Retail People Magazine – Issue 21

The Store isn’t Dead… but it’s not the same Page 12

Aquarium to be Launched in the Mall of Dilmunia Page 18

Malls 2.0 The Emotional Connection Page 26

Special Retail Congress Edition ISSUE 21 | OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2019

Circulated in 45 countries

M I D D L E

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers

Unit 507, 5th Floor, Arenco Tower Media City, Sheikh Zayed Road PO Box 43972, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 359 7909 Fax: +971 4 355 8818 www.mecsc.org

David Macadam Chief Executive Officer david@mecsc.org

Lea Venezuela Director lea@mecsc.org

Khaye Comanda Associate Director khaye@mecsc.org

Mariz Matocdo Marketing Officer customercare@mecsc.org

Christian Baldonanza Registration / Digital Content Executive connect@mecsc.org

Justin Espiritu Publishing & Database Manager publishing@mecsc.org

Angelo Dominic Lunas Membership Executive membership@mecsc.org

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Media One Tower, Dubai Media City PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE T: +971 4 427 3000 F: +971 4 428 2261 motivatepublishing.com connect@motivate.ae

ON THE COVER 06 MECSC Transformed to MECS+R 08 NEWS BRIEF & WHAT’S NEW?

INSIGHTS 12 The Store isn’t Dead…but it’s not the same 14 EXPO 2020 The World’s Greatest Show

COUNTRY FOCUS 16 Retail in the UAE – The Road Ahead

SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE 18 Aquarium to be Launched in the

Mall of Dilmunia

20 A Retail Catch Up with Dalma Mall’s GM & CFO

36 The 2-Minute Countdown Improving

22 The Flavors of the Waterfront Market

24 Times Square Center – A Retail Destination

38 4 Minutes only is your Shopping Time!

39 Digitizing Instincts

with Community at its Heart

40 Experiential Retail – Let’s Make the Shopping

28 Malls Management in the Holy Places

FINANCE FEATURED ARTICLE

EVENTS GALLERY

29 ENBD REIT on Real Estate Portfolio

42 Spring Board Networking Riyadh

Diversification 30 The Future of Shopping Centres in the Face

General Manager - Connect

Ingrid Valles

FEATURED ARTICLE

Rouf Majid

Customer Experience

26 Malls 2.0 The Emotional Connection

Chris Capstick

Senior Projects Manager

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04 WELCOME NOTE

A Motivate Connect Publication

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of Disruptive Forces

32 Lesson on Resilience, Agility, and Opportunities

Art Director

33 Marie France: Turning an Existing Concept into

Sunil Kumar

General Manager - Production

34 Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on the

Murali Krishnan

Production Manager

35 Retail – When Online Meets Offline

a New Trend Retail Sector

Experience Compelling Again

SPECIAL FEATURE 43 3 Ways to Win the Marketing Jackpot 44 How Specialty Retail Can Succeed in

THE AGE OF AMAZON

FEATURED MEMBER 48 Meet Greg Vogt who contributes Growth

and Success to MECS+R

MECS+R MEMBERS’ SEGMENT 50 Corporate Members & Members on Board

Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai RETAIL PEOPLE . OCT-DEC 2019 .03

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WELCOME

The Store isn’t Dead… but it’s not the same Page 12

Aquarium to be Launched in the Mall of Dilmunia Page 18

Malls 2.0 The Emotional Connection Page 26

WELCOME

Special Retail Congress Edition ISSUE 21 | OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2019

The Age of Focus

Circulated in 45 countries

With focus and a clear vision of what we can become, we continue to achieve growth and success at the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres + Retailers – MECS+R. Through our many social media channels, the Retail People Magazine, our Voice on Demand Podcast, our What’s Up Monthly Newsletter, The Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals, our Retail Congress and our Spring Board Events we connect with our members.

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ON THE COVER: RETAIL CONGRESS MENA

The Age of Focus

What are we trying to achieve?

Our primary goal is to facilitate our members’ businesses and raise their personal profiles locally, regionally and globally. The team at the MECS+R achieves this through open communication, sharing knowledge, education and straight forward collaboration.

How are we going to achieve it?

We achieve our goals through sheer focus and by assisting each member in the best and most meaningful ways possible.

Thank you to

Younus Al Mulla MECS+R Chairman

Mazen Hamza Qandeel MECS+R Board President Executive Director Granada Center

MECS+R Board Members Alessandro Gaffuri

How can I contribute?

Our team at the MECS+R offers opportunities for our members 24 hours per day 7 days per week.

We have a myriad of opportunities including for our members to engage with our team at the MECS+R and the entire industry in the MENA region including Western and Central Asia.

We need our members to ask us what it is that they need to achieve. We then are able to answer their questions, connect with their business partners which facilitates their businesses.

Start with something as simple as a call to me or any of our team at the MECS+R requesting information on anything which you need or have an interest in.

What is in it for me as a member?

As a member your opportunities for engagement start with your own questions such as improving your current role, knowing about the retail industry in general and connecting with every person in the industry locally, regionally and globally. Membership facilitates education, networking, concluding business smoothly and participating in conferences in the region.

Our focus and a clear vision help teams and organizations see where they are going and how they can get there.

Our success has helped us to understand that creating an organization with focus and a clear vision is a lasting legacy we seek. Focus and clear vision is the only way to connect with our audience who are our members, customers, partners and employees.

CEO & Founder CELS Group

Focus and a clear vision give our audience a way to tell the outside world who we are and what we believe. It inspires trust and loyalty. The MECS+R inspires trust and loyalty. As a member, you energise trust and loyalty in your business dealings.

Alfred Abi Antoun

The team at the MECS+R takes great pride in working to host the Retail Congress RECON Conference annually. The volume of detail is staggering. Delivering these events and making it look easy takes skill, hard work, dedication, perseverance and luck. Of course, the definition of luck – is when preparation meets opportunity.

Head of Retail KSA & Egypt JLL MENA

Maimunah Shebani Managing Director The Retail Agency

Marcello Larizza, CSM, CRX General Manager Line Investments & Property LLC

Nada Abou Saab Director, Marketing East Region Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties

Our selection of Keynote Speakers are global experts in their fields. David Rowan and Cate Trotter.

Our panel selection is wide-ranging with some of the world’s leading retail experts.

We all have a stake in the future of the retail industry locally, regionally and globally in the many forms of retail. The MECS+R is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure everyone is brought up to date on the latest news, trends, events and successes through our many channels of communication.

Thank you to our members, advertisers, authors and supporters who make each Retail People Magazine issue better and more meaningful with every quarter we publish.

Rony Aoun Founder & CEO SMAG SAL Lebanon

Wail Balkhair CEO SAHAT (Jabal Omar Markets)

DAVID MACADAM Chief Executive Officer MECS+R

MAZEN HAMZA QANDEEL MECS+R Board President Executive Director – Granada Center

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COVER STORY

The Transformation of the MECSC

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t the end of the 25th successful year of running the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres, our Board of Directors met to discuss planning the next five years for our organization.

With changes to the retail landscape globally we believed that we needed changes internally to create new opportunities. We agreed that growth in membership, growth in our geographical footprint, expansion to our education programs and growth in the number of events to include the MENA region plus Western and Central Asia were the strategies needed to succeed in the short and medium-term. Operating without constraints from our past association with the ICSC in New York was welcomed by all.

This year is our 26th year of being in business – supporting the industry – supporting you in your business.

The past name of our organization, the MECSC, did not highlight the fact that over 40% of our members are Retailers! Our first order of business was to adopt a new name for the organization to include Retailers. Hence our new name: Middle East Council of Shopping Centres + Retailers: MECS+R The response to the addition of the new additional component ‘Retailers’ has been overwhelmingly well-received by our members and the public.

One of the most important aspects of the success of MECS+R has always been building and maintaining great relationships with our members. Among our team at the MECS+R, we know virtually everyone and try to reach out to our 1,000+ members regularly in many forms. In the weeks and days prior to our events, we are the most active in our many forms of communication. Through our membership team, we are in touch daily making upwards of 70 calls per day to our members and past members.

Our rebranding has been extensive.

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MECSC to MECS+R

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RECON to The Retail Congress Conference

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Next-Generation Networking to Spring Board Networking Events

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Becoming the

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Retail People Magazine stays the same

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JTR School to GVS – Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals

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MECSC Monthly Newsletter to What’s Up Retail

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Our newly created Podcast series is named Voice on Demand Podcast

RECON to Retail Congress Conference Part of our obligation and intent when we left the influence of ICSC was to use event names different than those used in the past. The Retail Congress Conference is our re-named RECON, which by the way, was the original anachronism for Retail Congress Conference. We have therefore come back to our roots in 1996 by renaming the annual conference again The Retail Congress Conference.

Spring Board Networking Events Our team including the Regional Representatives and the Board of Directors has begun to expand the frequency and quality of our Spring Board Networking Events. We have been very successful hosting Spring Board Networking Events in Riyadh, Baku, Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Jordan. Many more are planned and form a cornerstone to our organization of hosting people to share ideas and news in the industry.

Retail People Magazine The MECS+R team continues to make a positive contribution to the industry through the Retail People Magazine.

Each quarter we publish our magazine with high-quality content, more sponsors and an in-depth analysis of the retail industry globally. We keep our membership up to date on the latest trends and information in the retail industry.

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GVS – Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals As with the change of name from RECON to Retail Congress Conference, we have also changed the name of our global retail education to a new name.

We have re-named our education program after one of our talented, long-serving and popular educators Gregory Vogt. Our new education program is now the GVS – Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals. Our new and completely revised and updated curriculum is translated into Arabic and English. We continue to host custom education programs throughout the region under our new name.

Podcasts – ‘Voice on Demand’ Our MECS+R team has created a new portal for communication with our members. The Voice on Demand Podcast has become a hugely successful addition to the methods of reaching out to our members. We have enjoyed the lively interaction of our members who join the studio in our office to discuss and debate the leading trends, challenges and opportunities in the retail industry locally, regionally and globally. We invite our members and everyone to pick a topic of knowledge close to your heart with passion and join our team to deliver a podcast for release into our membership. We have enjoyed a massive increase in the number of listeners who have joined our Podcasts and listen while on the road or in their spare time.

Monthly Newsletter – What’s Up Retail?

Bringing You the Latest in the GCC’s Shopping Centre & Retail Industry

MECS+R NEWSLETTER

www.mecsc.org/site/news Retail and Shopping Centre Trends New Retail Openings

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Retail Events New Shopping Mall Openings

Retail Industry Reports MECS+R Updates

The MECS+R Newsletter is always full of great information.

Current breaking news and commentary is delivered monthly with the What’s Up Retail newsletter. We now deliver this monthly newsletter to over 10,000 email addresses globally. We receive amazing feedback from our readership on our content and style. Our members contribute to the content of the What’s Up Retail making our newsletter relevant to our region.

Souks to Malls: Retail Entertainment in the Gulf Published late in 2018, Souks To Malls: Retail Entertainment in the Gulf is another great story featuring our organization.

Highlighting some of the best food & beverage creations and outlets in the GCC provides great inspiration for the leasing teams to review and source what is working in the shopping centres. We also feature the most complete survey and compilation of Family Entertainment Centres from our region. Feedback from retail experts in New York to Sydney has confirmed to us that we are unique in the world with the size and quality of our entertainment complexes. The MENA region leads the world in the success and caliber of our entertainment businesses launched here. Our intent in publishing this book was to showcase the high level of execution and wide variety of entertainment options we enjoy living in the region. Be sure to have a copy of this fabulous coffee table photo book in your library.

The team at the MECS+R takes great pride in providing you the best from the retail industry. We simply ask you to reach out to us and ask us what it is that you need in your business or your career. Enable us to respond and we will help you to facilitate your business while raising your personal profile locally, regionally and globally.

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NEWS BRIEF

News Brief Yas Bay: Inside Abu Dhabi’s Dh12bn Mega Project An 18,000 capacity indoor arena, dozens of cafes and restaurants, a pier, promenade, infinity pool, hotels and even room for a metro. Welcome to Yas Bay. Work is advancing rapidly at Abu Dhabi’s Dh12 billion mega project on the southern end of Yas Island. Thousands of workers are toiling at the site, while scores of cranes dominate the skyline.

On a tour of the site on Tuesday, the pace of development is clear. Yas Bay Arena – the emirate's new indoor venue – is 75 percent complete and on track to open next year. The seats and escalators are going in, while the distinctive bronze fins of the façade are starting to go up.

The one million square metre Yas Bay area also includes a sprawling Hilton hotel, 15,000 residences and the new headquarters of TwoFour54, the media free zone that operates from Khalifa Park. There are 35 residential plots, with two sold this year.

“Our latest construction update highlights the significant progress we have achieved on our pioneering Yas Bay project,” said Mohamed Al Zaabi, Chief Executive of Miral.

"It will be a vibrant and iconic addition to Yas Island.” Officials said construction was unaffected by the economic situation that has seen some projects in Abu Dhabi postponed because of the important role it plays in diversification.

Yas Bay Arena is the most striking part of the development. And Miral officials on Tuesday shrugged off concerns about competition from the newly-opened Coca-Cola arena in Dubai. “Yes, we may have competition … but we believe the facility we are constructing is absolutely required in Abu Dhabi,” said Jonathan Brown, Executive Director for Development at Miral. “There is no other indoor, air-conditioned arena that can cater to 18,000 people.”

Yas Bay seeks to attract and keep more tourists on the island - already home to Warner Brothers, Yas Waterworld, the F1 track and golf courses - while encouraging more residents to spend time there. For now, Miral's team of workers are focused on the task on hand. Will the arena be ready to open next year? “Yes,” said Mr. Brown without hesitating. “The seats are going in and lots of different works are being carried out in parallel. There really isn’t anywhere else like it in Abu Dhabi.”

Source: The National (https://bit.ly/2nuJ5vj)

Glee Hospitality Extending their Footprint in Saudi 2020 will officially mark the 10 years since Glee Hospitality’s inception. Amidst the cusp of closing this decade of pride and achievements, the company is honored to have officially extended Glee’s operations into The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its new official Saudi branch.

The newly opened Riyadh’s office will grant Glee Hospitality another solid foothold in the region that aims to operate in line with The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives and goals for the entire economic region.

Saudi Arabia has made leaps and bounds in recent years and is growing alongside the UAE in terms of a nation that represents innovation and change. Glee Hospitality looks forward to ushering in the new age of Saudi Hospitality/F&B and strengthening the company’s portfolio within the entire MENA region in the future.

Dollar General Rolls Out Mobile Updates

Dollar General has updated its mobile application as it continues to deploy technology that complements a shopper's in-store experience.

Among the updates, the dollar chain introduced a new shopping list app function that allows users to: (1) add items to their list by scanning a SKU's bar code or searching for items by name, (2) find coupons and offers for products on their list, which can be clipped when adding an item to the list, and (3) estimate a basket's total cost. "Our digital efforts continue to be based on the needs of our core customer," CEO Todd Vasos said during a second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 29. "This [new shopping list] tool not only allows customers to build and save shopping lists but makes it even easier for them to save money through digital coupon push notifications and comparable private brand product suggestions."

Source: CGT Insider (https://bit.ly/2m1M90I)

New Caffe Nero Opened at Al Ghurair Centre

Start the day right at Al Ghurair Centre with the perfect Italian coffee from the newly opened Caffe Nero. Looking for a soft leather chair to relax in, or a private booth to swap stories with friends, you are sure to find your perfect spot at the branch, located near entrance 1.

Caffe Nero is known for its great coffee and the offering. The highly trained Baristas and customer staff will serve you the best in coffee, with bold, complex and full-bodied flavours.

Not to mention the new range of milk options, all available at the new outlet. Choose from dairy milk, oat milk, soy or coconut milk or ask our Baristas which they would recommend pairing with your coffee or tea of choice.

Cairo Festival City Mall Supported The World Health Organizations’ World Patient Safety Day

Cairo Festival City Mall supported the World Health Organisation's (WHO) World Patient Safety Day last week by joining forces with the Harvard Medical Club of Egypt for an awareness session about this global cause.

World Patient Safety Day brings together communities, health-care workers and policymakers to show commitment to patient safety. A group photo was captured of the attendees at the Dancing Fountain, which was lit up in orange for the day. This memorable finale is faithful to the WHO's tradition of capturing the same photo at different locations around the world in support of the cause and for this year we had the pleasure to have it at our very own Cairo Festival City Mall. Well done CFCM team.

Source: LinkedIn Tim Earnest (https://bit.ly/2IHWM1n)

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NEWS BRIEF

The Galleria Al Maryah Island’s Expansion Opens The Galleria Al Maryah Island’s expansion opened on 4 September, welcoming the community to Abu Dhabi’s newest lifestyle destination. The expansion builds on the success of The Galleria’s Luxury Collection, which has seen year-over-year sales growth every year since opening in 2013.

In just its first four days, the expansion welcomed over 400,000 guests, to eat, play, shop and indulge.

The destination will transform entertainment and leisure in the UAE capital, with 70 dining venues, multiple forms of entertainment and over 250 international brands all under one roof. Developed by Gulf Related, The Galleria’s expansion is over 80% leased with nearly all stores expected to open by the end of the year.

The incredible lifestyle destination was developed for the people of Abu Dhabi and caters to every member of the community with a unique offering that includes rooftop parks, entertainment for all ages and the city’s best shopping and dining experience, making it the most exciting retail, entertainment and culinary destination in Abu Dhabi.

Safari Mall, Sharjah’s New Mall, Opens with 1.2 Million Square Feet of Leasable Area A brand new mall has opened in Sharjah with 1.2 million square feet of leasable area. But for now, only three of the 260 stores are operational.

But this hasn’t got the developer of Safari Mall - located in the Al Muweilah area and close to the main universities - unduly worried. “There’s a downturn in the retail sector and retailers are not willing to rush in to lease,” said Aboobacker Madappat, Chairman of Safari Group. “Local operations of some international brands are interested, talks are on with them, but their head offices are delaying decisions. “This is normal in any downturn - we were prepared for that.”

The reason Madappat is not worried has to do with the mall’s location, close to between 10,000-15,000 homes and a consumer base of more than 200,000 people.

A matter of time “When you have access to that potential market, retailers will soon start signing the lease terms,” he added. “This is not misplaced optimism on my part - if a developer has a completed project, its prospects increase immediately. We have the proof to show potential tenants.

“Right now, this is Sharjah’s second-biggest mall after Sahara - the next few weeks will prove that we got the project right.” (The LuLu Group is also building a megamall in the emirate, near the cricket stadium.) The Safari Group, which operates a food distribution business in the UAE and hypermarkets elsewhere in the Gulf, is operating a hypermarket across three levels at the mall.

Rentals within the UAE’s retail sector have cooled in the last two years, though retailers say these are still way too high given the market circumstances. According to sources, retail rents in Sharjah would be in the Dh150 a square foot to Dh500 range. But discounts and other incentives are being offered, with the emirate seeing more retail space getting added.

Source: Gulf News (http://bit.ly/2OEyZ6j)

Real Oud Factory Starts Production in Dubai To some, another Oud product manufacturer opening in Dubai may seem like nothing special or newsworthy when you consider the 100s of factories, brands and producers but the Real Oud Factory LLC is something very different as it's the first and only manufacturer in the GCC which guarantees the source of all its Oud is not only 100% real but fully natural, sustainable and traceable to source.

It is backed up by CITES on all its products from its own managed farms, distilleries and centuries-old plantations in South East Asia, which brings a level of purity and quality very few others can match. A bold claim in a multi-billion-dollar industry rife with fake and glittering products masquerading as OUD, the Real Oud Factory is backed by luxury real Oud perfume brand Fragrance Du Bois, which is owned by Fragrance Holdings. Fragrance Du Bois has fast built up a solid reputation in the world of Haute perfumery as a leading luxury brand with its motto "Pure Oud, Pure Luxury, Born in Nature, Crafted in France". Working with the world's leading perfumers and noses and available in the finest perfume retailers, as well as it's own boutiques around the world, making it one of the fastest-growing and most sought after perfume brands in the market today. It's these facts that have tempted a myriad of Oud industry veterans, artisans and experts led by Shadi Samra, well known in the GCC perfume industry as a committee member of the Fragrance Foundation, FIFI awards panel member and the former GM for 18 years of one of the largest companies in the industry, to join this relatively new company based in International City, Dubai.

Source: Markets Insider (https://bit.ly/2M7I3Pr)

Organic Foods and Cafe Opens at Cityland Mall Cityland Mall, the world’s first natureinspired shopping destination, being developed by Cityland Group, is pleased to announce the opening of Organic Foods and Café. The addition of the family-run retail outlet founded in 2004, furthers the developer’s aim to bring together shopping and entertainment with nature’s rich biodiversity to create an original and memorable retail and leisure experience, that sets the Mall apart from any other.

Organic Foods and Café joins the first batch of retailers to open at Cityland Mall; a 109,000 sq ft Carrefour hypermarket, opened in May, and a Medicine pharmacy.

Other well-known brands opening over the next few weeks include home furnishings retailers, Pan Emirates, The Home (by Royal Furnishings Group) JYSK and Miro Home; Dr. Nutrition; Emirates NBD; Hanji; Du Telecom; Al Fardan Exchange; UAE Exchange, Binsina Pharmacy among various others.

