubt that tourism in Saudi Arabia will be a key driver of growth in the coming decade. The World Travel and Tourism Council puts the direct contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP in 2016 at SAR78.8bn (3.3% of GDP) and forecasts this to rise by 2.9% to SAR81.0bn by the end of 2017. The government’s National Transformation Program also aims for tourism to contribute up to 1.7 million jobs for Saudi youth by 2020. The government expects to increase capital investment to nearly USD 40 billion by 2025 to develop tourist facilities in anticipation of the future demand. Religious tourism will continue to be the major driver of tourism, despite other factors, such as business and health tourism. The Kingdom will concentrate on developing other forms of tourism, such as culture tourism, ecotourism, and adventure tourism among others. Growth in tourism across the major cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, Makkah, and Madinah will be

driven majorly by corporate and leisure tourism, besides religious tourism.

This will bring massive opportunities for the retail and leisure sector. At Marakez Arabia, we believe this will see a shift to organized retail with an increasing emphasis on inclusive lifestyle, leisure and entertainment offerings. For instance, family entertainment hubs are quickly gaining popularity, which is also an appealing income stream for retailers, presenting opportunities for companies such as gaming brands and activity centres to expand their footprint in Saudi Arabia. We saw this trend coming.

We want Arabian Centres malls to be known not only for the latest international fashion brands, but also as the best destination for leisure, entertainment and food choices.

Malls will no doubt benefit from rise in tourists to the Kingdom, but they are also part and parcel of this process and key to fulfilling the Saudi 2030 vision for the Kingdom.

Saudi Mall Industry – Jeddah RECon 2017 Conference and Exhibition

aR ellO laRi a s R General Manager - Shopping Malls Line Investments & Property LLC / Lulu Group InternationalC Italian born Marcello Larizza, currently working with Line Investments & Property LLC, has over 20 years’ experience in the Shopping Center Industry conducting feasibility studies, developing, launching and managing Shopping Malls, Factory Outlet Villages and Airports with leading property developers and owners in Europe and Middle East. His expertise lies in the area of Development, Leasing and Management with a deep knowledge in Shopping Mall start-up phase.

Prior to his current role, Marcello worked within the same industry throughout his career as General Manager of The Avenues Mall in Muscat, Oman, General Manager of Mushrif Mall and Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi and numerous malls in Europe.

Marcello holds the professional designations of Certified Shopping Center Manager (CSM) and Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), a global mark of professional achievement for professionals in the industry.

Jeddah RECon proved to be the perfect platform for personal and professional networking amongst industry peers. We as Line Investments and Property (the Mall Development and Management Division of Lulu Group International) are pleased to have attended this first ever ICSC/MECSC Mall Conference and Exhibition in Saudi Arabia.

Witnessing the success of the event, it is evident that Saudi Arabia as a big country with many local and international players, ready to invest in the mall industry which will drastically change the landscape of this big and wonderful country. The Jeddah conference has been a great success for us with more than 600 global attendees in two days and many professionals stopped by our booth to familiarise themselves with our projects.

Hence the event was the ideal venue for us to introduce our new projects in the UAE and Saudi and to highlight the strengths of

Line Investments as a strong player for the Saudi Market.

We also showcased our new projects in Dubai, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain along with new community malls, which we will be developing in Saudi in the near future.

Our main goal is to become one of the most important players in Saudi mall industry providing a unique shopping experience to our customers.The event certainly proved the potential of Saudi market with strong interest from professionals and companies about shopping malls. The topics discussed during the conference were very interesting with expert professional panelists.

Jeddah is indeed a very exciting city with a fascinating past and a very bright future. We thank the organisers of Jeddah RECon 2017 for a successful event and we trust that this initiative will result in Saudi Arabia becoming home to many great retail projects in the coming years.

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Bahrain Pierre Fourie Khaled Badawy Ahmed Al Ansari Isa Al Wazzan Mohammad Al Qaed

Canada

Stephen Davies John Koshy Nadia Abdu Omar Nigm Bader Al Adasani Ahmad Al Osaimi Tania Khoury Zayoun Abeer Mounir

Ali Hasan Alkabeer - CLS, CSM Lebanon Judith Sinclair Samar Akkou Phillip Richardson - CD, BA, CSM Gabriel Tayoun Claire Korban Egypt Rayane Mokbel Khaled Nosseir Raymond Zaarour Mohamed Anwar AlMallah Nevine Omar Nigeria Dean John Obiajulu Uzoigwe Khaled Fathy Adebola Sobande Louay Youssef

Ireland Bobby Lloyd

Jordan Mohammed Yaaqba Ahmad Al Farouki Ashraf Naber Omar Usama Salfiti Zeina Al Masri