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ADVERTORIAL

USRA Rewards programme launched across the UAE Using Coniq’s SaaS CRM Loyalty technology, Liwa Stores rolled out a multi-brand loyalty scheme across the UAE in just 90 days Liwa Stores is a well-established retail franchise in the Middle East, uniting many popular brands such as Aspinal of London, GANT, La Senza, and Dwell.

Following a radical strategic review, Liwa Stores aims to increase their market share and revenue by pursuing an innovative and data-centric approach. To this end they have invested in Coniq iQ’s Loyalty CRM technology and have launched the USRA Rewards Programme.

The USRA Rewards programme was launched in just 90 days to 102 stores across the United Arab Emirates, covering multiple brands and locations.

“The results have surpassed our high expectations, as within two months the USRA Rewards programme had 35,000 members, whose average transaction value (ATV) soared to between 50% – 70% higher than non-members.”

Liwa Stores receives unprecedented levels of customer insight from the Coniq iQ technology. Every member transaction is recorded and mapped to their profile and demographic data.

Reports on this data can be used for both demand planning – ensuring stock levels are optimised, and to build a digital relationship with their customers.

Members receive a generous doorbuster offer with their first purchase and immediately begin earning “USRA Diamonds” with every transaction, redeemable against special offerings and discounts across the brand portfolio.

The staggering results of the programme and the mind-set of innovation behind it are laying the foundation for a dataled, omni-channel strategy. The ongoing insight will allow Liwa Stores to expand their portfolio and push them ahead of their competition both now and in the future.

Mark Tesseyman

CEO for Liwa Stores states A major benefit of investing in SaaS technology is that the entire rewards programme was pushed live in less than 3 months. From the moment of launch, the programme has been overwhelmingly successful and has inspired a rapid roll-out to the entire GCC. This is a drastic departure from the build and implementation of the custom-software more commonly used in the Middle East, which is not only slow to roll-out but incredibly expensive to maintain and update.

ABOUT US Coniq is the leading CRM Loyalty Provider for retail destinations, operating across 17 countries and 1,600 brands. Coniq provides an end-to-end loyalty solution providing many of the world’s most respected destinations and retail brands with unprecedented levels of customer and transaction data.

2nd Floor, Lamborghini Building, PO BOX 413184, Dubai, UAE T: +971 (4) 52 40 354; E: sales@coniq.com; www.coniq.com

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INSIGHTS

The Store isn’t Dead… but it’s not the same E

very time someone says the store isn’t dead the retail industry breathes a sign of relief. It’s an understandable reaction among all the media reports of stores closing and brands folding.

Yet, among many of these retailers, it betrays a worrying sense of complacency. Physical retail ISN’T going away, but it is changing – radically. This isn’t business as usual. Retailers need to embrace this if they’re going to continue to succeed.

A digital-first ecosystem Why is the store changing? Because the way we buy has changed.

No longer are we restricted to what is available at a store in the local vicinity within operating hours. Technology has enabled a fundamental shift in shopping habits.

Today we have the power to shop wherever we are, whenever we want, from retailers based all over the world. And all at the press of a button. The breadth and convenience offered by online shopping can be hard to compete with at a store level.

But does it need to? Retail is not a single channel. It never has been. Even in the past, we had other components alongside the store such as print catalogues and door-to-door salespeople.

The best retailers understand that all of their touchpoints – from store to app to website to ad to social media to chatbot – are part of a retail ecosystem.

It’s also fundamentally true that this ecosystem will be digital-first in the future as new types of experience come

online and consumers become increasingly comfortable with digital transactions.

Retail is everywhere If this sounds like an issue for physical retail, then you might want to adjust your thinking. The wonderful thing about technology is that it can free retail from past constraints that were dictated by necessity.

When you can take payments from a handheld device do you need a fixed till point? Do you need four walls and a floor and a ceiling? Could you put your ‘store’ out in the world – in a park or a sports field or an office or a transport hub?

Brands like 7-Eleven and Nike are already pushing the definition of physical retail in this way. 7-Eleven’s 7NOW service lets customers place orders for delivery to wherever they are at that moment. Nike’s SNKRS app has used physical locations, from parks to concerts, to drop new products and let customers buy.

These transactions are fundamentally tied to a physical location, but not necessarily a traditional store. Retail can now be everywhere around us and that means it can offer far more intuitive buying opportunities.

We don’t just take inspiration from ads – now we can shop them directly. We can tap to buy the looks our favourite people are wearing. We can buy by using our voice. We can watch an online beauty tutorial and digitally try on products at the same

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time. We can scan an image to buy a product. We can customise products from home. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The future of store Where does this leave the store then? Perhaps the best thing that retailers can do is to stop thinking about the ‘store’ altogether. Instead, they should be thinking about space.

What can these physical spaces do that their digital offerings can’t?

How can they enhance the shopping experience? How can they add value to the customer? If you’ve mapped out your retail ecosystem, then you can understand how physical fits in.

It may be that your customer needs a place to touch and try products. They might need somewhere to collect or return items. They might want somewhere to spend time and relax. They might want to be entertained and inspired. They might want to access expertise or learn a new skill.

Your physical retail presence is your opportunity to bring your brand to life and form an emotional connection with your customer. By pushing the definition of the ‘store’, these interactions are about to become much more interesting and much more rewarding.

Retailers are increasingly split into two camps when it comes to their approach – either an iterative improvement of offering or a disruptive reinvention.

CATE TROTTER , Head of Trends, Insider Trends

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INSIGHTS

The World’s Greatest Show A

world of entertainment, culture, technology, cuisine and possibilities will come together at Expo 2020 Dubai, as nations from every corner of the globe gather in the UAE for an unforgettable 173-day celebration.

Held under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 will welcome 192 participating nations for the first World Expo hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

It also expects to attract 25 million visits, equivalent to the population of Australia, with around 70 percent of visitors coming from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in the 168-year history of World Expos.

The World’s Greatest Show will feature a jam-packed programme that includes 60-plus live performances a day, future-shaping technologies, concerts from A-list artists, daily parades, cutting-edge architecture, world-famous chefs, special celebrations such as Christmas and Diwali, and more than 200 F&B outlets.

The Expo 2020 Dubai Merchandising and Licensing programme also aims to have on sale some 5,000 official licensed products.

The first licensed products, all by small and medium-sized enterprises based in the GCC, are already available: Expo-inspired chocolate by Mirzam, camel soap by the Camel Soap Factory and Bateel dates.

Taking place from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, Expo 2020 is introducing a number of firsts in World Expo history. For instance, it will be the first time every participating country has its own pavilion to showcase its culture, innovations, achievements and aspirations.

The 192 Country Pavilions are located not according to geography, as in previous World Expos, but instead by their chosen Expo 2020 subtheme of Opportunity, Mobility or Sustainability.

Sumathi Ramanathan, Director – Destination Marketing, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Visitors will be able to travel the world in one place, no passport needed. A day’s journey could include a stroll through the tropical wonders of Singapore, a taste of the French

An aerial view of the Expo 2020 Dubai site

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

COUNTRY PAVILIONS: 1. Poland 2. United Arab Emirates 3. United Kingdom 4. Austria 5. Belarus 6. Saudi Arabia 7. Brazil 8. Czech Republic 9. Netherlands 10. Italy 11. Sweden 12. Philippines 13. New Zealand 14. China 15. Spain 16. France

Riviera in the Monaco Pavilion, an eye-opening look at Maori culture at the New Zealand Pavilion, a relaxing town square coffee in the Spain Pavilion and a frankincense-inspired trip to the Oman Pavilion.

“A structure that’s sure to wow visitors is Al Wasl Plaza, whose steel trellis dome will act as a 360-degree projection surface that can be viewed from both inside and outside. Meanwhile, the falcon-inspired UAE Pavilion will have moving ‘wings’ that harvest clean energy, and Terra – the Sustainability Pavilion will take you on a fascinating adventure through forests and oceans.

“Foodies are in for a treat at Expo 2020, with 200-plus dining outlets, deep-dive culinary tours and a glimpse into the gastronomic experiences of tomorrow, with Expo looking to incorporate robotics, augmented reality and virtual reality into its F&B offering.”

Expo 2020 won’t simply be six months of unmissable entertainment; it also seeks to leave behind a meaningful and lasting legacy.

For example, another first is Expo Live – a USD100 million global social innovation and partnership programme helping develop novel solutions to social and environmental challenges.

Expo 2020 will also set a new benchmark for the region’s MICE industry, offering a wide variety of unique spaces for business visitors to grow their networks.

Located on the doorstep of Expo, the state-of-the-art Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) comprises 45,000 sqm of programmable space and will be directly connected to the Dubai Metro 2020 link.

Once Expo closes its doors on April 2021, the site will live on as District 2020. The 5G-enabled future city will retain at least 80 percent of Expo’s built environment, including Al Wasl Plaza, the DEC and Terra – the Sustainability Pavilion.

District 2020 will serve as a residential community and a thriving hub for businesses – with two of Expo 2020’s Official Premier Partners, Accenture and Siemens, set to establish a permanent presence there.

Coinciding with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee in 2021, Expo 2020 Dubai will underline the nation’s rich history and its strong vision of the future, as well as providing the perfect opportunity to say ‘hayyakum’ (Arabic for ‘welcome’) to the world and showcase the warm Emirati hospitality for which the country is known.

Visitors will be able to travel the world in one place, no passport needed.

A day’s journey could include a stroll through the tropical wonders of Singapore, a taste of the French Riviera in the Monaco Pavilion, an eye-opening look at Maori culture at the New Zealand Pavilion, a relaxing town square coffee in the Spain Pavilion and a frankincense-inspired trip to the Oman Pavilion.

SUMATHI RAMANATHAN, Director – Destination Marketing, Expo 2020 Dubai

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COUNTRY FOCUS

Retail in the UAE

The Road Ahead R

etail sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in general, and in GCC, in particular, continues to remain an active contributor to the region’s economic development. A favorable demography, wherein, a significant proportion of the population base is less than 30 years old, high per capita income, extreme weather conditions for several months in a year, affinity to shop and active tourism industry have made the GCC a fertile ground for retail activities.

UAE is inarguably the jewel in the crown when it comes to retail. With a thriving retail industry in the country and specifically Dubai, UAE is the region’s most developed retail market. A little more than half of all major international retailers have a presence in the UAE, and a third of all fashion spending in the Middle East happens here. The shopping mall industry can be classified as highly mature and offers residents and tourists a wide variety of choice.

As a result of an increase in supply in retail space, a question may arise as to what really lies ahead for the industry. Looking at GLA / Capita for residents alone, it appears that the country is already oversupplied with retail space, and the situation is going to exacerbate in the next 3 – 5 years. However, when tourists are added to the equation, it becomes apparent that the GLA / Capita at a country level, in fact, is significantly lower than most developed countries. Dubai specifically is in a unique situation, where it receives five hotel and hotel apartment guests for every resident. Thus, with thriving tourism industry, the retail industry has room to grow. Moreover, assessing an industry on the basis of an isolated metric maybe be a myopic approach at best. There are certain trends that will shape the future of the industry, which are outlined below.

Retail GLA / Capita Growth (UAE) CAGR: 4.9% 12

23.5

USA 16.4

Canada 12.5

Dubai

11.1

Australia

9.4

Abu Dhabi 6.1

Bahrain

11.1

10 8

8.5 6.9

6 4 2 0

4.6

UK

GLA per Capita (sqft)

GLA / Capita of various Countries / Cities

Year

2014

Year

2019

Year

2024

France

3.8

Jeddah

3.6

RATIONALIZATION OF SPACE

Muscat

3.4

Spain

3.4

With the GLA poised to increase by 60% over the next five years, there is a distinct possibility of the market becoming oversupplied and in such a scenario, centres that do not continuously refresh their offerings may be the ones to suffer the most. Moreover, visitors have a penchant to visit newer developments, and the older centres might struggle to sustain footfall levels, and in some instances, even close down.

Riyadh

3.2

Italy

2.8

Germany

2.4

Cairo

2.0 0

5

10

15

20

25

GLA / Capita in sqft

With a total of 74 million sqft of retail space in the country, it may be argued that there is an oversupply of retail space in the UAE with 8.5 sqft of retail space per capita in the country.

This is all the more prominent in the case of Dubai, where GLA / Capita equates to 12.5 sqft. With an additional 45 million sqft of retail space under construction (primarily in Dubai), the retail industry is poised to become much more competitive.

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it brings good news for the retail industry. With approximately 35% of monthly household income spent on retail, this trend is expected to continue and hence feed the existing and upcoming retail space.

CHANGING TENANT MIX Rather than being pure-play retail destinations, shopping malls, whether super-regional or community, will increasingly gravitate towards experiential offerings that necessitate physical visitation.

With the ongoing shift towards the virtual and physical retail worlds converging and altering consumers’ purchasing behaviors, experiential offerings will be the only way for shopping malls to thrive. Ranging from destination assets like Meydan One which will have the longest skip slope, or Reem Mall’s Snow Park, to lifestyle assets like La Mer, Mamsha Al Saadiyat or The Galleria Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, invariably retail destinations are now portraying themselves more as destinations for a family’s day out rather than a place to shop, eat or entertain in isolation.

THE CONSUMPTION DRIVEN RESIDENT Even though UAE has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, almost 30% of the expatriate residents manage to save less than 5% of their monthly household incomes. While these may not be the most prudent statistics from the residents’ saving strategies,

THE TOURIST INFLUX A strong influx of tourists, with compounded average growth rates equating to 8.8%, has been witnessed in the UAE in general, and Dubai in particular, over the decade. The increase in the volume of tourists has been well accompanied by an increase in the value generated by these visitors. Talking specifically about Dubai, annual visitor spend in 2006 was less than AED 30 billion, and Dubai was not even in the top 15 cities in the world. Over a period of 12 years, Dubai has made a quantum jump in its ranking - at AED 115 billion, Dubai is ranked number one on this metric – it is 58% higher than London, 69% higher than New York and is more than Bangkok and Paris combined. This tourist spend has made tourism an integral component of the Federal government’s long-term economic vision and will be imperative to sustain the retail industry.

The retail industry in the UAE is fluid in nature and is constantly evolving. The above trends all allude to one common factor – the retail industry is poised to undergo profound changes.

These changes will likely manifest themselves in the form of rationalization – the least performing assets would cease to exist, consolidation – retailers will start to pick and choose locations rather than aim to be present everywhere, discerning resident consumer – a more cautious approach to spending money, and an experience seeking tourist rather than a pure ‘shopaholic’. As an economy driven by consumption, trade and tourism, the UAE is poised to witness a steady growth phase across its retail categories. However, the key to a sustainable and thriving retail industry invariably lies in an increasing tourist base.

The retail sector in the UAE in general, and Dubai, in particular, is headed towards a new trajectory – one that will gravitate towards experiences more than transactions, and hence necessitate physical visitation.

HARVEY MONK, Head of Client Relations, GRMC Advisory Services

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

Aquarium to be Launched in the

Mall of Dilmunia

The Kingdom of Bahrain T

he most anticipated mall in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mall of Dilmunia, will be launching the first Cylindrical Aquarium that will delight residents and visitors in the Kingdom. The highly impressive ‘Bahrain Aquarium’ will showcase over 80 different species and provide a home to a collection of 2,500 aquatic creatures that are being sourced both locally and internationally.

Mall of Dilmunia will provide an opportunity for people to marvel at the deep ocean aquatic life comfortably whilst shopping or enjoying a cup of coffee or a scrumptious meal.

The Kingdom of Bahrain boasts a rich culture and pearling history, which was an important way of life for the early residents and communities. Till today, there remains a very strong connection and respect for marine life. The Bahrain Aquarium will organise educational tours and classes to help create community awareness about the delicate marine life and ecosystem that flourishes in the beautiful waters surrounding Bahrain’s Archipelago of Islands. Workshops for children and interactive educational classes will provide an opportunity for youngsters to learn about marine life and what they can do to help preserve and protect the underwater habitat that supports the incredible aquatic ecosystem.

The Bahrain Aquarium, owned and managed by Mall of Dilmunia has taken approximately three years of planning design and revisions, followed by coordination, procurement, building commissioning and testing.

Many talented teams have come together from around the world to be involved in this project… from concept design and consultancy to development. It has brought together a pool of very skilled and experienced people who are specialised in their respective fields have a common interest, and are passionate about Marine and Oceanic Life.

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The lighting inside the Aquarium has been specially designed to replicate the sunlight on a coral reef and further controlled to reflect the light cycles throughout the day – specifically dawn and dusk, midday and night-time – just like in the depths of the ocean, which helps simulate a natural ecosystem.

The Bahrain Aquarium is made of cast acrylic, not glass, which is clear and can withstand intense water pressure. Likewise, the pressurized filtration system has three or four additional safety factors, to ensure there are no leaks or breakages. The filtration system which is not connected, to the ocean, will maintain saltwater at optimum conditions for sharks, rays and fish. The Bahrain Aquarium will contain 700,000 litres of saltwater that will be prepared on-site, carefully filtered, and recycled to help keep the aquatic life in optimum health and comfort.

Specialist equipment and materials have been sourced from the USA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey, China and Denmark and as a fail-safe a backup generator has been installed to keep the filtration system always operational. A full SCADA (Supervisory Control Data Acquisition) system has been specifically designed by the ELSS Group that gathers all

data in real-time and keeps all key personnel alerted of any crucial alarms emanating from the filtration system to action for an immediate response. The system can be monitored at any time by the ELSS team via the ELSS Portal cloud software anywhere worldwide.

The total water depth is 17-metres with a diameter of 12-metres above level 2 and 7-metres below level 2. Due to the dimensions of the Bahrain Aquarium, it will allow for different customer experiences including diving should a customer hold a professional diving certificate.

The Bahrain Aquarium, will be managed and maintained by a specialist operations team comprising of a number of highly experienced and qualified people; the Aquarium Curator, Marine Biologists, Divers, Aquarists and Technical Staff.

Visitors to Mall of Dilmunia will be able to watch the professional divers feed the large rays and sharks during the designated feeding times and interact and feed the fish at the top level of the Bahrain Aquarium, under the supervision of trained Aquarists and Educators.

The Bahrain Aquarium is due to open at the Mall of Dilmunia by first quarter of 2020.

The highly impressive ‘Bahrain Aquarium’ will showcase over 80 different species and provide a home to a collection of 2,500 aquatic creatures that are being sourced both locally and internationally.

REBECCA C. ARNOLD, Deputy CEO Dilmunia Mall Development Company W.L.L., Kingdom of Bahrain

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

A Retail Catch Up BHUPINDER SINGH, General Manager & CFO, Dalma Mall

Elaborated on the recent changes within the retail landscape, future of retail sector in the growing e-commerce world and growth of retail market in the next 5 years.

What are the recent changes in the retail landscape and how will it impact the sector? Also How is the consumer mindset influencing retail space.

The retail industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, and it continues to evolve quickly. Led by advancements in digital channels, 2019 has been kind to retail in the Middle East. Even so, the face of the market is quickly evolving, and retailers must adapt to new shifts in demographics, attitudes and consumer preferences. In the coming times, the market will be defined by emerging technologies that change the way consumers interact with their favorite brands, a shift in preferences, and the emergence of new battle lines for e-commerce.

These days consumers are shopping with their emotions instead of their wallets. The trend has resulted in brands having to equate their internal culture with their exterior identity, turning companies into “Culture Coders”. But this is a double edged sword. We will have to consider the image our brand conveys to the world, and work to create cultures that behaviors and world views.

There has also been a rise of experiential retail. Consumers have slowly but surely been moving away from strictly shopping for products, instead seeking a more engaging experience. The emergence of virtual reality, augmented reality, and improved mobile technology will continue to push retail brands to add layers and new experiences to their traditional retail models.

In short it’s the perception and mindset of the masses that have been continuously changing and so has been their likings and preferences. We the retail sector are just adapting to it.

How much the retail sector would grow in the next 5 years and how significantly it contributes to the GDP of the UAE? Despite macro-economic headwinds and a slowing global economy, the GCC's retail sector is forecast to grow by about

20 to 25% to almost $300 billion plus in 2023 from last year with the UAE and Saudi Arabia accounting for the bulk of sales over the next five years. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two largest economies in the Arab world, account for about 75 to 80 per cent of sales in the next five years.

Population growth, a rise in per capita gross domestic product, and an expanding tourism industry will help drive the retail sector's acceleration and boost economic diversification efforts of traditionally hydrocarbon-dependent GCC countries. The UAE’s economy is expected to strengthen this year, boosted by higher levels of government spending and increased oil production, propelling the country to outperform the wider region in 2019.

The country’s GDP is expected to expand by 2.2 per cent from an estimated 1.7 per cent in 2018 – driven by 2.5 per cent growth

The GCC's retail sector is forecast to grow by about 20 to 25% to almost $300 billion plus in 2023 from last year with the UAE and Saudi Arabia accounting for the bulk of sales over the next five years.

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in real oil GDP, and 2.1 per cent non-oil GDP growth, according to the latest report from Oxford Economics and the ICAEW. During the forecast period, annualized growth in retail sales across the GCC is expected to range between 2 to 5 per cent.

Despite the positive outlook, an oversupply of commercial space coupled with challenges posed by the rise of e-commerce in the region remain major challenges for the Brick and Mortar retail sector's growth

What is the future of retail sector in the growing e-commerce world?

As per reports e-commerce in UAE has been exponentially growing at a rate of 15 to 20 % per year but the point to note is that it still holds only 5 % of the retail sector which is much lower than many other parts of the world. One of the main reasons is 8-9 months of high temperatures wherein Shopping malls turn to be the most prefered day out destinations. Here shopping malls are part of day to day lifestyle taking care of their social and emotional needs rather than just a product pickup point.

Here the numbers look good with 95% retail still with Brick and Mortar. However, if we dig into the category wise breakdown of this retail sector the GAFO category (GAFO is the NAICS category that encompasses retailers that deal in the following set of goods: 1) general merchandise retailers, 2) furniture & home furnishings, 3) electronics & appliances, 4) clothing & accessories, 5) sporting goods, hobby, book, and music, and 6) office supply, stationery, and gift stores.) the penetration has reached to almost 20 % by ecommerce which is good enough to dent.

E-commerce platforms will become the new sensation in the years to come, but again, they will be limited to a few sectors like apparel or gadgets. But if you look at the global scale, the competition between retail and e-commerce market will continue to exist. They are almost in a position where they coexist because they are dependent on each other. Retail stores are becoming popular because people are coming to know about the respective brand from online stores. The online stores, on the other hand, are becoming popular because of the presence of the brand.

How does Dalma Mall adapt to current economic fluctuations?

We try to offer to all customer’s right product mix, ample entertainment, films, food with various choices, day to day services and most importantly a place to socialize thereby creating an overall experience for the customers. Our principle is very clear: Give what the customer wants. Make them aware of your offerings, engage with them and then retain them. The 3 magical steps of Marketing Mantra. Basically it’s a combination of Economic and Emotional motives.

At Dalma Mall we have endeavored to develop the mall into our catchment audience’s habitat adhering to their emotion needs. Dalma Mall is on the mainland of the capital & we have ensured to continuously create immense opportunities for target audiences in immediate catchment in terms of proximity, overall experience, improved habitation, lifestyle etc. Dalma Mall’s priority is their customers and retailers while striving to create value for all stakeholders on perpetual basis. That makes our Dalma Mall as Abu Dhabi’s Favourite Mall.

As a closing, the team from the MECS+R and Retail People Magazine congratulate Mr. Bhupinder Singh and team of Dalma Mall for their recently inaugurated new FEC. Mr. Singh added “We are very excited to inaugurate our new family entertainment centre for the mall visitors. With an incredible sports offering and stunning gaming attractions, Zeal will deliver truly enchanting experiences for the whole family. The ambience and the offerings will work together, allowing guests to make new discoveries and experience shared memories, while creating a destination to which they wish to return again and again. Located on the second floor of the mall, Zeal spreads across an area over 35,000 sq.ft. The new entertainment zone implores the child in every guest, where they can joyously revel in an unmatched list of activities ranging from highly interactive simulators to many more thrilling and recreational attractions.”

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

The flavours of the

Waterfront Market L

ocated at the crossroads of Al Khaleej Road and Abu Hail Road, the Waterfront Market is a key component of the Deira Enrichment Project, which aims to rejuvenate the city’s vibrant hub, defining Dubai’s trading and commerce legacy. Offering an extensive range of goods under one roof, here are five reasons why everyone should visit The Waterfront Market.

150

The freshest food, with the finest variety and best prices Promoting a healthy lifestyle and community, the Waterfront Market offers fantastic value for money across all its markets, retailers and pop-ups. As most products and produce are purchased at the source, the market offers some of the most competitive pricing in the region and here you can also barter with the vendors in the markets giving you the opportunity to secure a real bargain! Additionally, confirmed to be the largest Fish & Seafood Market in the region, the Waterfront Market is home to more than 500 fresh, dried and live fish retailers who showcase over 350 species of fresh fish from the region and around the world. The fruit and vegetable market consists of 150 vendors selling fresh local, regional and imported produce whilst the meat market showcases a variety of meat types and cuts in 75 shops and stalls including a choice of lamb, beef, chicken, goat, camel and eggs.

Stunning outdoor space The jewel of the Waterfront Market - the promenade - stretches the length of the property along the gleaming Deira Corniche waterway. Along the 800 meter long promenade, you can savour

Units selling local, Regional and imported Produce

a variety of dishes from different cuisines or buy your favorite fish and seafood from the market and have it cooked by one of the restaurants on an open-flame BBQ. A legendary legacy The Waterfront Market builds on from the amazing heritage and iconic status of the old Deira Fish Market, preserving the essence of Dubai’s fish trade and freshness of local markets in a modern state-of-the-art facility located on the new Deira Corniche.

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Deira Fish Market has been serving fresh catch and produces to consumers in the UAE since 1958 and the legacy continues with the new 120,000 square metre state of the art facility.

35

Clean and convenient

Dry Goods Retailers

To provide convenience for you, the Waterfront Market offers a hygienic enclosed facility for cutting and cleaning, where the seafood is prepared according to your needs. The fish market closes for deep cleaning from 2 pm to 4 pm during the weekdays and 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm on Fridays. Every night at 11 pm, the fish market’s auction area comes to life with fishermen bringing in their daily catch and trading with vendors, restaurant owners, supermarket chains and distributors to conduct the fish auction.

30

Spice Retailers

Community occasions Offering a space where the public can come together to shop, eat and dwell, The Waterfront Market hosts and an array of events throughout the year aimed at bringing the community together under one roof. From The Biggest Catch, an event celebrating the fishermen who contribute to making Waterfront Market what it is today, to the annual summer extravaganza there is so much fun to be had. This winter, The Waterfront Market and in collaboration with Dubai Culture and Art Authority, will be hosting their yearly mural competition, aiming to inspire the community and work with budding artists throughout the region. Offering two creative masterminds the chance to win and showcase their work to the world; the competition will announce

two winners; the first a painter, who will paint the winning work on a wall at The Waterfront Market; the second a sculptor, who’s cleverly crafted creation will be memorialised in the halls for years to come. Giving up-and-coming innovators the opportunity to become known for an award-winning work of art, the dual winners will also be rewarded with AED15,000 each, a whopping AED30,000 in total that has generously been presented by The Waterfront Market.

Great Value, freshness and fun await you at the Waterfront Market.

Open

24 Hours

500

Fresh Dried and Live Fish Retailers

Over

350 Species of Fish

More than

75

Shops and Stalls

Having quickly become one of Dubai’s most popular shopping destinations, The Waterfront Market, Deira is your one-stop shop for fresh fish and meat, fruit, vegetables, dry goods and home-grown restaurants.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

a Retail Destination with Community at its Heart C

ommunity centered experiences have become the focus for Times Square Center.

Located in the heart of Dubai on one of the main arteries, Sheikh Zayed Road, into downtown, the mall strives to bring the local community together providing an experiential centre which, at its heart, celebrates the local community.

Times Square Center caters for a variety of customers from tech-savvy shoppers to pop-culture aficionado’s, health-conscious mums to active families, and fitness enthusiasts to adrenaline junkies. The mall’s offering includes its anchor stores; One of Sharaf DG’s biggest grossing stores in the UAE, Toys R Us, BiOrganic and Adventure HQ with a climbing wall, that has become a landmark for the mall, to family events and pop-up markets that bring the local community together. Market’s such as The Ripe Market, ArtE and Baby Bazaar are often packed on the weekends and gives customers the opportunity to engage with and buy from local producers.

“At Times Square Center, we are not afraid to be different,” says General Manager, Nancy Ozbek. “With a plethora of malls in the UAE, competition is fierce, so it’s important to identify one’s own USP and build on this.”

With community and sustainability at the top of their agenda, Times Square Center explains how they have implemented these pillars into the Mall’s ethos, “Looking after our community and environment is incredibly important, and we have put a big emphasis on promoting sustainability and providing an eco-friendly environment through a variety of events and initiatives” said Ozbek. “Last Ramadan we created an initiative whereby visitors could exchange their plastic bottles in return for a reusable

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bottle. A simple, but effective activation, which resulted in collecting over 12,000 bottles and handing out over 3,000 reuseable bottles. The collected bottles were put to good use, as we have handed them to DGrade, a company that specialises in converting plastics into the fabric” she added. “Reduce, recycle and reuse is a constant mantra that I drive home to my team.”

Times Square Center has taken recycling to the next level, by collecting all the food waste generated by their F&B outlets and producing their own compost, which will, in the near future, be used for their indoor organic garden, an exciting new development that Ozbek is spearheading. The ethos stretches to the back of the house, where plastic water bottles have been banned from

the management offices and replaced with filtered tap water, another initiative which will shortly be rolled out across the mall.

Taking care of its community is at the heart of Times Square Center, starting with their youngest audience – babies and children.

Home to Malak, which provides pre and post-natal care, Mums and Bumps, which offers the Middle East’s biggest selection of maternity wear and B-Safe, the child safety specialists, the mall caters to the need of expecting and new mothers. One of the mall’s homegrown success stories is Eggs & Soldiers. What began as a small 473 sq ft store specialising in organic baby products has now due to phenomenal demand expanded to almost 4,000 sq ft store due to increased demand from their customers.

The variety of classes on offer at Times Square Center provides the community with all the leisure activities they could wish for.

“Our customers can choose from a plethora of fitness classes with Orange Theory, Dance and Music classes with the newly launched Melodica, and coming soon we will be introducing Yoga & Pilates classes, Design Technology classes as well as photography classes,” said Ozbek. In addition, to the fitness offering, there’s an emphasis on building a community of like-minded individuals with common interests. Back to Games is home to the biggest board games store in the UAE, and provides an open door policy whereby visitors can come and play, free of charge, purely to encourage community interaction. Another store that attracts the pop-culture community is the newly opened Otaku ME, where customers actively partake in mini car racing championships and plastic model building events.

“We are really seeing a resurgence in traditional board games and model making with our stores at Times Square Center. They bring in the pop-culture community, and it’s refreshing to see groups interacting without an iPhone or iPad insight” added Ozbek.

About TIMES SQUARE CENTER Times Square Center is centrally located on Sheikh Zayed Road.

A uniquely compact community shopping destination, which offers an original selection of well-known and respected international and boutique brands as well as a selection of exclusive brands that will not be found anywhere else in Dubai. Time Square Center offers a well-rounded, intimate, social family encounter, with a broadspectrum range of shop personalities, complimented with weekly artisan markets. We are committed to our local community and provide a warm welcome with familiar neighbourly qualities. www.timessquarecenter.ae

Nancy Ozbek is a career retail industry professional with more than 20 years of experience. Prior to joining the dynamic team at Times Square Center as the General Manager, Nancy held several leadership positions across various renowned malls and community centers in the UAE. Nancy commenced her retail journey as the Leasing Manager of Al Hanaa Centre and after six years of moved to Al Ghurair Centre as the Senior Leasing Manager. She has then held progressively more senior leadership roles in the retail sector, including Senior Head of Leasing in Nakheel’s Ibn Battuta Mall, Head of Leasing at Deerfields Townsquare Center in Abu Dhabi and General Manager of The Mall, Jumeirah Dubai.

NANCY NESE OZBEK, General Manager, Times Square Center

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

MALLS MALLS 2.0 2.0

THE THE EMOTIONAL EMOTIONAL CONNECTION CONNECTION

Souks and shopping malls have Souks and malls have always beenshopping the center of social always theyou center social life.

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Regardless of the trends, you. Regardless of the trends, e-commerce or economy, people e-commerce or economy, people will keep on visiting our malls if we will keep on visiting our malls if we consistently aim to provide them consistently to provide them with a unique aim shopping experience with a unique shopping experience to consume their days with good to consume their days with vibes and positive energy. good vibes and positive energy.

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It used to be enough to develop, build and lease.

Konrad Kolankiewicz | Chief Operating Officer Konrad Kolankiewicz | Chief Operating Officer

usedwas to be enough Customers to develop, were buildspending, and lease.

The Itretail booming.

The were retailqueuing was booming.

Customers wereand spending, retailers up to get any location, rents retailers were queuing up to get any location, and rents were unrealistically high. You never heard the phrase, were unrealistically You never heard the “Pay me high. the Capex or turnover rentphrase, only.”

“Pay me the Capex or turnover rent only.”

The size of your mall is not The size of these your mall paramount days.isItnot is all about paramount these days.

It all about your customers’ experienceiswithin your customers’ the mall.

In a way,experience we have towithin start the mall.

In a way, we have to managing our properties on anstart managingand our sensual properties on an Some may say, “The market today is scary.” emotional basis.

Some may say, “The market today is scary.” emotional and sensual basis.

My answer to that is, “Let’s face the challenge and get creative. Let’s My that is, into “Let’s face the challenge and gethave creative.

Let’s Customers’ experiences should be addanswer value bytotapping our customers’ senses!

Let’s a better Customers’ experiences should be add value by tapping our customers’ senses!

Let’san have a better at the core of a retail strategy. There understanding of who into our customers are and develop emotional corethat of acustomers retail strategy.

There isata the reason prefer understanding of who our customers are and develop an emotional connection with them.” is a reason that customers prefer connection with them.” one mall over the other. Our senses one mall the over“feel the other. senses recognize good” Our ambiance In this part of the world, shopping malls play a much greater thevenue, “feel good” ofrecognize a particular henceambiance we In this part of the world, shopping malls a much greater role than just play a venue to shop in. of a particular venue, hence we role than just a venue to shop in.

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17/09/2019 15:35 17/09/2019 15:35 10/20/19 2:01 PM

KinanD

9 15:35

It is an ongoing process of adopting our business to changes in lifestyle, trends, culture and economy.

enjoy visiting that place over and over again. The mall has to develop an emotional bond with its customers.

Most shopping centers are the same. The only way to stand out from this crowd is to become different in the way we connect with the shopper. Successful malls are those which offer an experience beyond just goods and services.

Mall management becomes challenging if we take into consideration a property’s effect on the senses: how we see, hear, smell and feel things. Several retailers have already started improving their concepts. They sell the exact same product but with a different feel to it. Providing a great experience for the customers is clearly a huge challenge in our industry.

We have to assess the weaknesses of our malls and re-develop to make them more attractive to our customers. I strongly believe that each landlord or mall developer has to understand that properties must be upgraded, renovated and invested into, in order to uphold its quality and experience. It is an ongoing process of adopting our business to changes in lifestyle, trends, culture and economy. It is one of my main observations from the Saudi market that most mall operators deliver quantity, but not quality. Which in fact is the core reason for the decline in performance.

One more advice. With the rates and occupancy dropping, we should seek

additional revenue from specialty leasing, marketing, events and other types of activities. It is not only an additional source of revenue, but a vibrant element that adds value to our retail offering which results from strengthening our relationship with customers.

We want to work closely with our retail partners to develop a happy, exciting and “feel good” shopping environment. Understanding a customer’s profile and expectations, acknowledging our weaknesses and revamping our assets, focusing on quality experience and strengthening our emotional connection with visitors are the key enablers to our success going forward!

Stay tuned for more exciting news about Kinan’s revitalization strategy with the existing portfolio as well as new developments across the Kingdom.

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SHOPPING CENTRE UPDATE

Malls Management in the

Holy Places O

ne of the biggest challenges that you can face in mall management at the holy places such as the Grand Mosque (Masjid Al-Haram) is “The Crowd management”, which is scientifically defined as a science that explores the development of ways to protect people amid crowd and gatherings, both at events and inside buildings and facilities and to take the best measures to protect people who met in one place relatively limited, and at a specific time, to accomplish one goal and one thing.

The beginning of interest in this science occurred after the era of Europe industrial revolution by the increased intention of mass movement of people in a simultaneous and short time, which created the importance for the need to provide the leadership of the movement of these crowd and maintain their safety and the integrity of the place where they gather.

With increasing numbers of the Muslims around the world, we find that the Hajj & Umrah season is the best model for the Crowd Management & Human Gatherings, through the mobilization of at least two million people to perform the rituals of Hajj for few days in the Haram of Makkah & Medina from all over the world, while millions flock to perform rituals of Umrah throughout the year, especially during Ramadan, where three million Mutamers come from 184 countries, speak tens of languages, differ in many customs and cultures.

The Saudi Experience is the best in the world as no country manages and organises these crowd at this level annually such as Saudi Arabia because it contains the Kebla of Muslims and Saudi

Arabia reached this global experience in crowd management after facing many challenges on welcoming Muslims who wants to perform Hajj or Umrah.

In Hajj and Umrah seasons, commercial establishments and centers surrounding the Haram are experiencing severe congestion, which requires the management of these centers to be at the high degree of caution and full knowledge of crowd management. This requires early preparation of the crowd management plan by ensuring: • Full knowledge of the geographical nature of the mall and the size of the crowd.

• Full knowledge of crowd movement time and peak times.

• Ensure the readiness and efficiency of the infrastructure and facilities of the facility.

• Emergency facilities readiness and their ability to disperse the crowd in the event of an increased crowd.

• Daily weather follow-up and its impact on the crowd movement.

• Availability of enough security and safety personnel and their full knowledge of evacuation and emergency plans.

• Providing ambulance and safety tools and all equipment.

• Finally, the most critical factors in crowd management are the crowd extents and its management to minimize the chances of stampedes and other catastrophes.

However, this science develops day by day to build international standard for setting a limit on the number of people who could be allowed to gather in a specified space. The mall management company would become significantly easier to manage if such standards were agreed upon and implemented. Crowd management can also be improved significantly with the help of sensor and biometric technology, tools, and gadgets & CCTV system to protect all congregation during hajj & Umrah crowded events which create problems of traffic in Makkah & Madina around Al Haram where all the activities are concentrated like hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, and all other service centers.

Crowd management can also be improved significantly with the help of sensor and biometric technology, tools, and gadgets and CCTV system to protect all congregation during hajj and Umrah crowded events and Saudi Arabia reached this global experience in crowd management after facing many challenges on welcoming millions of Muslims who create hug crowd in Makkah and Madina.

ZIAD MOGHRABIAH – CSM, CLS, Chief Operating Officer, SAHAT Property Management Co.

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FINANCE

ENBD REIT

on real estate portfolio diversification D

iversification of ENBD REIT’s portfolio has been essential during a soft real estate market cycle and a period of slower economic growth. Acquisitions made during the last financial year – including Dubai Silicon Oasis’ Souq Extra Community Retail Centre – have supported stable income and balanced-out valuation pressures. By increasing the diversity of our holdings, we have been able to deliver returns to investors from net income in the portfolio, while the management team has worked on reducing costs and bolstering occupancy.

We have maintained a measured approach to opportunities in the market, mindful of how valuations for current assets are faring.

In this respect, new opportunities in the ‘alternative’ segment – which includes retail – tend to be the most attractive. The strategy of diversification is underpinned by the attractiveness of alternative assets, so we are actively looking for investments including retail, industrial, education and healthcare. These asset classes currently enjoy valuation resilience compared to office and residential, with long-term lease agreements that support consistent rental income.

Souq Extra Community Retail Centre is a good example of an alternative asset that has added to the diversity of our portfolio.

The property enjoys 95% occupancy, which is driven by its popular location, coupled with long-term leases that make it a positive case study for investors exploring alternative opportunities. In a soft market, would-be institutional owners are hungry for options that will withstand sector headwinds.

This is not our only recent foray into the alternative space, having also acquired South View School and Uninest, the former in education and the latter in student accommodation. Both are 100% occupied on a long-term basis, and more importantly leased by well-known and reliable operators with local and international track records. Most recently, several industrial assets in Dubai have been identified as promising acquisition targets, with investment values likely to range between USD 50-65 million.

While diversification is at the forefront of our portfolio strategy, as a REIT we are equally committed to safeguarding and improving occupancy, thereby ensuring stable income. We are achieving this by making asset improvements that enhance the quality of life for occupants. Recently, the car park at Arabian Oryx House (Barsha Heights) was upgraded and resurfaced for the benefit of the residents, while Remraam’s (Dubailand) surveillance system has been upgraded to comply with Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) criteria. At Souq Extra, the outdoor landscaping has been transformed to boost customer and visitor experience.

When it comes to managing and growing a property portfolio in current market conditions, we are of the firm belief that diversification into alternative asset classes adds considerable value. But an individual property is only ever as valuable as it’s appeal to current and prospective tenants – so diligent management will remain a key differentiator for ENBD REIT, as both investor and landlord.

By increasing the diversity of our holdings, we have been able to deliver returns to investors from net income in the portfolio, while the management team has worked on reducing costs and bolstering occupancy.

ANTHONY TAYLOR, Head of Real Estate, ENBD REIT (CEIC) PLC

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FINANCE

The Future of Shopping Centres in the face of disruptive forces I

t is interesting to consider the topic of what the future holds for shopping centres, as regards their relevance to retailers and consumers in the 21st century and beyond. Bricks and Mortar is being disrupted by clicks and orders – online shopping – how will this affect the industry?

We have seen many types of retail shopping products, ranging from high-end luxury malls, to strip malls / value-mart / hypermarkets to lifestyle centres to boutique malls. Each of these property developments is driven by a commercial trend or a perceived gap in the market which needs to be served. Shopping centres gain customers by presenting an appealing “shop window” to the market, to provide positive customer experience, to capture and retain market share.

Looking back in history, the original shopping centre is a souq or farmers market; a place where people gather to trade and barter their goods, and then retire to drink coffee and discuss the events of the day. So, not only a place to do business but also a place to meet and exchange ideas and views.