Kuwait Saravana Sainath - MBA, CMD Sanjay Madhok Abdulaziz El-Souri Christian Wistrom Claudia Lopusinska David Boesley, CSMA Haitham Laithy Hassib Bayerli Ismail Saddiq Jumana Najeeb Attallah Lauren Hanson Leyla Palmer Lina Abbas Nermeen Bishady Sam Nessan

Oman Abdul-Rahman Touqan Anas Salim Al Ghazali Huthaifa Salim Al Ghazali Eman Mohd Al Farsi Sakina Youssef Wafaa Rabea Kibboua Benjamin Cullum Mohamed Al Kindi Husam Al Mandhari

Saudi Arabia Hamad Albuali Harbi Atieh Hussam Dannouf El Hassan Gibril Mazen Al Moallim Mohammed Al Othaim Ahlam Alqahtani Fahad Al Sheikh Fouad Al Fakhri Hathal Al Utaibi Salman Al Baiz Majed Al Juaid Ziad Moghrabiah Fuad Abukoush Mahmoud Hasan Al Kilani Nahar Al Bugami Farooq Mohammad Ali Tariq Alaklan Wesam Al Hazmi Zakir Hussain Hana Alamro Abdulaziz Al Goshayan Hassan Saleh Allarakia Maisaa Al Khudari Majdi Al Tamimi Murad Yousef Amer Nada Al Ateegi Selim Chidiac

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Pakistan Syed Salahuddin Haider

Poland Eric Pliquet

Qatar Nabil Abu Issa Mario Faluh Qasim Radaideh Marco Bester Bader Al Darwish Eamon Kelly - CMD Engr. Abdul Ghaffoor Khan Ahmad Reda Abuyosef Rony Mourani

Mohamed Fawzy Galal Suliman Helmi Bello Karam Abed Mohammed A. Fattah Rabih Takieddine Waleed Al Shehri Islam Khamis Adnan Alkhalaf Sultan Alnofaie Abdulaziz Alkheraisy Firas Haidar Majed Al Gothmi

South Africa Sheny Medani

Turkey Reha Ersin Cakir

United Arab Emirates Ali Talib Al Jadere Jason Platten Umer Dhakan Janet Hansen Shane Eldstrom - CRX, CDP, CLS, CSM Stephanie-Alexandra Chartier - CMD Gaby Michel Fadel

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Shane McCann Ross Hargrove Ashraf Haseas Moza Al Blooshi Greig Fowler Rayan Azab Mohamad Issa Lalit Gulrajani Chinmay Joshi Abir Nasr Charles Ghastine Hafiz Muhammad Riaz Majeed Hanley Thomas Joselin Benson Juby Jose Mohamed Mubarak Raja Nazir Ahmad Ranjit Patel Sahil Dewan Sunil Menon Syed Khaleem Yasmine Zoya Oliver Morgan

Gautam Chandra Juma Bin Darwish Hitendar Lala Rania Mushtaha Carlos Gomes Pissarra Avijit Yadav - CMD, CSM, CDP, CLS, CRX

Michael J Davidson Rahul Rathi Cheryle Treanor Samir Gupte Shahnawaz Mohamed Aarne Mustakallio Eman Mohamed Tilak Raj Chugh Kabir Malkani Sunil Bhardwaj Ashwini Jhunjhunwala Michael Brennan Sanjay Kapoor Shakeel Hussain John Hadden Radovan Podracky Charo Sayno

Puneet Madan Bassam Chaya Camilla Hicks Mricks Cecilia Dador Hilda Moussallem Joseph Dagher Misba Mithwani Mohamed Balbaa Monica Mistal Sayef Ali Zeina Khoury Shilpi Sengupta Pierre Cassimatis Abir Adra Geoffrey Smith Varghese Philip Ahmad Al Otaibi Bibu Yohannan Hasan Al Botmah Jihad Dirani Khaled Qadan Tarek Tohamy Wafa Habbar Attallah Jaber

Abdulrahman Ibrahimi Nassr khachi Banu Tas Abdulla AlKhalsan Abdulmajeed Akkad Karim Saleh Noor Younis Rashid Al Rahmani Mary Anne Balcita Surender Kumar Jobby Rajan Asim Khan Muhammad Umair Najia Hanif Shamsher Ali Marwan Al Sarkal Devayani Vijayan Bhupinder Singh Mohammed Al Mazrouei Patrick Fallmann Angus Woodhead Kayleigh Marie Pullinger Richard Kim Said Haidar

Experience MECSC’s REINVENTED Website With easier way for our members to learn all about MECSC – it’s services, solutions and information on events, publications and activities, MECSC’s newly designed website was launched last May 24, 2017.