The souq evolved into the main street and high street shops, which found their way into modern malls, and today products are widely available online. In the digital media world, the marketplace is amplified and projected across time and space in ways we could not imagine a few years ago. The rise of online shopping is aligned with the digital age.

What makes a good mall? A mall needs to be an aspirational place, appealing to its demographic target market. From a shopping centre developer’s perspective, the fundamental reason to exist has not changed; to provide an appealing, comfortable retail trading environment, and a community

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meeting place to see and be seen. A shopping centre developer can prosper with a well-positioned mall, with sound design fundamentals such as easy access to good parking, linked to public transport, and to give a sense of place via an architectural connection with the environment.

How can this traditional channel for business survive in the face of the disruptive threat of online retail shopping? The price tag of any product is fundamentally linked to the location of doing that business. A physical retail shop has sales overheads which a warehouse-based online sales distributor does not.

However, there is growing evidence that the marketing concept of online retailers providing “free shipping” and “free returns” is actually mispriced, and we can expect the overall cost of online shopping to increase accordingly. In the UAE, consumers will do pricing and product comparisons before making larger ticket purchases. People will shop online because it is an efficient way to deal with the chore of repeat purchases or utility purchases which do not require much thought. They also shop online to check prices and compare products. This frees up time to enjoy the experience of visiting a mall, where there are entertainment and emotional experiences which cannot be had online.

Some malls have unique features such as a ski slope or a large fountain show, to attract footfall. However, it is difficult to attribute the real cost-benefit of these ambitious investments until much later in the investment cycle. However, these attractions make the visitor experience unique and can be very effective to counter the threat of online shopping.

Let us consider the shopping centre sector risks to investors and financiers. Banks are generally quite conservative with the approach to lending on shopping centre developments. The primary source of debt repayment is from the rental revenue, and therefore the key performance indicator is overall shopping centre occupancy and actual rent received by the landlord.

Historically anchor tenants were able to negotiate turnover only rental contracts, but with sales revenue leakage from the shop tills due to online shopping, many landlords are insisting on a minimum base rent from all their shops. The second financial indicator is the continued good financial health of the retail tenants; regardless of whether they are trading online or at the mall, as long as the brands are trading profitably, their franchisees will be able to pay the rent. Thirdly, lenders will monitor the financial strength of the Landlord (the mall owner). An obvious focus area is to look at revenue and expense management; however, other factors need to be monitored, such as discretionary capital expenditure used on mall upgrades

In the UAE, if you look closely at the competitive landscape, you will find many firsttime investors also trying their hand at the art of shopping centre development. This has led to an oversupply in the sector, which is partly why the sector is experiencing such mixed fortunes, especially in the difficult market conditions of today. The market share winners are very far ahead in the game and the losers have a lot of ground to cover to catch up CYRIL LINCOLN

and refurbishment, and the effective use of the marketing budget.

Successful mall management will be seen in the resulting high footfall numbers and strong market share. A softer issue to monitor is the staff turnover of mall management personnel, which is a possible indicator that things are not going to plan.

What do we see in the UAE market? In the UAE context, there are two distinct categories of shopping centre developers.

On one side you have supermarket retailers such as MAF/ Carrefour and Lulu, who use their supermarket retail businesses to anchor their own malls, and on the other side you find master developers such as Emaar, Nakheel, and Aldar, who build shopping centres and various smaller convenience retail outlets which serve their residential communities. However, if you look more closely at the competitive landscape, you will find many first-time investors also trying their hand at the art of shopping centre development. This has led to an oversupply in the sector, which is partly why the sector is experiencing such mixed fortunes, especially in the difficult market conditions of today.

The market share winners are very far ahead in the game and the losers have a lot of ground to cover to catch up.

The Abu Dhabi market has not provided sufficient depth and breadth for a master developer such as Aldar to fully exploit the opportunity. In comparison, in Dubai, Emaar and Nakheel have taken full advantage of their larger, diverse master development communities, to develop a diverse portfolio within the retail sector.

In conclusion, the bricks and mortar supply channel are broadly oversupplied, with risk of further dilution of market share from online sales channels. However, there remains a need for communities to have a place to meet and good shopping centres will survive beyond the digital threat of online shopping.

Shopping Centres are a reflection of society, and the success or failure of each unique property relies as much on, how they make us feel, as the commercial mix of shops and restaurants.

CYRIL LINCOLN, Head of Real Estate Investment Banking Group, Wholesale Banking Group, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Head Office

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FEATURE

Lessons on Resilience, Agility and Opportunities T

he Gulf region is currently witnessing a sluggish economy on the back of low crude prices and lower consumer spending in recent years, and businesses from different sectors have been adversely affected.

How was your business affected by these economic challenges?

What steps have you taken to protect your company during these challenging times?

Overall, every retailer in the region is affected by the current economic challenges. Our strengths lie in our ability to deliver what our customers’ need and what is relevant to them whatever the season. The trust we have developed with our customers will take us through these difficult times. A flexible approach is as important as a solid start in a downturn. Companies who take proactive steps and have the flexibility to respond to the market changes are less affected than those who take their time or do nothing at all.

Were you able to see any opportunities or upsides despite the soft economic situation? Can you share some with us?

There were a lot of opportunities available to us despite the economic situation. We were able to open new stores in good locations at lower rents. Landlords were open to renegotiating rents which helped to reduce operating overheads. Contractors and suppliers were more flexible and we were able to negotiate better rates and payment terms. By continuing to focus on our customers’ requirements in terms of quality merchandise along with a great shopping experience we managed to enhance customer loyalty.

What insights have you learned during these tough fiscal years? Are there steps you have taken recently that you plan to sustain in the future?

Shopping is all about relationships. Today’s customers rarely buy from a company, they buy from a person, they trust, who is knowledgeable and delivers what is promised. Companies need to go back to basics to make shopping enjoyable and make sure factors such as time, treatment of the customer, efficiency, price point, physical and technology aspects are taken care of as all of these elements are important in terms of customer’s expectation

of their in-store experience. When situations change, you have to rethink current strategies and build on the strengths that have served you well in the past.

What's the best thing that companies can do to deflect the effects of a tough market? What do you think are necessary for a company to survive and thrive? What can companies learn from this experience moving forward?

Tough times encourages companies to go back to their roots and do what it does best. An economic downturn highlights the tiny fractures of a business that went unnoticed during the good times. This has given the smart retailer a chance to learn from the legacy of the past to form the wisdom of the future.

Are you optimistic about 2020? What's your outlook moving forward? Do you think your business will benefit from the stimulus expected from Dubai Expo2020?

We are all very optimistic not only about 2020 but beyond too.

The region has all the ingredients to support the growing retail market. The UAE’s geographical location will always be an asset and the continued influx of regional and international tourism will keep feeding growth. There will always be opportunities to expand, but we have to be on top of our game and offer value and service to our customers. To succeed, retailers need to embrace the challenge of relationships by leveraging technology as a means to establish and maintain an omnichannel so as to connect with shoppers effectively. Retailers also need to empower their associates to serve the customers quicker and more efficiently. We are very confident that the future will offer every business an opportunity for growth provided we prepare for it and have a clear strategy on dealing with today’s fastchanging digital world and knowledgeable consumers.

Any other info/advice you might want to share, especially for companies that are having a hard time right now.

A company’s culture is its ultimate competitive advantage. Today’s retail market is short on the ‘distinct experience’, so when you create one, you create an instant relationship with your customers.

Shopping is all about Relationships and Experience ISHWAR CHUGANI, Managing Director, Giordano

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FEATURE

Marie France

Turning an Existing Concept into a New Trend

T

he success of Marie France didn’t happen overnight. It was a mash-up of creativity, hard work, timing, devotion and a knack to meet its customers and clients’ needs that has made it the brand that it is today. The brand has evolved into an ‘allthings inclusive’ trademark. The geographical reach encompasses the Middle-East and Africa. The strength of the offering includes lingerie to hosiery, beachwear, sportswear, nightwear, leggings, fragrances and footwear. The diversity of Marie France and its ability to promote its products is fueled by style. Our expertise has led it to extremes, becoming an exceptionally important force and a leader in the market.

“The most compelling thing to know about Marie France and its position in the market is its ability to provide its consumer with a diversified palette of services. The quality and pricing, and the categories of outerwear make Marie France unique.

Marie France is able to sell not just a product, but an experience – an experience that prides itself with good customer service, certifiably virtuous know-how and glamorous space design.

Marie France has become a lifestyle brand where every woman feels sexy and confident.” confirmed Eddy Abi Nasr, CEO and Managing Partner of Marie France SAL. What’s more he said, “the core values and codes of the company have remained the same from the very start, putting into sight morality and integrity at the forefront of its belief system. By these particular inclusions, Marie France was, still is and forever will be the interceptor of a truly timeless brand.”

Marie France’s expertise goes beyond selling the values, developed a strategy to make its customers feel satisfied, secure, fashionable and by all means, on top of the game. Which brings us to another important point in the brand, its ability to make a customer’s trip worth the while. The young CEO explained: by optimizing said trip with an infinite range of products and services, Marie France became a one-stop destination for consumers. Armed with a message as powerful as the above, the brand has therefore taken it upon itself to make said “message” a foundation for all its efforts, whether on the marketing front or on the quality-driven front.

Marie France has gone through drastic changes in the last couple of years, revamping its whole marketing strategy and expanding in a way it has never before.

"We noticed a wide shift in the culture of distribution which led to the opening of a multitude of our mono-brand fullyfledged boutiques. Armed with an aggressive and invasive approach, we were able to fill in the gap that the market had in terms of what we had to offer, and invaded it with the trendiest garments as well as all ranges of basic necessities" Fast forward today, Marie France is operating through 40 boutiques in Lebanon only, two in Morocco and four stores that are now being launched in Egypt. But that’s not all, as Marie France is looking to add 20 more stores in Lebanon and to replicate the same in Egypt and KSA hence building the biggest empire of Lingerie the MENA ever saw.

We noticed a wide shift in the culture of distribution which led to the opening of a multitude of our mono-brand fully-fledged boutiques.

Armed with an aggressive and invasive approach, we were able to fill in the gap that the market had in terms of what we had to offer, and invaded it with the trendiest garments as well as all ranges of basic necessities.

EDDY ABI NASR, CEO and Managing Partner, Marie France SAL

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FEATURE

Artificial Intelligence

and its Impact on the Retail Sector A

s the United Arab Emirates strives to introduce and incorporate smart initiatives, the need for advancements in technology arises. Businesses can witness one such development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to industry experts, AI is progressing rapidly and has a significant impact on the day-today operations within the organization. Statistically, the Artificial Intelligence industry will be valued at $9 trillion by the year 2025.

Retailers can significantly benefit from Artificial Intelligence as it empowers them to track customer tastes and preferences accurately. In addition, it has also enabled firms to evolve store infrastructure and boost traditional business processes.

According to a recent market study, Artificial Intelligence will save retailers up to 50 percent in expenses. As a result, over 45 percent of the businesses will invest in Artificial Intelligence adoption to optimally improve corporate decisions.

Artificial Intelligence software also helps retailers to improve people counting sensors. As a result, firms can track customer footprints throughout the store and use the collected data to enhance further the products and services offered. The information collected is very accurate and is in real-time, thus improving the speed and accuracy of the decision-making process.

Artificial Intelligence also reduces dependence on human labor by around 40 percent, thus eliminating human error. AI technology improves employee performance as it simplifies the process of training and development. In addition, it assists in reducing employee training expenses by over 30 percent. According to market research, over 65 percent of the employees are more likely

to gain knowledge from technological advancements. As a result, this knowledge helps employees to improve their skills as well as generate customer satisfaction and retention.

Artificial Intelligence also enhances in-store infrastructure by boosting advancements such as facial recognition, self-checkout technology and other in-store sensors. As a result, it increases in-store footfalls by more than 50 percent. It has also assisted retailers in reducing brand and corporate risks as it provides real-time data on market opportunities and threats. Therefore, 70 percent of businesses consider Artificial Intelligence technology as a crucial component in gaining competitive advantages.

Despite the initial cost of adoption and incorporation, Artificial Intelligence software will not only improve profit by over 30 percent but will also increase online store traffic by around 45 percent. It will allow a seamless transfer of data across various business platforms, whether offline or online. AI will also make it simpler for firms to offer premium and personalised customer experiences.

Artificial Intelligence boosts the efficiency of business operations, from the introduction of chatbots to secure digital payments.

Statistically, Artificial Intelligence technology will improve customer interaction by more than 80 percent. As a result, high customer interaction will improve satisfaction and retention rates as well as improve the firms competitive positioning within the market. In addition, it will also increase the demand for digital and tech-savvy employees; thus, creating over 30 percent of jobs within the industry.

The Artificial Intelligence industry will be valued at $9 trillion by the year 2025 VIC BAGERIA, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Visionary Officer Xpandretail powered by Sรกvant Data System (SDS) LLC

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FEATURE

RETAIL

When Online Meets Offline | Omni Channel Must Knows

R

etail businesses are missing out on a tremendous and precious pool of customer database coming from the online world meeting the offline one. This pool of data is often being underutilized. The idea behind this article is to stress on the importance of properly collecting, profiling and using this volume of data, in accordance with privacy and confidentiality policies, in order to help businesses scale and be more relevant to each audience pool.

I have been supporting retail, e-commerce and Omni channel businesses for more than eight years with a disruptive approach to performance Digital Marketing that focuses on measurement, data-driven decisions, automation and granular methodologies, that helped me and my team better understand our clients business needs and find the most adequate formula to each business model. Through WONE today, our performance Digital Marketing Agency, one of our key added value services for retail/e-commerce businesses is to provide a full understanding of how to measure online to offline and offline to online conversions with fully automated solutions that integrate with the client’s CRM. This is the right direction towards scalability since the data collected offline can be used online through important retargeting activations based on offline customer database aggregation. Sending your offline conversion data to online platforms also enables you to deepen your Digital Marketing strategies by adding offline custom conversions to your online digital campaigns and start optimizing in this sense.

It is often seen that businesses do not have the time or the resources to close the gap between customer behavior patterns online and offline. There is a lack of urgency probably due to a partial understanding of the missed opportunities behind such a process.

Therefore we encourage every Omni channel business to take a step back and consider measuring the synergies between customers interacting with online ads and customers going to stores to finalize their purchase. A few ways are available today to make this possible, Having a loyalty card is probably one of the most accurate ways given the fact that they are user-based, often up to date and tracked in real-time. However, shaping it is time consuming. Other options are configurable when any business wants to drive footfall from online digital campaigns through Facebook, Google and other big advertising platforms. Store-visit campaigns can be operated for this purposes, businesses can also use a digital feature named geo-fencing in order to target a specific radius of 1-10 km for instance around a specific store and thus measure what happens in-store when people click on “Get Directions”.

In a nutshell, we would recommend staying curious about the different ways of measuring Omni channel activities; to surround yourself with the right partners that will help you reach this level of synergetic efficiency that will allow you to have a 360° view of your customers' purchase behavior, use your customer database in a relevant and efficient way (retargeting, look alike audiences) and identify areas of synergies online to offline and vice versa. Finally, this represents a great way to remain ahead of your fiercest competitor.

The age of data & measurement is the boat you do not want to miss.

AIDA SAHRAOUI, Founder & CEO, WONE DMCC

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FEATURE

The

minute

countdown

improving customer experience and increasing basket value through visual communications

I

n the world of fast-moving consumer goods, speed, price and convenience are all essential factors when it comes to both getting customers through the shop or supermarket door and ensuring that they leave feeling satisfied. It’s no secret that the retail market is struggling and with only 2 minutes to impress customers1 the countdown begins from the moment a customer walks through the door.

The flexibility to adapt in-store offers and advertising quickly while ensuring customers have a smooth journey around the store, has become more crucial than ever, contributing to both immediate sales and future loyalty.

Producing engaging visual communications, on the shop floor!

As well as using intelligent, pre-planned marketing campaigns to set the customer agenda and boost sales of key lines, the ability to react to an important sales opportunity linked to a sudden change in weather or social media food trend are also essential for physical stores, which in turn demands fast access to a wide range of printed customer-facing signage.

Alongside strategic end-of-aisle positioning, eye-catching signage plays an important role when it comes to promoting sales of key items. Likewise, while shop window stickers and signs are a proven way to boost footfall and draw customers in to the store, double-sided hanging banners and point-of-sale signage directing customers where you want them to go, have an equally essential role to play in the sales cycle, especially when it comes to impulse buying and other spontaneous purchases.

Retail-ready High Definition Colour printers give supermarkets the ability to react to a sudden heatwave, news report or online food trend by creating large and small marketing and point-of-sale materials on demand.

‘Just follow the sign’ Cost-effective and practical, this clear in-store signage not only improves the customer experience by helping them to find what they are looking for but can also be used strategically to draw shoppers towards high margin products, as well as promoting lines that are underperforming.

At a time when delivering frictionless customer experience is high on both the online and offline retail agenda, fulfilling a basic requirement to enable customers to find what they need helps to promote sales also avoid frustrating shoppers by making them seek out an assistant to ask for help – or driving them to abandon their shop.

Small enough for use in back offices, the latest retail-ready printers offer the flexibility to create large-format, high-impact

double-sided banners and floor signage, as well as instructional shelf labels and gondola frames, making the most of valuable shelf and aisle space.

At the shelf-edge retailers can make the most of this ability to print on demand by quoting a recent critic’s endorsement or tapping into a national marketing campaign with printed materials featuring eye-catching images and clear text. This information can speed-up decision-making by helping to guide the undecided shopper and, crucially, make them feel good about their choice.

A study2 conducted by psychologists at Columbia and Stanford University found that rather than increase satisfaction and sales, having a wide choice of products can, in fact, serve to demotivate shoppers, resulting in fewer sales.

Point-of-sale material such as price tags and product information supports decision making, empowering the customer, as well as encouraging spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous purchases. Likewise, with dietary requirements a priority for a growing number of shoppers, it can also be used to highlight a key ingredient or emphasise the fact that a product is nut or gluten-free, for example.

The recipe to success - in-store printing beyond standard A4 OKI Europe’s Retail Signage Solutions include, OKI’s C800 Series digital LED A3 colour printers which are the smallest A3 printers on the market, making them perfect for the retail environment where space is at a premium. Offering the flexibility to print on pre-cut media including small-format shelf-edge labels, price tags and shelf wobblers as well as large, double-sided banners up to 1.3m even on waterproof media, suitable all around the store, from outdoor pavement signs, and alongside chilled and other fresh produce, or in the freezer aisles.

To find out more about OKI’s Retail Solutions visit www.oki.com/me/printing/services-and-solutions/industrysolution/retail/.

1

www.quora.com

www.medium.com/@FlorentGeerts/the-jam-experiment-howchoice-overloads-makes-consumers-buy-less-d610f8c37b9b

2

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Find the recipe for success...

...with OKI’s Retail Signage Solutions From supermarkets to smaller, independent retailers, busy shelves need clear, eye-catching signage to influence purchasing decisions and increase basket value. OKI’s Retail Signage Solutions enables Food and Beverage retailers to print their essential visual communications including price tags, posters, double sided banners, shelf wobblers, gondolas, promotional displays and more, all in-store, on-demand.

To find out more about the recipe to success, visit www.okime.ae/retail

© 2019 OKI Europe Ltd

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Print Smart, Print OKI

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FEATURE

Minutes only is your Shopping Time!

H

ow to build a sustainable business growth? Is store location a key fact for convenience store? How to shape the most convenient store? Healthy, sugar-free, organic, alternative snacks… what’s consumer shopping list nowadays? Global average shopping time for convenience consumer is 4 minutes only. Deal!

The C-Store industry is a unique retail business model, so many scientific kip’s have to be taken into consideration to enhance consumer experience & happiness.

Knowing the fact that 17% of the time is spent at the checkout counter, with the objective to speed the payment process, we developed and implemented in October 2017 an entire cashless program. Circle K consumers can anytime grab their favorite alternative snacks and proceed with the payment through Alipay, Apple pay, NOL card and so many more options; speed, efficiency and safety payment solutions.

average, our customers visit our stores 3 – 4 times a day: starting in the morning with great coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice or French pastry, followed by healthy lunchtime and afternoon snacks. We are sourcing, locally and globally, the very best products to bring to our C-Store.

A C-Store retailer feels responsible for “educating” consumers on the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. We dedicate 40% of our total range to healthy product: organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, and work closely with the Ministry of Health to design a healthy C-Store in the future.

Our mission is to bring the new convenience unit concept to the UAE dynamic retail environment and to operate our network by providing extraordinary services to our customers, partners, and shareholders and creating a working environment that reflects our high standards and uncompromising commitment to excellence.

Location, location and location! Is it clear enough?!

We are dedicating time and investment to source and select the very best location in the UAE. We proudly serve the community of Cleveland Clinic, Healthcare City, Emirates Tower, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, QEII, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai World Trade Center, Khalifa University and more.

Store size in the C-Store industry does not matter at all, to be in the right location is our main goal. It can be through different business models: Brick & Mortar, kiosk, stand, 24/7 operation, or seasonal store.

80% of purchases are consumed within an hour! It’s giving us a lot of opportunities to enhance the consumer experience. On an

Nothing is Impossible! The Word itself says I'm Possible.