David Macadam, CEO, MECSC says, “ This year is about reinventing and keeping with that trend in mind, we have re-launched the MECSC website with more relevant content, information and news. It’s now going to be faster to navigate, more informative and easier to register for any events online.”

New Sections focusing on improving our Members’ experience: • Galleries and Videos featuring all highlights of all the council’s current affairs and events • Get to know more of our members on the “Featured Member Section” • Stay up to date as we now offer Real Time news feeds from external resources • Improve member-to-member communication through the Social Media section Explore now! Log on to

www.mecsc.org

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FEATURED MEMBER

One-on-One With ...

MOHAMMAD ALAWI CEO of Red Sea Markets Co. Ltd (Owner of Red Sea Mall) and Chairman of Shopping Malls Committee at JCCI

W

HAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND? WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Technical Administration. Then I began to work in operations and maintenance, where I gained a lot of my expertise in shopping centers, in operating extensions and buildings. I then moved into to the retail industry and business of shopping centers by chance, after 27 years.

From there, I went into the Council of Shopping Centers chairing its committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce. Then I became a member of the Executive Board of Directors at the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres in Dubai since 2000 where I served as President from 2007 to 2009. Afterwards, I was nominated in 2013 and was elected as International Board Trustee in 2014 with a seat in New York, becoming the first Saudi International Trustee and Arab member representing the Middle East. As for my hobbies, I enjoy traveling, playing chess, food critiquing and visiting diverse exhibitions especially around yachts and arts.

WHAT DREW YOU TO SHOPPING CENTRE/ DEVELOPER INDUSTRY?

I was drawn to the shopping center industry because I discovered that it is a dynamic sector which is visually diverse and rich with creativity. The advancement and potential growth of this sector made me fall in love with it; it is very exciting because it teaches me new things every day.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS CEO OF RED SEA MALL MARKETS?

Our days are full of meetings and collective brainstorming sessions. We believe that a good idea is the source of success.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE IN THIS POSITION?

New laws, economic challenges, income, expenses, capabilities, new demands. Our market is economically liberal. However, the new laws constantly change its form. The technological revolution has surely changed our work. The systems and laws such as taxes are new to the economy of our country and it has a huge impact on the consumers.

We work in a country that has its different rules; and despite that, we still manage to win local and international awards.

Bureaucracies represent challenges of a different type as they suffocate creativity.

AS THE TECHNOLOGY KEEPS ON ADVANCING, ONLINE SHOPPING IS INCREASING, WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THIS AND WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DOES RED SEA MALL IS DOING TO KEEP THE BUSINESS MOVING AND DRAW MORE TRAFFIC IN YOUR MALL?

Technology has given us many advantages, but it has taken away other advantages.

There is a challenge to provide customers with the products they need.

Studies against shopping centers are untrue and the death of retail sector is highly exaggerated especially when online

R

shopping is only contributing 9% to the overall American retail purchase. There might be some sectors in the markets that are dying out, but the markets are still the same. Of course trade dynamics will change, but brick-and-mortar stores are consumer base for customers.

BEING A MEMBER OF MECSC FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS, TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING A MEMBER/ A PAST PRESIDENT/BOARD MEMBER. HOW DOES IT BENEFIT YOU?

The best thing about our organization/ Council is that we are one big family, one network with strong interest and knowledge about malls and retail.

A

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL LIFE PHILOSOPHY?

I believe that one has to love his job till the last moment. If I wake up one day and feel bored because I have to go to work, I would immediately quit. We must never stop learning. We are learning from the youth of today. I have recently noticed that I spend time with people who are younger than me, and that is because we change, accept and learn from them. Adapting and accepting change is the most difficult matter for many people especially when it comes to the rising new generation.

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easy-to-access transparent data.

To learn more, call + 971-4-4322679 or visit www.yardi.ae

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Zero 6 is a 16,000 sqm vibrant retail destination that will meet the growing demand for lifestyle experiences in Sharjah. It is set to become the top of mind leisure, entertainment, and F&B destination for the residents of Sharjah. Zero 6 will offer the best gym, nursery, family entertainment centre, F&B outlets and more.

Facilities Retail 13,000 square metres F&B 3,000 square metres Cinema City 8 screen complex Including IMAX Terrace area Outdoor culinary experiences

Zero 6 AL JURAINA OPENING SOON Sharjah International Airport

University City

Sharjah Co-operative Society

FOR MORE INQUIRIES PLEASE CALL: 00971 6 554 4111 alefgroup.ae

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