LAURENT GUITART, Chief Executive Officer, Circle K UAE

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FEATURE

Digitizing Instincts T

he ability to adapt is one of the most basic and primitive elements of survival. This is true for the advertising world today. With a discernible move towards more digital platforms, many mass communication out-of-home companies are adapting to the new realities of the rapidly changing markets.

Humans have always been very visual creatures. We judge the world around us mostly by the visual cues we pick up, consciously and subconsciously. This primal trait is one of the reasons why and point-of-sale advertising will always connect brands with their target markets in efficient ways. Both OOH and POS combine a strong visual presence with a receptive shopper state, be they on the move around the city or at specific locations.

Since 1999, HyperMedia has been engaging customers with static signage branding. However, today, in keeping with the digital trends that are reshaping our industry, we have grown to become the region’s largest digital signage operator (900 digital signs in OOH). Our experience has shown that our static signage can serve to complement our digital ones, without hurting the efficacy or reach of the other. Static and digital executions will always reach a large audience, however, digital interfaces can be manipulated to target very specific subgroups in a more focused environment, at the point of purchase.

Currently, HyperMedia connects with 24 million shoppers per month in the UAE alone through our large in-mall and in-store advertising market presence. The use of traditional and digital media attests to the ongoing success of both, as it pertains to the increased DOOH and POS demand.

A perfect example of how the new digital frontier is seamlessly complementing the traditional success of OOH advertising can be seen in malls across the UAE. Thanks to the large scale

development of mall infrastructures in the region, as well as reliable wifi networks through mall premises, there is increasing integration between social media and mall digital media. This means that digital screens in OOH can engage customers by inviting them to continue to interact with brands on social media.

When people go to malls, they are already in a receptive state for brands to make an impact. Therefore, when a specific brand is highlighted visually (Video) in a shopping environment, research numbers show a spike in purchases.

On the other hand, Shelf branding in hypermarkets will always have successful outcomes since it is directly located at the point where 81% of customers will make their purchasing decision.

Shoppers will always be more accessible in a shopping environment, and luckily both DOOH and POS points of contact impact shoppers positively.

In keeping true to this spirit of moving forward, we are launching something big and exciting very soon on the digital front in OOH. The integration of smart solutions to our large digital network in the UAE (in around 32 Malls) is in testing phase today and should be rolled out Q1 2020.

Additionally, we cannot detract from the importance of “content” being advertised. There must always be new ways to creatively engage customers. They do have to be reinforced with smart and inviting messages that will resonate and enhance the shopper experience. (eg. Time & Location-based content, Focused Shopper Targeted messages, etc.)

Ultimately, change in the industry always keeps the dialogue in advertising fresh, as it forces us to assess the core ideas that drive us. Digital Out Of Home’s (DOOH) flexibility and impact help brands connect successfully with their customers at the point of purchase. This is the underlying foundation.

We have not yet begun to tap into the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true potential of Digital OOH. Digital and Smart signage will certainly dominate OOH in the coming two years, no doubt about it.

PHILIP MATTA, Chief Commercial Officer, Hypermedia

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FEATURE

“Experiential” Retail Let’s make the shopping experience compelling again

Is “Experiential Retail”, the answer we’ve been looking for to challenge online sales and the exodus of people from four – wall retail? Have consumers got lazy, or have we????

Paul Marks, from RMS is working with retailers and malls examining what they need to do to regain the trust of consumers and drive footfall back in to brick and mortar stores.

I

’ve been lucky enough to have worked with some excellent companies in the past, the likes of Nike, McDonald's, Timberland, Phillip Morris and each has its own unique challenges; but what binds us together, our common thread is our customer. What they see, feel, smell, touch and hear is a fundamental part of the shopping experience. And I think it’s at the Experiential level where we’re missing a trick.

People love shopping; they love touching the product, trying it on, talking about it with informed staff, squeezing it, wiggling it, banging it on a table, swinging it, smelling it, bouncing on it… you get my drift.

In the past years, I remember people going out “window

shopping” just because stores were nice places to go. Is that part of the problem; maybe? Are our stores no longer nice places to go and have consumers fallen out love with us? Have they divorced us for a younger more interesting model called online shopping?

Well, when I was back in the UK a few weeks ago, I thought I’d ask around and started with my family. We all needed something: the younger ones, last-minute bits and pieces for Glastonbury, me - some sailing gear, cosmetics for the wife. My parents, who had just moved to a new house, bought a new tumble dryer. That’s a lot of shopping. After some discussion, we concluded that there were really only 2 main factors that drove our decision to buy online, only 2! Convenience and speed.

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Going to, and spending time in stores is no longer compelling. And herein lies part of the problem (and the

So basically, we were shopping online because it was quick and convenient. So if it's about convenience and speed, and if that’s all we’re up against as retailers, there must be something we can do about it, and at the same time, if people aren’t coming to our stores, does that not suggest that we must be doing something else wrong?

While it seemed clear why people were switching to online sales, I also thought about what are we all missing when we shop online? Well, some of them are pretty obvious and I mentioned them earlier. You can’t squeeze your avocado, smell your pineapple or your bread baking online. You can’t bounce on a bed or try out a sofa. You can’t try on your clothes and shoes to see if they fit properly nor can you feel the quality of the fabric or the finish of a garment.

In short, there’s no “experience”, ….and because there’s no interaction at the point of sale, no up-selling opportunity either.

There’s no experience online, and if there’s no experience surely as retailers we have a massive advantage over our online completion….that advantage is called great staff!

The problem is, is that it’s no good if we don’t have enough staff, and more importantly well trained, well-informed staff. And that means hiring engaging staff that can seamlessly integrate with our existing online resources to expand our bricks and mortar offering without inventory holding costs and square footage.

solution); I think consumers are not visiting us because what we are currently offering in-store, is just not compelling enough.

It’s not compelling enough to want to get into your car, not compelling enough to drive to the mall and not compelling enough to pay for parking, and worse; not compelling enough to want to come back.

While I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, it’s my intention, through conversations like this, to at least bring forward the discussion about “Experiential Retail” and how important it’s going to be as we try to woo back consumers. I see the future of retailing as about “who” engages best with the consumer on a human, not digital level. It’s got to be about creating great shopping experiences, that in turn creates great shopping memories, which in turn draws the consumer back to the place where they experienced them.

We could accuse today’s customer of having become lazy (if it's just about speed and convenience). But, if it's more than that, can the same accusation be leveled at us? Have we as retailers watered down the retail experience so much that it’s no longer compelling….have we become lazy too?

Maybe we should build smaller stores (less rent), hold less inventory (better cash flow), hire and train better staff (increased engagement)? Customers can still purchase online… but with the staff’s help (there’s your upsell opportunity), and the product can still get delivered the next day…. or in a couple of years’ time, I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be waiting for us when we get home…now that really would be a great experience….

I firmly believe that the future of “Bricks and Mortar” retail is by developing the in-store “experience” to make store visits more compelling and by re-connecting with the consumer. Employees need to be re-skilled in order to deliver “up-selling” opportunities and exceptional face-to-face service.

PAUL MARKS, Managing Partner, RMS (Retail Management Solutions)

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EVENTS

The MECS+R held the Spring Board Networking Event entitled

‘Visions for the Future of Saudi Retail’

The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers (MECS+R) hosted the ‘Visions for the future of Saudi Retail’ at the Hilton Riyadh Hotel and Residences on Sunday, 15 September 2019, from 5:30 – 9:00pm. It was a successful event attended by over 300 people. The event had a panel discussions, offered refreshments and ample networking opportunities to the visitors to connect with the key movers and shakers of the Saudi retail space.

MECS+R Spring Board Networking Event – connecting retail professionals across the Middle East

Thanks to our sponsors:

MAIN SPONSORS: SILVER SPONSOR: Saudi

Granadia and Raza | PLATINUM: CELS Events & Afkar Lighting

Bonyan Real Estate Investment | BRONZE SPONSOR: Unified Real Estate Development Company

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FEATURE SPECIAL

3 Ways

to Win the Marketing Jackpot H

ave you ever seen a professional poker game? You may have noticed some high-stakes players wearing sunglasses—an unusual sight for those of us (ahem, me) in the penny slots aisle.

But wearing those shades is actually part of their strategy.

It turns out the World Poker Tour estimates that at 100 million players worldwide, more people play poker than golf or tennis, which are also games that rely on strategy. Like all these games, you can win the marketing jackpot by employing a solid game plan such as the one below.

1. PLAY TO WIN How does marketing strategy work best? Like poker, you’ve got to play to win. Your job is to win through making distinctive choices. Make your first choice clear by outlining how you’ll differentiate your product, your property and your company.

This is often where we stumble. I was recently on a marketing call where we knew who our competitors were, but it was unclear how we planned to beat them. It’s really all about deciding who – and exactly what – your customers will pay more for. If you want to play to win, first you have to get in the game.

2. CHECK YOUR ODDS Face it, dreaming about winning a huge pot of cash is way more fun than considering that odds are you’re more likely to be struck by lightning.

And your odds of retaining existing customers are much higher than finding new ones. Experts say it costs five times as much to acquire a new customer than it does to keep one you’ve already got. In our business, the key tactic to beating the odds is to focus solidly on our customers. Try this tip: Think really hard about your customer experience. What is it like to be them – going in, going out and in between? If you haven’t already

earmarked a solid, detailed customer experience process, that’s a good place to begin. Now’s the time to pull out all the stops.

3. WATCH FOR THE TELL Strategising your next move is the critical piece of any game.

Here’s where poker comes in handy: Learn to watch for the tell.

A “tell” is where a change in behavior or demeanor gives a clue as to a how a player is assessing her own options. The player who spots the tell gains an immediate advantage, such as knowing whether to bet big or to lay low.

The same is true for your marketing approach: Get to know your competitor’s hand. First, take stock of what you’ve got, and determine what your customers’ experience really is. Next, reforecast mindfully.

It can pay to play. What will be your ace in the hole? It’s all about mastering the game.

Decide how you will play to win. No sunglasses required.

Real estate is a handshake sort of business. Even in today's virtual world, people want to look you in the eye and know they can trust you.

SHANNON ALTER, CPM® Owner, Leaders Exceed T: +1 714 833 6797 www.linkedin.com/in/shannonalter www.leadersexceed.com

Reprinted from the Journal of Property Management, vol. 82, no. 5, with permission from the Institute of Real Estate Management. for more information on irem and its publications, visit www.irem.org.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

How Specialty Retail can Succeed in

THE AGE OF AMAZON Turning Deep Product Knowledge and Personalized Customer Engagement into Competitive Weapons

Credits: This article was originally published on www.iQMETRIX.com

S

pecialty retailers, especially those with carefully curated product offerings and complex sales cycles, face intense competitive pressures against the convenience offered by online retailers and big-box merchants.

While consumers value the deep product knowledge, personalized engagement and ongoing customer relationships that specialty retailers can offer, it’s often a challenge to get new (and even returning) customers into the store. Additionally, many specialty retailers have failed to keep up with the latest technology trends – particularly those that can build a comprehensive customer database and simplify marketing and communications tasks.

This white paper will identify winning strategies to help specialty retailers accentuate their strengths – top-tier product knowledge, years-long customer relationships and strong ties to their local communities chief among them – while also providing the tools needed to enhance the in-store experience, personalize customer engagement and build customer loyalty. Additionally, these tools will help specialty retailers reach new generations of customers who will be attracted to high service levels, shared values and community relationships.

Specialty retailers will learn effective methods to build on their unique business attributes by: • Enhancing existing customer relationships with personalization techniques that canattract and retain customers in a crowded market place; • Automating marketing outreach and customer communications via email, text, social channels and other consumer touch points; • Leveraging events, classes and other in-person experiences to grow store traffic, showcase the retailer’s depth of product offerings and build community relationships; • Arming in-store associates with the information and product knowledge they need to enhance the sales process; and • Expanding the retailer’s high-touch, information-intensive sales processes beyond the store to digital and social touch points.

Consumer data is everywhere, and while your customers may have shown they’re willing to share their information with you, in return they expect a better buying experience – one with less friction and more personalized service.

They want instant access to the products that interest them and the ability to get those items into their hands as quickly as possible. Your shoppers don’t want one-size-fits-all product suggestions, and they won’t tolerate delays when it comes to completing their transactions and taking delivery of their purchases.

91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that recognize, remember and provide relevant offers and recommendations.

Source: Accenture, Pulse Check 2018

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One primary challenge retailers face today in upholding their end of such data-sharing deals is that often, they’re still relying on fragmented ecosystems with customer information spread across numerous disparate platforms. This makes it difficult to gain insight into a shopper’s buying history and preferences, and where openings exist to recommend complementary products.

As the sea of data expands, you have an opportunity to stand out from your competitors and attract customers by delivering a highlypersonalized experience that gets right to the heart of what your shoppers want and expect.

• Get a complete customer view by connecting data about their online buying activity with their in-store purchases.

• Identify products that align with the shopper’s purchase history and preferences.

• Use endless-aisle technology to expand the buying experience and provide shoppers with the products they want.

• Bridge the data between your back-end systems.

Using the right blend of technology, specialty retailers can look across each customer’s data profile – which products they viewed online, what they’ve already purchased and how frequently they’re buying from your brand. Your in-store associates will be able to connect thedots and use that information in the moment to close the sale by making the shopper’s experience come to life.

Your customers have no shortage of available buying options.

They can go online, complete a few clicks and have their new item on its way in just a few minutes. Competing against multicategory merchants – many of which offer lower shipping costs to shoppers with higher order values – is an obstacle for retailers, but it isn’t insurmountable. As a specialty retailer, you have a tremendous asset that many big-box and online-only sellers don’t, and that’s the ability to create an inperson experience that deepens the customer relationship and drives better retention. Consider that your customers may not be making quick purchases; often, they’re spending a considerable amount of money or making a significant change to their lifestyle.

Customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020.

Source: Walker, Customers 2020

Savvy brands can take advantage of this niche, and its more involved sales cycle, to make the in-person experience part of the customer’s buying decision. If your locations offer classes or hold other types of events, you have a valuable opportunity to leverage technology to grow your in-store traffic, showcase the depth and value of your product offerings, and build strong and lasting community relationships.

• Make it easy for customers to book appointments and schedule classes online.

• Give customers a sense of belonging by offering them opportunities to learn and connecting them with others who share their interests.

• Use in-store digital signage to boost engagement and inform shoppers about upcoming events.

• Enhance buyers’ satisfaction by showing them how to get the most value out of their purchases.

• Add personalized email communications and event invitations to bring customers back into the store.

• Leverage social media channels to advertise events and encourage shoppers to visit the nearest location.

A robust technology platform will enable your brand to provide easy access to consistent information — pricing, product details, event times and locations — while driving increased store traffic.

Using the right tools, you can create an in-store experience that sets you apart from the competition and boosts customer satisfaction and retention.

With a better in-person experience in mind, specialty retailers must remember that consumers have more information available to them now than ever before. An increasing number of shoppers conduct thorough research before setting out to make a purchase, and they enter your stores with an impressive amount of product knowledge.

Between traditionally high turnover rates of in-store staff and the enormous volume of new products and accessories coming to market, sales associates may not have as much familiarity with the latest releases. This can put you at a disadvantage if your in-store associates must scramble to catch up. You could lose your customers’ trust, and they may even wonder if their trip was a waste of time. Technology is the key to address this challenge. It enables your store representatives to keep up with the pace of commerce today. But a proper retail management system should encompass much more than just the POS transactional component in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Acting as a sales aid in the store environment, the right tools put vital information at associates’ fingertips to help them move your customers through the buying journey.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

61% of organizations say that forming better relationships with their customers can provide a true competitive advantage in their markets.

Source: Experian, 2018 Global Data Management Benchmark Report

the right time, all of the customer data your brand has been collecting over the years can finally deliver tangible value in the form of deepening existing relationships and driving revenue.

When your customers receive communications tailored to their buying history and personal profile, they’re more likely to click through to see what you have to offer. For example, is wedding season on the way? If so, a discount code for cufflinks and ties may be most effective when argeted at customers who have purchased a suit in the last few years.

Shoppers have greater confidence in their purchase when the sales rep is knowledgeable. Additionally, supporting technologies such as Endless Aisle, with its immersive content, enable a frictionless and informed purchasing experience.

Rounding out the empowerment of your in-store associates is the Dropship platform, which puts any number of flexible delivery options on the table and allows customers to choose where, how and how quickly they want their items shipped.

• Look up products and share details with shoppers while they’re still in the store.

• Have visibility into the full spectrum of inventory — in every store, warehouse and distribution center, and even what’s available from suppliers.

• Provide access to immersive content instore so buyers can validate their purchase decision and complete their transaction on the spot.

• Offer delivery to the shopper’s home or to the store, in case additional setup or training is needed.

By putting powerful technology in the hands of your in-store associates, you’ll empower them to never have to say “No” to customers.

With their longer and more complex buying cycles, specialty retailers often bump up against difficulties maintaining customer engagement. Shoppers may want to contemplate their purchases. Some need to sit down with an expert to ask questions and discuss a product’s features and functionality.

Others might not make this type of purchase often and need help navigating the various options.

The result is a sales process that doesn’t always begin and end in the store. And because their journey may take more time, it can be a challenge to keep your customers’ attention on your brand.

Automation – applied in the right ways and used as part of a broader strategy – can help you extend the customer relationship.

1. Example: A wireless brand leverages automation to touch base with customers whose contracts are coming due.

2. Example: A jewelry retailer relies on automation to let it know when a customer’s anniversary or birthday is on the horizon.

Automation doesn’t replace your in-store associates.

Instead, because store staff inevitably have downtime, you can recapture some of those hours through the use of automation.

Best-in-class systems remove the guesswork for associates by clearly identifying touch points for customers based on any number of parameters — key dates, historical purchasing patterns, even the length of time since the customer’s last instore visit. With a quick email or text message sent at just

A customer was just in the store as a result of the text message they got on their phone about a relevant promotion.

I’m pleased with that type of ROI. Charlie Kariainen, Director of Sales, TEAM Wireless iQmetrix customer

Retailers that are winning — and winning big — have prioritized data-driven personalization and automation.

Impersonal interactions are yesterday. Highly relevant, personalized experiences that feel organic and natural are the key to success tomorrow.

Though the in-store experience remains a powerful asset, specialty retailers must also work to make their digital touch points with customers equally effective. In a sea of social media channels and email inboxes, shoppers can more easily hit Delete rather than take the time to read everything in front of them. Getting your communications noticed takes good data and knowledge of what your shoppers want.

With its strong automation capabilities, RQ makes it easy to xtend your high-touch sales process into the digital realm.

Consider your loyalty program. It’s an important component in many retailers’ strategies, and you can boost its impact with the right approach. Using online touch points, you can reinforce the value of your customers’ rewards points and direct them to products they can buy with their loyalty rewards.

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Customized receipts are another option. They offer a lasting reminder of your warranty policy, of recurring events held in your brick-and-mortar stores, and of suggestive sell items that dovetail with the customer’s previous purchases. Including these messages on personalized receipts can bring shoppers back into your store.

The importance of post-sale support can’t be overstated.

Because your buying cycle may be information- and timeintensive, a customer survey or follow-up questionnaire may offer a timely way to reconnect after a purchase. Ask customers what you could have done better. Solicit their feedback on their sales associate’s knowledge level. Inquire about any lingering product questions they may have. By identifying opportunities to improve, you can move your brand to the front of the pack while showing your customers that you value their input.

PERSONALIZATION QUIZ Is your brand already a specialty retail superstar, or is there room for improvement? Take our quiz to discover your position and identify opportunities to sharpen your specialty retail skills.

1.

Has your brand earned a reputation as the go-to place for customers to receive expert advice on product features, functionalities, and compatibility with accessories or other related items?

2.

Is your catalog focused on a few key product categories but brimming with options so customers can choose the perfect configuration for their needs?

3.

Are your stores known for community participation, perhaps through sponsoring of local sports teams, hosting classes or other events, volunteering for community fundraisers, or helping to advertise holiday or school celebrations?

4.

Do your customers feel confident that your longtime sales associates know their needs and preferences, either because of their past shopping history or through ongoing email, text and social media communications?

5.

Does your brand offer shoppers the same wide array of shipping and delivery options, no matter if they make their purchase in-store or online?

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, it’s time to move your brand to the front of the pack and take your place as a trusted specialty retailer.

Call iQmetrix today to learn how our suite of retail solutions can help you modernize your technology stack, drive better customer retention and improve long-term shopper satisfaction.

45% of consumers said one of the coolest engagement tactics used by brands today is sending apology emails after offering poor in-store or online experiences.

Source: Accenture, Pulse Check 2018

With our retail POS and management solutions found in over 20,000 stores, iQmetrix’s software is designed to power specialty retailers. From wireless dealers and repair shops to home goods, liquor stores, and everything in between, we support retailers who are focused on delivering a unique, personalized experience to their customers. Beyond our POS, our commerce platform offers powerful business intelligence, endless aisle, drop ship, e-commerce, and payment solutions, as well as an integrated network of over 35 partners – enabling us to be the single solution to multiple retail challenges. For nearly 20 years, we’ve proven our ability to be the #1 company for supporting retail growth; helping our clients by providing excellent software, services, and expertise that enables them to adapt and thrive.

Learn more at www.iQmetrix.com.

Retail TouchPoints is an online publishing network for retail executives, with content focused on optimizing the customer experience across all channels. The Retail TouchPoints network is comprised of three weekly e-newsletters, special reports, web seminars, exclusive benchmark research, an insightful editorial blog, and a contentrich web site featuring daily news updates and multi-media interviews at www.retailtouchpoints.com.

The Retail TouchPoints team also interacts with social media communities via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Phone: 201.257.8528 Email: info@retailtouchpoints.com

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FEATURED MEMBER

Gregory Vogt Contributes to the

Growth and Success of MECS+R O

ver the past fifteen years, Gregory “Greg” Vogt has contributed generously to the growth and success of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres + Retailers (MECS+R).

Originally from Canada, Greg has lived in the region for years.

He is an international retail leasing professional with over 28 years’ experience. Very few retail professionals have enjoyed such a wide variety of international successes as Greg. From working in leading institutional retail real estate firms in Canada, moving to Warsaw with Wola Park, then to CityStars with The Mall of Egypt in Cairo; Emaar with The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall; then with Majid Al Futtaim with Mirdif City Centre, Dubai and Beirut City Centre, Beirut.Perhaps his most high profile assignment regionally was running the leasing program of Gulf Related’s 140,000 square metre super-regional Al Maryah Central in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

Greg’s most significant contribution to the industry is his time generously shared and invested with the MECS+R, educating students from around the world. Greg is a ‘leasing guy’ who has inspired, mentored and created many careers for like-minded professionals in the region. Through the years, Greg has readily volunteered and has participated in delivering our retail leasing

education programs to over one thousand students in the region.

In the past, our industry-leading program was named after John T. Riordan, a gentleman working only in North America. Given Greg’s wide-ranging international knowledge and the impact he has made locally and regionally, we have renamed our education program to honor him called the GVS - Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals.

His many contributions to the MECS+R organization also include a wide selection of current and relevant new curriculum which he has created and refined over his retail leasing and shopping centre career.

In line with our objective of honoring, renaming and rebranding our MECS+R education programs, we now have a distinctive new education brand name and logo which our team has created with his input and blessing.

We welcome you to the:

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THE JunE 15-18, 2020

Dubai, uNiTED aRab EMiRaTES

Delegates will master core concepts, share ideas and identify successful strategies alongside colleagues from around the world to equip yourself to succeed.

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MECS+R MEMBER’S SEGMENT

MECS+R Corporate Members

Newly Signed-Up from July to September 2019 Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Property Management Company

Look Who’s Joined MECS+R!!!

New and Renewed Individual Members from July to September 2019 AUSTRALIA Anudeep Beniwal

CRX, CSM, CLS, CMD

Francis Loughran AZERBAIJAN Javid Salimov Rahim Abbasov BAHRAIN Farah Mohamed El Dardiri Paul Poulose CANADA Michael L. Kehoe EGYPT Habiba M. Abdelaziz Mohamed Abou Alainain Nour Abdelaziz GERMANY Heike Naglery IRAN Ehsan Iranmanesh Farbod Homaei Hediyeh Saeidi Maryam Ensan Mohsen Behdari Niko Keshtkar Omid Keshtkar Pantea Deirmakani Saeed Velayati Shahriyar Keshavarz Shahrokh Keshavarz Toofan Khosravinia

KUWAIT Abdulaziz El-Souri Ahmed Osama Badawy Ali Kalakish Anish Varghese Aram Mkrtchyan Audrey Fernandes Bassem Bitar Claudia Lopusinska Dalia Ashraf Muhammad Eman Modwi Fatme El Mouabi Hisham Hamza Ismail Saddiq Lauren Hanson Mesh'al Khaled Alshihah Nermeen Bishady Sanjay Madhok Saravana Sainath Tania Khoury Zayoun LEBANON Jana Kattar Joanna Chaanine Lucy Poshoghlian Nisrine Hammoud Rony Aoun, CSM Samar Akkou Ziad Dakroub

JORDAN Imad Bukhari

OMAN Asif Hussein Gogi George Kristoff Jacques Majid Al Burtamani Poduvayil Anil Kumar Rami Jarrar Salim Qatan Sankaranarayanan CR Sheikh Harith Al Ghazali

KENYA James Muriu

PAKISTAN Zahid Nayeem

IRAQ Suha Mabrouk

SAUDI ARABIA Abdul Rahman Balaa Abdul Rahman El Balaa Abdulaziz Al Goshayan Abdullah Alsharif Abdullah Baharoon Abdullah Mohammed Al Mokadeb Abdullah Mshgan Abdulmohsen Aldhubaya Abed Althebaiti Ahmed Al Sarheed Ahmed Albishri Ahmed Mahboub Ahmed Shalabi Al Rayan Gadouri Ala Abu Mahfouz Alaa Hatahet Alawi Amin Ahmed Aljefri Amin Saeed Ashraf Diab Awad Mahmoud Aymen Batarfy Emad Abdulgany Fahad Al Tamimi Fahad Alshathri Farraj Saleh Al-Malki Geji Masilela Hamdy Makled Hani Bawazir Hattan Sameer Alnajjar Hattan Samman Hissah Habbab Albaqami Hosam A Khairalla Jabril Ahnish Jaweed Obaidallah Alhindi Khaled Al Ajmi Khaled Bin Mahfouz Khaled Sead Alsakry

Luai AlNajjar Majdi Al Tamimi Majed Aljuaid Meshari Monef Mishal Al Hokair Mohamad Kasim Mohammed Abdulmohsen Al Tuwalah Mohammed Albishri Mohammed Ibrahim Saeedi Mudassir Shakeel Nada Al Ateegi Naif Dhafer Abdulrahman Ashehri Norah Alotaibi Nouf Alburaidy Omar Abdulaziz Al Maghazwi Rakan Aljehani Ramzi Abu Hassan Safa Imam Saleh Kurdi Salman Hantoul Samer Bannun Suleiman Ali Odeh Syed Zishaan Ali Talat Badawy Tirta Brata Panda Waleed Alshehri Walid Ali Alsherif Zaher Abdulmajeed Zakir Hussain Ziyad Sami Khairallah TURKEY Alev Calik Azat Çamlibel UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Abdulrahman Al Eissa Ahmed Emam Ahmet Kayhan Aisha Yorks

Alaa Al Duwaish Alenoosh Mirzakhanyan Alesia Troshko Alexander Prietz Alfred Abi Antoun Ali El Chab Ali Talib Al Jadere Angus Woodhead Avijit Yadav CMD, CSM, CDP, CLS, CRX

Basel Hussein Bashar Tamimi Belal Mahmoud Benoy Kurien Biju George Bill Fordyce Carmie Aguinaldo Chadi Mezher Charo Sayno Colin Dowall Colin Beaton Dana Andrie Soadermo Ellen Landayan Eman Al Tamimi Farhoud Chaparian Gamal Amin Ibrahim Abdelnabi Genevieve Colaco Hadia Ahmed Hani Al Hussein Harvey Monk Hassan Farouk Ramadan Abdelmohsen Iyas Khatib Jihad Dirani Joelle Elias John Ogier Joseph Kerbaj Karim Gamal Khaled Abuhamdeh Khalid Shraim Leena Hamad Lorraine Mascarenhas

Majid Al Ghurair Marwan Eskandarani Matthew Dadd Mayada Ismail Mehreen Ghouri Michael Brennan Michael J Davidson Mohamed Nagah Ahmed Elshabrawi Mohammed Taha Mohammed Zakir Khan Mohit Ahuja Mona Shaaban Abdul Aziz Abdul Majeed Mustafa Omar Nahla Al Abdul Salam Nishath Abbas Pierre Cassimatis Priya Chellani Rana Abu Samra Rima Chammas Rishad PK Roshan Baban Sahar Ostad Mohammad Seraj Saleh Al Shawa Salim MA Samiksha Naik Saumitra Sabnis Suheil Rumhein Thaslim Hamsa Vanessa Hinton Wadii El Jourani Wessam Soliman Zaid Almahmoud UNITED KINGDOM David Kemp Mark Anders UNITED STATES Alexander Goldfarb Chris Crawford Shannon Juett

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P R E V I O U S LY R E C O N Organized by the largest Retail Industry Association

"There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth" ‑ Tolstoy

EXPERT SPEAKERS

KEynoTE SPEAKER

KEynoTE SPEAKER

DAViD RowAn

cATE TRoTTER

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AuTHOR, FOundIng edITOR uK wiRED

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pARTneR AfES

leAdeR COnSumeR InduSTRy iBm miDDlE EAST

STRATegy COnSulTAnT iBm miDDlE EAST, AfRicA AnD TuRKEy

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ReTAIl InduSTRy leAd mIddle eAST iBm miDDlE EAST

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FOundeR THE VAluEgRAPHicS DATABASE

COunTRy CHAIRmAn Jll TuRKEy

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FOundeR & COO ViAfonE TEcHnologiES llc

CeO SAHAT PRoPERTy

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gm mARkeTIng & enTeRTAInmenT DuBAi fESTiVAl ciTy mAll Al fuTTAim gRouP REAl ESTATE

dIgITAl InnOvATIOn dIReCTOR Al fARwAniyA PRoPERTy DEVEloPmEnTS llc (REEm mAll)

www.retailcongressmena.com For further information: visit www.retailcongressmena.com l To register contact: lea@mecsc.org or call +971 (0)4 359 7909 RP-21-Retail2.indd 51

10/17/19 3:30 PM

Contents

53

Welcome Message

54

Thank You to MECS+R Board Members & Regional Representatives

55 56

60 61

62 119

2019 RETAIL CONGRESS MENA Sponsors & Partners Conference Program & Speakers Exhibitors and Deal Making Event Floor Plan Sponsor Profiles Exhibitor Profiles

2019 Middle East and North Africa Shopping Centre & Retailer Awards Welcome Message MENA Shopping Centres & Retailers Awards Jury Judging and Scoring Procedure Gala Evening Awards MENA Awards Finalist • Category 1: Traditional Marketing • Category 2: NOI Enhancement • Category 3: Design and Development • Category 4: Retail Excellence • Category 5: Best MENA Retail Brand • Category 6: Retail Professional of the Year • Category 7: Service Excellence

125

126 128

129

130

132

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2019 Welcome Message

Retail Congress Conference & Exhibition The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retailers (MECS+R) are pleased to welcome you to the 26th Anniversary of the Retail Congress Conference, Exhibition and the Awards Gala Dinner for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Western and Central Asia Region. This event is the leading retailer and shopping centre convention and is the region’s dedicated forum for Retailers, Shopping Centre Owners, Developers, Service Providers, Managers and all Retail Industry Professionals.

The Age of Focus – is our theme at the 2019 Retail Congress Conference Keynote Speakers

David Rowan is our first keynote speaker. Current and Future Trends in the World of Consumer Insights and Consumer Behavior – Author, Tech Investor, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine in the UK are the credentials from David Rowan. Understanding the current and future trends of consumer insight is the topic of David’s presentation. Author of Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s smartest minds, David is no stranger to the leading edge of technology and what we know is coming in the future. Join us and listen to his views on where we are headed in the global pursuit of technology and how we can use this technology which fulfills our human needs.

Cate Trotter is our second keynote speaker. The Future of Physical Retail Space Physical retail spaces continue to sell more - eMarketer predicts that $2trn, or 8%, more sales will go through stores by 2023.

But as the time we spend on digital devices also rises, the role of the store changes. Cate Trotter is the Head of Trends at Insider Trends. She’s worked with brands such as Ikea, Nike, Chanel and Galeries Lafayette. She’ll show you a range of forward-thinking brands devising new uses for space, supercharging their growth and profits in the process.

Come along to discover: • The high-tech AND the low-tech futures for the store • Examples of businesses innovating and growing their bottom line • The low-tech stores designed with technology in mind • The approach to in-store tech that separates the winners from the losers • Questions to help you act on these trends and boost your business You’ll walk away with a fresh view of world-leading businesses and what you can do to get ahead.

David Allison joins us from Vancouver, Canada where he heads up Valuegraphics. Learn from the creator of Valuegraphics how you can predict and influence the behavior of your customers and audience by managing Big Data. See how bringing messaging, science and motivational data to every idea, to every interaction in business and life can change your perspective on how the world works. Learn how to engage with your audience, your clients, stakeholders, shareholders and those in your life by looking at data differently.

Deal Making Sessions are once again the main feature at this year’s Retail Congress Conference. Our speaker line up and panel sessions are full of innovative thought leaders who all have a great track record in the retail industry. These retail industry leaders will share their insights into what is creating the fabric of the current retail scene.

Our members tell us that they are able to complete a full year of business in two days at our Retail Congress Conference. Our team at the MECS+R urges each and everyone to take advantage of this unique annual opportunity to meet and chat with the retail industry professionals in the room with you throughout the Conference.

We want to thank the MECS+R Board Members, Thank you also to our tireless workers on the MECS+R team who have worked so hard over the past months to make this 2019 Retail Congress Conference a reality.

Best Wishes for a Great Conference!!

DAVID MACADAM

YOUNUS AL MULLA

Chief Executive Officer MECS+R

Chairman MECS+R

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to our 2019 & 2020 Board Members and Regional Representatives Our organization is blessed with great members who support the MECS+R with their time, talent and advice. It is our privilege and honor to work with such a passionate group of accomplished professionals as Board Members and Regional Representatives.

MECSC Board Members YOUNUS AL MULLA Chairman - MECS+R

Our Regional Representatives contributed enormously again in 2019 to the success of the Spring Board Networking Events across the MENA region including Western and Central Asia.

We have expanded plans for the Springboard Networking Events including more custom education programs planned in 2019 and 2020.

MAZEN QANDEEL President - MECS+R Executive Director - Granada Investment Centre Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ALFRED ABI ANTOUN Board Member, Head of Retail KSA & Egypt - JLL, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The MECS+R team has already begun working on the new and expanded version of the 2020 MECS+R Directory. We want to make the MECS+R Directory the ‘go-to’ reference book and a ‘must-have’ for the retail industry in the MENA region in both hard copy and digitally.

RONY AOUN Board Member, CEO & General Manager Shopping Mall Advisory Group Sin El-Fil, Lebanon

WAIL BALKHAIR Board Member, CEO SAHAT Property Management Co. Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A collective effort is essential to make the MECS+R Association the success that it has become. The credit belongs to our professional Board Members, committed Regional Representatives and the truly passionate team at the MECS+R.

ALESSANDRO GAFFURI Board Member, Founder & CEO CELS Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A sincere THANK YOU to each and every colleague, member and friend for their time, effort, energy and support in achieving our many successes!

MARCELLO LARIZZA Board Member, General Manager Shopping Malls Line Investments & Property LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

NADA ABOU SAAB Board Member, Director of Marketing Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

MAIMUNAH SHEBANI Board Member, Managing Director The Retail Agency, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

David Macadam CEO – MECS+R

Regional Representatives 2019 – 2020

MOHAMED GALAL President & CEO TSM Mall Management Egypt

SAMAR AKKOU, CSM, CLS Leasing Manager CityMall Lebanon

SHAHROKH KESHAVARZ CEO and Founder Golden Business Magazine Iran

LINA ABBAS Leasing Manager Tamdeen Mall Management Kuwait

SHILPI SENGUPTA Head of Specialty Leasing Gulf Related UAE

SHAUKAT ALI KHAN ZIAD MOGHRABIAH General Manager Abdulrahman Chief Operating Officer Saad Al-Rashid and Sons Co. Sahat Property Management Co. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia

MALIK QAISER AWAN CEO Nextransact Pvt Ltd Pakistan

JUBY JOSE Head of Marketing & Specialty Leasing Dalma Mall UAE

ANDREW WILLIAMSON Director of Sales & Leasing URBN Limited Azerbaijan

GOGI GEORGE General Manager Lulu Group International Oman

REYHAN GULIYEVA CEO RGMC LLC Azerbaijan

ZAIN ABU SITTEH Leasing and Marketing Manager The Phoenix for Real Estate Management Company Swefieh Village Jordan

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P R E V I O U S LY R E C O N

O R GA NIZEd B y ThE LARGEsT RETAI L INdUs TR y AssO c IATIO N s

pL ATIN Um spO N sO R s

GOLd spONsORs

sILVER spONsORs

BRONZE spONsORs

Visitor Analytics for the Physical World

OFFIcIAL AIRLINE pARTNER

OFFIcIAL EXhIBITION cONTRAcTOR

EXcLUsIVE dELEGATE BAdGE spONsOR

EXcLUsIVE dELEGATE BAG & LANyARd spONsOR

GALA GIFT spONsOR

TEchNOLOGy pARTNER

BURJ NAHAR MALL

‫ﺑـــﺮج ﻧﻬــــﺎر ﻣﻮل‬

mEdIA pARTNERs

Insights

sUppORT pARTNERs

REGIsTRATION pARTNER

WWW.AZDEF.COM

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AZAB PRODUCTION GROUP FZE

Powered by THE Emirates HERITAGE FLORIST EST. 1975

EXhIBITORs

BURJ NAHAR MALL

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McARTHUR

+ COMPANY SHOPPING CENTRE SPECIALISTS

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TM

solutions for real estate

WWW.AZDEF.COM

RP-21-Retail2.indd 55

AZAB PRODUCTION GROUP FZE

Visitor Analytics for the Physical World

10/20/19 5:01 PM

Conference Programme & Speakers MASTERCLASS: Sunday – October 27, 2019 10:00 – 16:00

Pre- Conference Masterclass: Workshop

13:00 - Learn how the best brands connect with their consumers online, offline and in person

Samaya Ballroom, Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC

10:00 - Learn how 25,000 customers globally use

Kevin Doherty

AI and blockchain technology to grow and secure their retail business.

Managing Director Fitch

Steffen Schaack

14:00 - David Rowan’s Q&A session

SVP Global Business Development Real Estate Drooms

In this session you are able to ask questions to one of the world’s great authorities on technology-led disruption. Come and learn from the author of Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds.

11:00 - Leadership Training 3 characteristics of a Great Leader which you must learn and deliver daily – Learn about leadership motivation traits

David Rowan Author, Tech Investor Founding Editor UK Wired

Arthur Carmazzi Global 10 Thought Leader Directive Communication

15:00 - Learn the hard-earned lessons on how to develop a successful outdoor centre in Makkah

12:00 - Interactive session to learn how Scott and his team at IBM help retailers to drive an artificial intelligence revolution making their businesses thrive. Learn lessons from retailers and shopping centre owners and managers

Wail Balkhair CEO Sahat Property

18:00 – 20:00 Scott Ellis

Welcome to Retail Congress 2019 – Kick off Cocktail Party Reception Join us to salute the Retail Congress Sponsors at our Kick-Off Cocktail Party Awards Ceremony.

The venue is The Sunken Garden in the Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC

Retail Industry Lead Middle East IBM Middle East

CONFERENCE DAY ONE: Monday – October 28, 2019 9:00 – 10:00

Registration and Coffee Samaya Ballroom, Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC

10:00 – 10:15

10:15 – 10:30

Younus Al Mulla

Conference Official Opening & Welcome

Chairman MECS+R

David Macadam CEO MECS+R

Mazen Qandeel Board President MECS+R

Richard Dean Master of Ceremonies Dubai Eye

Welcome Addresses

10:30 – 11:15

Keynote Address: David Rowan David’s presentation will help us understand current and future trends in the world of consumer insights and consumer behavior. The human needs that technology fulfills are what you need; it is not just the technology. How to keep businesses from

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becoming irrelevant this year or next and how to use technology-led disruption to your advantage.

Exploring exponential technologies and today’s untapped billion-dollar opportunities awaiting us all. David Rowan, founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED’s UK edition (2008-17), is the author of Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Transworld 2019), a global quest for bold corporate innovation in the face of technology-led disruption. He’s taken 130 flights in the past year to investigate the companies and entrepreneurs changing our world and has spent time with the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious startups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen. Come and listen to David’s views on where we are headed in the global pursuit of technology and how we can use this technology which fulfills our human needs to our advantage.

Understand how you can contribute to the future of the retail industry.

Dina Sidani Head of Greenhouse Chalhoub Group

12:30 – 13:00

In this session learn from the creator of Valuegraphics, David Allison, how you can predict and influence the behavior of your customers and audience by managing Big Data. Bringing messaging, science and motivational data to every idea to every interaction in everything in business and in life. What does data say about customer experience? Change the way you look at the world. How to engage with your audience, clients, stakeholders, shareholders and anyone in your life by looking at data differently.

David Rowan Author, Tech Investor Founding Editor-in-Chief UK Wired

11:15 – 12:00

Leading retailers and technology experts discuss in this interactive panel format how the leaders in online and physical retail are using cutting-edge technologies including fintech, biometrics, augmented reality and artificial intelligence across every customer touchpoint to deliver transformational customer journeys and build customer loyalty.

Richard Dean Master of Ceremonies Dubai Eye

Owen Farrow Leader Consumer Industry IBM Middle East

Asma Shabab Strategy Consultant IBM Middle East, Africa and Turkey

Sarya Berirmen

Digital Innovation Director Al Farwaniya Property Development LLC (Reem Mall)

12:00 – 12:30

Exploring Chalhoub Group’s Greenhouse – Innovation in a retail – technology accelerator program – matching startups with corporate sponsors.

Come and learn from retail leader Chalhoub Group’s new groundbreaking initiative in the retail world called Greenhouse. Retail mentors linking with digital experts. Hear the new and exciting results from this creative enterprise.

Valuegraphics - the end of Demographic Stereotypes. Predicting and Influencing Behavior Around the World. Using Big Data to detect what your customer wants.

David Allison Founder The Valuegraphics Database

13:00 – 13:30

Digital gets Physical: From the World Wide Web to the Big Wide World Semi-permanent, short-term branded storefronts are ideal for digital-native brands trying to break into the brick-and-mortar world. Brandbox is a new retail concept geared to bring digital brands into the physical world to engage customers in ways not possible on-line. These in-between” spaces allow digital retailers to create immersive physical experiences that let them enter new markets in a cost-effective way. Learn from FITCH, the design consultancy behind Brandbox, about its concepting strategy, the success in bringing this idea to market and how projects like these can breathe new life into ailing shopping centres and malls.

Key Takeaways: • Semi-permanent storefronts can enable digital native brands to reach new customers through new experiences • Brand personalization through design is paramount for semi-permanent projects • Uncover new ideas for saving underperforming malls and shopping centres • Brand personalization through design is paramount for semi-permanent projects • Uncover new ideas for saving underperforming malls and shopping centres

David Blair Global CEO Fitch

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13:30 – 13:45

Viaphone success on AI and Chatbots Souffiane is the Group Head of Loyalty and the Founder and COO of Viafone Technology. Learn how to enhance your customer experience instantly using WhatsApp. Create your virtual companion to interact with your customers creating a favored digital meeting place. Reach out to your customers on their preferred communication channel: WhatsApp, Facebook, WeChat, Telegram enhance customer experience via an Artificial Intelligence companion available 24/7 in multiple languages including Arabic.

Reward customers who engage with retailers through short tactical campaigns via WhatsApp.

Souffiane Houti Founder & COO Viafone Technologies LLC

13:45 – 15:00

Exclusive Networking Lunch for Delegates Cara Restaurant

15:00

End of Conference Day One

15:00 – 15:20

MECS+R Annual General Meeting Samaya Conference Ballroom

11:15 – 11:45

The Future of Outlet Malls in the Region

CONFERENCE DAY TWO: Tuesday – October 29, 2019 09:30 – 10:00

Registration and Coffee

10:00 – 10:15

Opening and Welcome Remarks

Many forms, styles and designs of retail environments have been created in the region over the past decade. Outlet Malls have found their place and identified their economic niche in the retail community. The panel of experts will discuss what makes an Outlet Mall particularly successful regionally and globally. Outlet Malls are different. How to lease these assets, how to manage them and the key differences in operating them will be discussed. Outlet Malls are one type of shopping centre category which are growing in popularity and sales volumes regionally and globally. Join this interactive session to find out why.

David Macadam CEO MECS+R

Richard Dean Master of Ceremonies Dubai Eye

10:30 – 11:15

The Renaissance of Physical Retail Space Physical retail spaces continue to sell more – e-marketer predicts that $2trn, or 8%, more sales will go through stores by 2023. And as the time we spend on digital devices also rises, the role of the store changes. Cate Trotter is the Head of Trends at Insider Trends. She works with brands such as Ikea, Nike, Chanel and Galeries Lafayette.

She’ll show you a range of forward-thinking brands devising new uses for space, supercharging their growth and profits in the process.

Come along to discover: • The High-Tech and the Low-Tech Futures for the stores • Examples of businesses innovating and growing their bottom line • The low-tech stores designed with technology in mind • The approach to in-store tech that separates the winners from the losers

• Questions to help you act on these trends and boost your business You’ll walk away with a fresh view of world-leading businesses and what you can do to get ahead.

Cate Trotter Head of Trends Insider Trends

Richard Dean Master of Ceremonies Dubai Eye

Avijit Yadav CEO Tamdeen Mall Management

Avi Alkas Country Chairman JLL Turkey

11:45 – 12:00

People make your Business!

Nisha Jagtiani, Group Director, Landmark Group discusses what it takes to keep a workforce of over 55,000 employees, across 10 countries engaged, focused and happy. Along with her position on the Landmark Group’s Board and retail leadership roles, Nisha leads the business with her biggest passion – people. As leader of Human Resources for the Landmark Group, Nisha is the driving force behind the Landmark

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Happiness Movement and Beat Diabetes, the Group’s flagship CSR initiative. She advocates her motto ‘People First’ to make the Landmark Group and the wider community a better place. She also chairs the GCC chapter for the British Asian Trust.

A strategist, performance conductor, compliance and governance regulator, coach and advisor for the successful operations of the company, Nisha will be sharing her experiences of building the culture of Landmark Group. Join the discussion to understand the importance of happiness and work satisfaction, what effective leadership means, sustainability and career growth in a complex and competitive professional world.

12:20 – 12:45

Learn what makes this Makkah project different.

How can you use the successful ideas learned in the creation of this project work for you?

Wail Balkhair CEO Sahat Property

12:45 – 13:30

Landmark Group

Alternative Project Financing Opportunities – MENA Region – American Franchise Export Service Attend this interactive panel session to learn about low-cost funding programs which are available to international companies looking to expand opportunities to market and sell US retail and food services brands. US Export Credit Agency, US Export-Import Bank representatives will be available in our deal-making sessions and participating in this panel session. Learn how this alternative funding can supplement current funding abilities to expand sales and to acquire new franchise opportunities.

American Franchise Export Services have enabled the expansion of important franchises globally.

Learn from and meet the people who can expand your retail portfolio as a retailer or shopping centre owner or manager in this panel session.

David Macadam CEO

Cate Trotter Head Of Trends Insider Trends

Baiju Kurieash CEO & MD BUZ Management and Marketing Consulting

Vanessa Hinton GM Marketing & Entertainment Dubai Festival City Mall Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

13:30 – 15:00

Exclusive Networking Lunch for Delegates Cara Restaurant

15:00

End of Conference Day Two

15:00 – 16:00

MECS+R Board Meeting Salon 5, Mezzanine Floor Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC

MECS+R

18:00 – 19:00 David Junk Managing Partner AFES

Panel Discussion – Age of Focus – Rethinking Marketing Strategies in the Retail and Shopping Centre Industry.

Rethinking Marketing Strategies – Throw Out the Old Marketing Strategies – they do not work anymore. New Marketing Strategies are here and are making Good News Headlines! Come and learn how and why.

Nisha Jagtiani Group Director 12:00 – 12:20

New Retail in Makkah – a new niche in retail real estate has been created in Makkah

MECS+R MENA Gala Dinner Awards Cocktail Reception Exhibition Area

19:00 – 22:00

MECS+R MENA Gala Dinner Awards

Robert Junk Partner

Richard Dean Master of Ceremonies

AFES

Dubai Eye

**Concurrent Deal-Making Sessions from 10:00am onwards on 28 and 29 October 2019 in Sahaab 1 & Sahaab 2 Meeting Rooms and Salon 1 to Salon 7 Mezzanine Meeting Rooms.

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Exhibitors Abdullah Al Othaim Investments Co. & Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Co. Country: UAE/ SAUDI ARABIA

Real Oud Factory/Fragrance Du Bois Country: UAE

Booth Location:

6-7

Amusement Services International Country: UAE

1

Aswaq Management and Services 37-38

Booth Location:

Blue Rhine Industries Booth Location:

52

Burj Nahar Mall Booth Location:

3

BUZ Management and Marketing Consulting Country: UAE

Booth Location:

Booth Location: 55-58

Coniq

Booth Location: 20-21

Saudi Bonyan Co. Booth Location:

Booth Location:

54

Dalma Mall

Booth Location:

Booth Location:

22-23

Funtopia Franchising

Booth Location:

Booth Location:

4

Granada Investments Center Establishment

11 & 13

theleisureway Booth Location: 26

Unified Real Estate Development Company Booth Location: 15

& 17

V-Count Booth Location: 16

Country: UAE

Country: BULGARIA

45-47

The AZDEF Group / Azab Production Group FZE

Country: SAUDI ARABIA

Country: UAE

12

Tamdeen Group

Country: SPAIN

Country: United Kingdom

10

Sahat Property Management Co.

Country: UAE/ SAUDI ARABIA

Country: UAE

Xpandretail Powered by SÃ vant Data System LLC Country: UAE

Booth Location:

51

Booth Location: 39-44

Kingsmen Middle East 35

Country: UAE

Booth Location:

Country: UAE

Booth Location: 24-25

Line Investments & Property LLC LPFLEX Base Industry LLC

Booth Location:

5

LPFLEX Base Industry LLC Booth Location:

5

Mall of Dilmunia Booth Location: 49

MECS+R Booth Location: 36

MK Illumination Country: UAE

Booth Location:

Country: KUWAIT

53

CELS Events & Afkar Lighting

Country: UAE

Retransform

Country: SAUDI ARABIA

Country: UAE

Country: Bahrain

Booth Location: 18-19

Country: SAUDI ARABIA

Country: UAE

Country: UAE

Retail Emotions

Country: UAE Booth Location: 27-28

Country: UAE

Country: UAE

Booth Location: 2

Country: UAE

Blachere Illumination

Country: SAUDI ARABIA

Retail Consulting Group SAL Offshore Country: LEBANON

Booth Location:

Country: UAE

Booth Location: 50

Booth Location: 14

Deal Making DEAL MAKING ROOMS

COMPANY NAME

Sahaab 1 - VIP Room

Salhia Real Estate Company

Sahaab 2 - Table 1

JLL

Sahaab 2 - Table 2

Blachere Illumination

Sahaab 2 - Table 3

Yardi

Booth 26

theleisureway

Booth 37 - 38

Aswaq Management & Services

Salon 2 - VIP Room

Tamdeen Group

Salon 3 - VIP Room

Tamdeen Group

Salon 4 - VIP Room

Line Investments & Property LLC

Salon 6 - VIP Room

Unified Real Estate Development Co.

Salon 7 - VIP Room

Landmark Group - Oasis Mall

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P R E V I O U S LY R E C O N Organized by the largest Retail Industry Association

EvEnt Floor Plan

GROUND FLOOR 6-7

COUNTRY

Al Hokair Group

UAE/Saudi Arabia

1

Amusement Services International

UAE

37 - 38

Aswaq Management and Services

UAE

27 - 28

Blachere Illumination

UAE

52

Blue Rhine Industries

UAE

3

Burj Nahar Mall

UAE

53

3

13

21

4

14

15

22

5

16

17

26

27

35

36

54

Coniq

United Kingdom

22 - 23

Dalma Mall

UAE

4

Funtopia Franchising

Bulgaria

39-44

Granada Investments Center Establishment

Saudi Arabia

35

Kingsmen Middle East

UAE

24 - 25

Line Investments & Property LLC

UAE

5

LPFLEX Base Industry LLC

UAE

48

McArthur + Company

UAE

36

MECS+R

UAE

14

MK Illumination

UAE

2

Retail Consulting Group S.A.L. Offshore

Lebanon

18 - 19

Retail Emotions

UAE

10

Retransform

UAE

20 - 21

Sahat Property Management Co.

Saudi Arabia

12

Saudi Bonyan Co.

45 - 47

Tamdeen Group

11 & 13

The AZDEF Group / Azab Production Group FZE

UAE

26

theleisureway

Spain

15 & 17

Unified Real Estate Development Company

Saudi Arabia

16

V-Count

51

Xpandretail Powered By Sàvant Data System LLC

25

SH2

lIGHt BoX

SoCIal MEDIa Wall

45

39-44

SH3

SaHaaB rooM 2

46

47

48

vIP SaHaaB rooM 1

49

MEDIa ZonE

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

MEZZANINE LEVEL

Salon 2 taMDEEn GroUP

Marketing Consulting

55 - 58

23

28

37-38

DEAL BUZ MAKING SESSIONS Management and UAE UAE

ConFErEnCE anD Gala

EntranCE PrE-FUnCtIon arEa

SH1

CELS Events & Afkar Lighting

20

SalHIa

49 - 50

11

12

rEal EStatE CoMPanY

UAE/Saudi Arabia

10

DEal MaKInG SESSIon

Abdullah Al Othaim Investments Co. & Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Co.

6-7

2

24

rEGIStratIon

COMPANY NAME

19 StaGE

EXHIBITORS BOOTH NO.

18

8&9-F&B 1

Salon 3 Salon 1

lInE InvEStMEntS

MECS+r

Salon 4

taMDEEn GroUP

Salon 5 to loBBY

PrE-FUnCtIon arEa BUSInESS CEntEr lanDMarK GroUP

oaSIS Mall

Unified Real Estate Development Company

Salon 7

Salon 6

GUESt lIFtS

DEAL MAKING SESSIONS DEAL MAKING ROOMS

COMPANY NAME

LOCATION

Sahaab 1 - VIP Room

Salhia Real Estate Company

Ground Floor

Sahaab 2 - Table 1

JLL

Ground Floor

Sahaab 2 - Table 2

Blachere Illumination

Ground Floor

Sahaab 2 - Table 3

Yardi

Ground Floor

Saudi Arabia

Exhibition Area - Booth 26

theleisureway

Exhibition Area

Kuwait

Exhibition Area - Booth 37-38

Aswaq Management and Services

Exhibition Area

Salon 1 - VIP Room

Mezzanine Floor

Salon 2 - VIP Room

Tamdeen Group

Mezzanine Floor

Salon 3 - VIP Room

Tamdeen Group

Mezzanine Floor

Salon 4 - VIP Room

Line Investments & Property LLC

Mezzanine Floor

UAE

Salon 6 - VIP Room

Unified Real Estate Development Co.

Mezzanine Floor

UAE

Salon 7 - VIP Room

Landmark Group - Oasis Mall

Mezzanine Floor

For further information: visit www.retailcongressmena.com l To register contact: lea@mecsc.org or PEOPLE call +971 (0)4 359 7909 RETAIL . OCT-DEC 2019 .61

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 55-58

CELS Events is shaping the future of creative engagement!

We take having fun very seriously. We are committed to imagining, building and performing breathtaking experiences. We want people to dream. From concept to delivery, our exceptional in-house team takes care of every detail of truly bespoke brand events. Inspiring, exciting, impressive – we capture audiences and bring them together.

This is how we capture the audiences and bring them together creating Favourite Meeting Places.

We stage international shows, develop edutainment activities and play thrilling games.

Our original formats challenge any expectation: they are always magic, and we always make them real. We pursue people’s sense of wonder, bringing meaningful memories to any venue: a place to meet, a chance to learn, a keepsake of happiness.

CELS Events is part of CELS Group with over 15 years of expertise. We operate across the GCC region and international offices in Milan, Dubai, Hamburg, Riyadh and London.

CELS Events (part of CELS Group) Commercial Villa 606 Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 3 PO Box 114306, Dubai, UAE Alessandro Gaffuri Founder and Chief Executive Officer

+971 4 341 0699 alessandro@celsgroup.it info@celsgroup.it www.celsevents.com

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PLATINUM SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 55-58

AFKAR Lighting can tell stories.

When it comes to inspiring your visitors, we handcraft lighting designs that strengthen the community bond through lively installations that reflect your values and enhance your servicescape.

We specialize in creating inspirational original festive lighting, handcrafted decorations, and multimedia settings that strengthen the community bond, through lively installations that reflect your brand and enhance your services.

AFKAR Lighting is part of CELS Group with over 15 years of expertise. We operate across the GCC region and international offices in Milan, Dubai, Hamburg, Riyadh and London.

AFKAR Lighting (part of CELS Group) Commercial Villa 606 Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 3 PO Box 114306, Dubai, UAE Alessandro Gaffuri Founder and Chief Executive Officer

+971 4 341 0699 alessandro@celsgroup.it info@celsgroup.it www.afkarlighting.com

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Pioneering Engagement into Tomorrow Chat2AI

VIAFONE TECHNOLOGIES part of CELS Group, aims to foster the relationship with customers before, during and after every “touch point” with your brand, allowing an elevated customer experience.

+971 4 341 0699

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info@viafone.com

www.viafone.com

10/20/19 5:05 PM

What is Chat2AI? A virtual assistant; CHATBOT or bot, is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool used to interact with customers via their preferred messaging platform like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and 9 other multilingual social applications or your website chat, in real time, 24/7 and providing instant, controlled customer service.

Why invest in a CHATBOT for your business?

Think of it as your virtual team member that fills in the gap to enhance internal and external communications for your employees or clients.

Investment in VIAFONE Technologies enables you to deliver end-to-end solutions and tangible value to your customers.

• • • • • •

Communicate your brand seamlessly Automate repetitive tasks and redirect resources elsewhere Increase the frequency of customer engagement Control the quality & speed of customer relations Real time data collection & analytics Encourages repeat customers and customer retention

About CELS Group

We help our clients in creating

Favourite Meeting Places CELS Group is a network of international experts that foster and manage customer engagement and experiences. We help key players in their industry become a focal point, building loyal relationships and strengthening bonds with their community. Thanks to our wide range of expertise, we understand our clients and their customers’ needs.

om

+971 4 341 0699

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info@celsgroup.it

www.cels.group

10/20/19 5:05 PM

CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 22-23

Dalma Mall, is a super-regional shopping mall and one of the largest in Abu Dhabi, prominently situated on Abu Dhabi-Tariff Al Ain highway, opposite to Mohammed Bin Zayed City at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s growth corridor. Sprawling across a total built up area of 2.75 million sq. ft. and a retail space (GLA) of 1.63 million plus sq. ft. area, the mall houses a wide range of international and local fashion brands, entertainment and dining options.

Owned by The Developers Holding LLC, the mall boasts of more than 450 renowned retail brands such as Carrefour, Centrepoint, Debenhams, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Max, GAP, Matalan, Home Centre, Pottery Barn, E-max, Fitness First, Toys R Us, Fun City and many more, including a wide collection of over 50 F&B outlets, 14 screens Cinema and a large variety of Entertainment stores.

A short distance from Maqta Bridge and Abu Dhabi’s international Airport, Dalma Mall, is one of Abu Dhabi’s shopping and tourist destination whilst being a part of the strategic plan of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision which sets out the framework of Emirate’s long term growth.

Dalma Mall PO Box 91122, Abu Dhabi, UAE +971 2 550 6111 Bhupinder Singh General Manager & CFO

info@dalmamall.ae juby@dalmamall.ae lino@dalmamall.ae www.dalmamall.ae

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GOLD

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 45-47

The Tamdeen Group has consistently delivered exceptional results across several businesses including real estate.

Its projects include the prestigious 360 Kuwait and Al Kout, which have won several international awards for architectural design and operational performance. Projects under construction include the upcoming Al Khiran: a hybrid outlet mall, Tamdeen Square: an integrated retail and lifestyle community and The Warehouse Kuwait: a regional shopping centre that caters to value and quality shopping.

The guiding philosophy behind each project has been to set the highest standards in design, development and operations to create exceptional experiences for shoppers and outstanding sales for investors.

Today, the Group is managing and developing over 5 million sq.ft. of space across regional, community, lifestyle, neighbourhood and mixed-use centres with a single-minded purpose; To Build Great Places.

Tamdeen Group 360 Kuwait, 4th Floor PO Box 21816 Safat 13079 Kuwait Christian Wistrom General Manager – Leasing

+965 2208 5550 +965 6551 9579 leasing@tamdeen.com www.tamdeen.com

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Building Great Places.

Creating Exceptional Experiences.

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To ensure your brand is in the right location: Email: Leasing@tamdeen.com Telephone: +965 6551 9579

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Al Khiran Project Under Construction - August 2019

Al Khiran: Kuwait’s first hybrid outlet, leisure and lifestyle destination Project Area GLA Retail Stores Anchors Parking Spaces Park & Boardwalk Marina Berths

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: 350,000 m2 : 70,000 m2 : 300 :6 : 3,700 : 70,000 m2 : 900

Al Khiran, Kuwait’s first Hybrid Outlet Mall will be the heart of the 6.4 million m2 Sabah Al Ahmed Sea City. The 350,000 m2 project will introduce to the region the first of its kind hybrid outlet format, offering customers a mix of outlet and retail shopping, new-to-market F&B concepts within indoor and outdoor settings along with diverse entertainment and leisure components delivering unlimited customer experiences. The project will include 300 retail stores and 51 restaurants complimented with a 5-star resort, 900 berth marina (Kuwait’s largest) and a 70,000 m2 beautifully landscaped waterfront park and boardwalk. Al Khiran Outlet Mall is set to become a favorable shopping destination for visitors from Kuwait and neighbouring countries.

10/20/19 4:03 PM

CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR

Surging from the ocean… The Island Of Dilmunia, Muharraq, is developing into a beautifully lush and charming curiosity for The Kingdom Of Bahrain. An island habitat that promises a unique lifestyle for both residents and visitors alike.

At its center, The Mall Of Dilmunia … An expertly planned and crafted sanctuary for relaxed retail, contemporary dining, lively entertainment and adventurous play.

Whilst embracing both form and function, Mall Of Dilmunia is designed to augment, and improve upon your traditional retail experiences! From the slick and stylish architecture, verdant landscaping, grandiose canal, dancing fountains, heroic adventure arena for children ‘complete with an ice skating rink, climbing walls and soccer pitches’ to the Kingdoms first credible aquarium... A massive cylindrical tank that rises over seventeen metres, and will accommodate more than two thousand, five hundred marine fish and coral species, a remarkable visual gift and terrific educational opportunity.

Once completed, Mall Of Dilmunia will be a magnetic hub for family recreation and relaxation, whilst introducing a new ‘gold standard’ for a retail destination.

You are encouraged to MODify your perception of what a shopping mall ‘should be’ from quarter-one-2020!

Dilmunia Mall Development Company

Miss Rebecca Arnold Deputy CEO / Mall Manager

PO Box 765, Manama Kingdom of Bahrain +973 3350 1155 rebecca@mallofdilmunia.com www.mallofdilmunia.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR

Salhia Real Estate Company was established in 1974 by a group of prominent local businessmen, the company has grown to become a major player in Kuwait’s retail and leisure, hotels and office markets. Since the Company’s formation, Kuwait City has been the core of property investment and development activities. This portfolio has consistently been the mainstay of the Company’s year-on-year growth in assets and profitability. The company has consistently achieved market-leading returns, while impressive occupancy rates and low tenant turnover are testaments to Salhia’s commitment to client satisfaction.

Assima Project, the biggest mixed-use project in the heart of Kuwait City, is a development by Salhia Real Estate Company. The project is comprised of three main components: a commercial mall, business tower, and a residential hotel. The Mall will be home to a multitude of international shops, fine restaurants, cinema halls, and a health club. The 60-story Assima Tower offers superb sea views and cityscapes, while the Assima Residence will be a hotel with more than 164 suites and rooms catering to business travelers and leisure tourists.

Salhia Real Estate Company PO Box 23413, Safat 13095 Kuwait +965 22996155 Eman Y. Shehabeddin

info@salhia.com eman@salhia.com www.salhia.com www.theassima.com

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A Development by Salhia

Explore the heart of Assima Assima Mall in Kuwait 72,000 m2

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR

BackLite Media is a premier out-of-home advertising recognized as Dubai’s leading authority on the UAE’s media landscape. We specialize in assisting our clients and partners with OOH media solutions in prestigious locations. Operating in the UAE since 1996, BackLite has a thorough understanding of the local market and strives to create deep engagement between people and brands through influencing consumers in the physical world. We combine our knowledge and experience to build compelling media solutions for our clients.

BackLite holds the advertising concessions for in-mall advertising at Dubai Festival City Mall and The Galleria Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi. We also hold exclusive rights for all high definition digital screens at City Walk Dubai, a luxury outdoor shopping destination, offering 54 full-motion, high-resolution digital screens.

BackLite’s OOH portfolio also includes the digital networks at La Mer, The Beach and Al Seef, as well as the exclusive rights to the expanding Roxy Cinema network, giving our clients a range of digital media solutions to meet their requirements.

Our elegant, architecturally designed unipole signs are located at key locations on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, the City’s most important thoroughfare, with huge traffic flow comprising almost exclusively of midto-upper socio-economic consumers.

With an extensive range of quality out-of-home assets across key locations in the UAE, advertisers have the opportunity to target a captive and affluent audience through BackLite Media’s rigorous identification and evaluation of only prime strategic out-of-home media locations - and installing unique, elegant and technologically-advanced back-lit and digital signboards.

BackLite Media FZ-LLC Office 2501, Media One Hotel Al Falak Street, Media City PO Box 48794, Dubai, UAE Bill Fordyce Chief Executive Officer

+971 4 446 7540 info@backlitemedia.com www.backlitemedia.com

Backl info@ www.

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OOH media for strategic, digital and retail advertising TheThe bestbest OOH media for strategic, digital and retail advertising

Backlite Media FZ-LLC Backlite info@backlitemedia.com Media FZ-LLC www.backlitemedia.com

info@backlitemedia.com www.backlitemedia.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR

Red Sea Mall is one of the largest malls in the city of Jeddah, located north of Jeddah on the King Road, on a building area of 280,000 sqm. The total area of lease is 138,000 sqm.

The center has 560 outlets. A seven-floor office building for the parent company SEDCO Holding Group, a 5-star hotel, as well as underground parking spaces of up to 4,800 lots, all connected to 19 entrances, making it easy to connect to the mall. In addition, the center has a lift service of up to 34 elevators for tenants to facilitate the transfer of goods and products.

The mall has been expanded to include the main gate, consisting of gardens, seating areas and a shaded area at an altitude of 1300 meters, as well as the 3,800-meter-high ground floor to include many restaurants, while the first floor will be 900 meters high, designed for children’s entertainment and a range of restaurants. In addition, there will be additional positions on an area of ​​9,000 meters, making the total expansion project stand on an area of ​​18,000 square meters.

Red Sea Mall has chos e n dedicated desig n ers to provide all the services needed for its visitors so that t hey can enjoy a p l easant shopping experience through 3 floors with 10 panoramic lifts, 30 elevators, and 4 electrical stairs. The mall also has a mix of international and local brands, with a wide range of options for restaurants and cafes. It provides entertainment for young people and children, as the preferred destination for all ages, from young people and families, bringing it to 345,200 visitors per week, while the number of visitors reaches 18 million visitors a year.

Red Sea Mall PO Box 54320, Jeddah 21146 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Omar Al-Maghazwi Marketing Officer

+966 055 299 5353 omar.maghazwi@redseamall.com www.redseamall.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 6-7

Al Othaim Real Estate Investment & Dev. Co. OREIDCO (established in 1998), a closed joint stock company, owning 8 malls with more than 5,000,000 sq.ft of Retail GLA and a vision to establish 2 malls in near future. Al Othaim malls are characterized by unique designs, excellent locations, easy accesses and are strategically planned to suit local demo graphics in the region.

Al-Othaim Leisure is an integral part of the OREIDCO. The group has been involved in creating benchmark Family Entertainment Destinations across many cities in the MENA region that offer endless family fun for everyone from all age groups.

Al Othaim Leisure is built for children entertainment and fun. The family entertainment centers are equipped with latest state of art games with advanced gaming machines with arcade, along with enthralling rides that provide fun in safe environment for everyone.

Abdullah Al Othaim Investment Co. Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Co. Unit 2301-2304, Al Ameri Towers Tecom, PO Box 50710, Dubai, UAE Chandan Baherwani

+971 4 276 6388

Marketing Manager

c.baherwani@othaim.com www.othaimleisure.com

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DESIGNED, CONCEPTUALIZED & OPERATED BY WWW.SNOWCITYME.COM SNOWCITYME

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 20-21

SAHAT is a subsidiary of Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC), developer of the Jabal Omar project in Makkah, one of the biggest mixed-use real estate developments in the Middle East. SAHAT provides JODC with property management services for malls and other commercial facilities. It is staffed by a winning team that has more than a decade of mall management experience. SAHAT has an essential combination of local knowledge and international expertise.

VISION: To be the preferred and trusted property management partner.

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MISSION: To innovatively maximize the value of the real estate assets, tenants’ revenues,

and the shoppers’ experience.

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VALUES: Innovation at every opportunity, Integrity in each transaction, Partnership in

every relationship, Stakeholders Centricity, Operational Excellence OUR LEADERSHIP: SAHAT benefits from an experienced leadership team (Mr. Mohammad

Alawi, Eng. Wail Balkhair, and Mr. Ziad Moghrabiah) who has delivered strong performance through all shopping centers management cycles, and a creative mindset that enables consistent execution at high levels across all aspects of the business. SAHAT leadership team achieved an admirable success serving the business of shopping centers, offering (Mall Management, Leasing Strategy, Design Review, Consultancy, and much more) in the MENA region.

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Sahat Property Management Co. The Headquarter Business Park Corniche Rd, Ash Shati, 18th Floor Office Number 1809, Jeddah 23511 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Amin Said

+966 92 000 2515

Marketing Manager

info@sahat.sa www.sahat.sa

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SAHAT_AD_RETAIL PEOPLE MAGAZINE.pdf

1

13/09/2019

3:20 PM

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

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SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 37-38

Since its establishment in 1999 through a joint-venture between Société des Centres Commerciaux (SCC), H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Suroor Al Nahyan and H.E. Nasser Al Nowais, AMS has developed considerable in-depth experience within the retail sector, and real estate industry as a whole, and built a strong network across the entire Middle East region.

With its team of Financial, Legal, Technical and Commercial experts, AMS provides Consultancy, Sales, Leasing, Property Operations, Facility and Asset Management Services to Retail, Residential and Office Properties.

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Aswaq Management & Services AMS Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Mall – West Office Tower – MO Floor PO Box 54154, Abu Dhabi, UAE Mrs. Irina Descarriere CEO’s Office - Business Development

+971 2 645 7733 info@aswaqms.ae www.aswaqms.ae

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EVOLVING

WITH THE MARKET

Since its opening in 2001, Abu Dhabi Mall has positioned itself as a destination of choice when it comes to Shopping and Leisure in Abu Dhabi.

Motivated by a fast evolving market and the growing needs of its customers, Abu Dhabi Mall has set off a re-beautification process which includes the refurbishment of its food court; the creation of additional GLA adjacent to the Hypermarket; faรงade and common areas; and improvements to the accessibility of the mall.

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Along with the re-beautification, Abu Dhabi Mall is introducing a host of new F&B and fashion brands in order to ensure visitors enjoy a comprehensive, convenient and unforgettable shopping experience.

With this rejuvenation and thanks to a strategic location and a proven track record, Abu Dhabi Mall continues to reaffirm its leading position in the market.

10/20/19 4:04 PM

CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

GOLD

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 24-25

Line Investments and Property L.L.C., a shopping mall development & management division of Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group International is surging ahead into the future with an impressive line-up of shopping centres in the Middle East Countries, South East Asia & India.

Armed with a strategic vision of the future and with extensive experience in retail business environments across the GCC, Line Investments and Property expertise stretches over every conceivable area from selection of strategic locations, design & development, management and marketing; offering the optimal support for the brands to come.

As leaders in shopping mall sector offering full 360 degree retail solutions, Line Investments and Property LLC overlooks over more than 20 malls in different markets with numerous properties ready to open in the near future.

Line Investments & Property L.L.C. PO Box 60188, Al Qusais Dubai, UAE Atif Altaf

+971 4 707 6000

Marketing Manager

atifaltaf@lineinvestments.ae www.lineproperty.com

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SILVER

SPONSOR

YardiÂŽ is dedicated to the development and support of software for the Middle East real estate industry. Designed for residential and commercial real estate portfolios, our fullyconnected solutions help automate processes, drive efficiencies, reduce costs and provide business intelligence to help minimize risk and improve strategic decision-making.

Cloud-based and mobile ready, Yardi provides full business solutions with comprehensive front and back office services that are integrated into a single system.

Yardi Voyager provides a platform from which companies can utilise a broader range of scalable solutions which deliver enhancements to services right across the real estate life-cycle. For more information, visit www.yardi.com/ae.

Yardi Systems Limited Unit 331-336, DIC Building 16 Dubai Internet City PO Box 500562, Dubai, UAE Fadwa Eraky Marketing Associate

+971 4 432 2679 fadwa.eraky@yardi.com www.yardi.com/ae

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 15&17

Unified Real Estate Development Company is Saudi Arabia’s largest and fastest-growing outdoor shopping center developer with over 50 shopping centers around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Unified is a vertically integrated, internally managed retail-oriented shopping center developer undertaking: ownership, location selection, planning, design, construction management, construction supervision, property management, marketing and leasing.

Due to Unified’s strategic location selection, attention to tenant mix, unique designs and most importantly our approach to work with our tenants as partners; we have developed long-lasting, growing relationships with all of Saudi Arabia’s largest retailers including Majid Al Futtaim, Bin Dawood Group, Savola Group, M.H. Al-Shaya, McDonald’s Saudi Arabia, Al-Tamimi, Landmark Group, Bank Al-Jazeera, Magrabi Optical, Al-Faisaliya Group, MAF Retail and more. In addition, Unified is the largest single developer for each of VOX Cinemas, Danube Supermarkets, Panda Supermarkets, Bank Al-Jazeera and McDonald’s Saudi Arabia.

Unified Real Estate Development Company Hitteen District, The Intersection of Prince Turki Al Awal Road and Saeed Bin Abdullah Al Sayed Street, Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia +966 11 207 5500 info@unified.com.sa www.unified.com.sa

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SILVER

SPONSOR Delegate Badge Sponsor

Kinan is one of the leading companies in the development and management of residential communities in addition to the development and management of commercial centers in various cities of Saudi Arabia.

Kinan is a Saudi closed joint-stock company with a capital of SR 1.7 billion and was established in 2003.

Kinan is developing 6 residential projects in Riyadh and Jeddah on an area of over 6 million square meters. With more than 17,000 residential units and investments of more than 6 billion Saudi riyals, it also develops and operates 10 commercial centers in 6 Saudi cities with investments of more than 1.4 billion Saudi riyals.

KINAN International Real Estate Development (CJSC) 13th Floor, Saudi Business Center Madinah Road, PO Box 32200 Jeddah 21428, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ahmad M. Sawad Manager, Malls Marketing

+966 12 651 9393 asawad@kinan.com.sa www.kinan.com.sa

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KinanOPS.

.

G. IN PP O SH F O Y JO E TH ..

VE LI

Madinah Aliat Mall Yanbu Dana Mall

Riyadh Rimal Center

Jeddah

leasing@kinan.com.sa www.kinan.com.sa

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Masharef Hills Center

Roshan Mall

Jubail

Al Jamea Plaza

Huwailat Center

Makkah Sharaee Mall

Masharef Center

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 18-19

It’s all about EMOTIONS! Successful Retail is Emotional Retail. And nothing is so emotional as stunning decorations!

We create holiday and seasonal decorations, for Ramadan, National Day, Festive or any other occasion. That opens people’s purses and wallets. Customers stay longer. Buy more.

Return often and tell others. This leads to higher footfall, longer stays, more turnover and consequently a faster return on investment. This is the result of our decorations and events. We prove it every year.

Our customers are shopping malls, cities and streets, airports, hotels and mixed-use developments. Some of our clients: Mall of the Emirates (Ramadan, National Day and Festive), Al Nakheel Mall (Ramadan), Kingdom Centre (Ramadan), Westfield London (Christmas), GUM Moscow (Festive), in total more than 800. We have no catalogue, no standard items. Each concept is created individually, adapted to the property and its branding. Decorations from us increase footfall and sales!

We see ourselves as full-service providers. From the design to the delivery of the decorations; from their installation to their dismantlement as well as, if need be, taking care of storage and maintenance, retail emotions is your partner.

Retail Emotions FZE

PO Box 333568, Dubai, UAE Dr. Kersten Rosenau Chief Executive Officer

+971 54 443 7408

Kacy Abouali

ka@retailemotions.ae

Director Sales & Marketing

www.retailemotions.ae

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“W

e believe, our design for mall décor is the best in the world”, Dr. Kersten Rosenau, CEO of First Christmas (Germany) and retail emotions (Dubai) says. His customers are Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, Kingdom Centre and Al Nakheel (both Riyadh), Mall of Egypt, Cairo, Westfield, London and several hundred more in Europe and the GCC-region. “Emotional design is key for huge foot fall, happy clients and great turnover”, Rosenau adds. The really likeable German started as a lawyer and politician, was a Member of Parliament in Germany for Chancellor Merkel´s Conservative Party before he started his current business.

In Dubai he has support from Mr Kacy Abouali, Director for Business Development at retail emotions, a former Events & Promotions Manager at Mall of the Emirates.

Emotionalize your Mall!

Our Decorations increase Footfall and Sale

www.retailemotions.ae Email ka@retailemotions.ae Mobile +971 54 44 37 408

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 39-44

The capital city Riyadh has today a new magnet: Granadia is a unique mixed-use lifestyle destination that offers residents and visitors life-enriching experiences through upscale properties for shopping, entertainment, dining, work and stay.

The 500,000 sqm land elevates the city’s offering for urban dwellers and explorers with the experiential Granada Mall that’s expanding for new entertainment and more food choices. The newly established Granada Square is ever bustling with grand events and public attractions.

Together with the complementing Riyadh Hilton Hotel and Residents, Vivenda Hotel Villas, Granada Business Park and Sidra restaurants, this holistic place continues to change, evolve and renew its offering constantly.

Granada Investment Center Establishment PO Box 84828, Riyadh 11681 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mazen Hamza Qandeel

+966 11 253 4990

Executive Director

mqandeel@granadacenter.com.sa www.granadia.sa

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MECSC+R 202 0 B E A PA RT OF IT !

TESTIMONIALS YOu CAN BE IN hERE TOO!

MECS+R is now accepting entries and submission of data for the next issue of 2020 MECSC Directory.

Submit now to make sure your updates will be processed. Sponsorship and advertisement are also available.

The 2018 MECS+R Directory is your complete guide to the Retail and Shopping Centre Industry, if you’re a stakeholder in this sector, this book is a must have for you.

– Younus Al Mulla, Chairman, MECSC The MECS+R is a great reference and resource tool for the industry. As a Global retailer, we also look at developments in existing and new markets to expand our business. The MECSC Directory provides us with the information required – Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director, Giordano ME FZE

Being a member of MECS+R has a lot of benefits and one of the most important advantages is to have the MECSC Directory, which I consider as a bible for the industry in the region where it gives you access to the information of all Mall and Retailers, Service Providers in the region. If you are operating Retail in MENA, then you must have this book – Kamel Shaban, General Manager, CAPACITA

FOR ANY INquIRIES REGARDING ThE DIRECTORY PuBLICATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Justin Espiritu, Publishing and Database Manager, e: publishing@mecsc.org | w: www.mecsc.org | t: +971 5432 08359, +971 4359 7909

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Final_Magazine_MESC_Granadia-new size.pdf

1

10/13/19

6:43 PM

GRANADIA WELCOME LIFE Welcome Life and welcome to Granadia Your ideal destination to ďŹ nd anything and everything that comes to mind whether it be business, shopping, gourmet foods or genuine fun and much more!

C

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CM

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CMY

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www.Granadia.sa

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GRANADIA Granadia is your destination for a unique lifestyle where business, entertainment and shopping meet.

At Granadia you will enjoy our six main stops starting with Granada Mall, which has a variety of international & local brands that enhance your shopping experience. Moving to Granada Business where we blended nature with architectural beauty to create the ultimate business environment.

And when it’s time for entertainment or glorious and delicious food Granada Square is where you will be wowed and entertained with various activities and innovative events for an unforgettable experience alongside Sidra the ultimate dining destination with a collection of renowned brands. Finally, no matter how long your day was, you can stay comfortably and luxuriously at the Hilton Hotel & Residence or Vivienda Hotel Villas.

Granadia.. a complete world within short rides.

GRANADA MALL GRANADA BUSINESS VIVIENDA HOTEL

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GRANADA SQUARE

SIDRA

GRANADIA METRO STATION HILTON

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 49-50

Al Hokair Group is synonymous with entertainment and hospitality in the Middle East with 91 FECs and 35 hotels throughout KSA, UAE, and Egypt.

Al Hokair FECs hosts more than 10 million visitors a year and has been a successful group in maintaining its leading position as the first and the largest Saudi company invested in this sector.

Al Hokair FEC distinctive brands include Sparkys, Skyzone, Snowy Forest, and our new & unique entertainment concept Al Hokair Time. The opening of our 1st Al Hokair Time in Dammam located at Al Shati during April 2017, marks the new beginning of our Al Hokair Time FECs and soon to emerge other Al Hokair Time FECs in the region. Al Hokair Time FEC has a mixture of Sparky’s, Snowy Forest and Skyzone Trampoline all available in one single Centre with the accessibility of F&B outlets such as Pezzo, La Mode and other Kiosks ready to serve all our visitors.

Al Hokair Group PO Box 895 Al Khobar, 31952 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia +971 2 491 4445 Ext 104 +966 11 413 4444 Hani Al Hussein

Regional Marketing & Sales Manager

h.hussein@alhokair.com info@alhokair.com www.alhokair.com

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Ask About Sparky’s Franchise CONSULTING

ONSITE SUPPORT

MARKETING SUPPORT

TRAINING

AND A LOT MORE

h.hussein@alhokair.com 00966114134444 00971563472304 www.alhokair.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR Booth Stand No. 53

We are a Progressive Communications Agency Here at BUZ, we are an assorted collection of specialists possessing a deep understanding across all communication disciplines in a range of sectors. Hailing from different walks of life, we are a progressive communications firm offering a well synced 360° brand solution with our online and offline campaigns.

Since creativity is the air we breathe, we make sure our progressive approach is to consult our clients and be able to adopt the ever-changing communication landscape and remain relevant.

Guiding you every step of the way in this evolving marketing jungle, our new-age approach emanating from a single strategic platform will generate a significantly greater return on the brand investments than would be the case with traditional independent executions.

Whatever your business is and whatever your brief is, we are here to fulfill your needs and go the extra mile!

BUZ Management and Marketing Consulting Sama Tower, Office Number 205 Opp World Trade Centre Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE Baiju Kurieash

+971 4 358 9789

CMD

baiju@ibuz.ae www.ibuz.ae

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WE ARE ALL ABOUT PROGRESSIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Progressive Communications is a business model designed at BUZ to develop and enable content strategies to solve the immediate business problems, generate measurable ROI and to further progress your brand.

2019

100+ Shopping Mall Activation & Consumer Experiences 110+ Multimedia Media Releases

3500+ Content for Social Media Channels 170+ Blogger Collaboration

10+ New Brand and Product Launch Let’s Talk!

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P: (+971) 04 358 9789 facebook.com/BUZMMC

F: (+971) 04 358 9889 instagram.com/buzconnect

E: info@ibuz.ae

W: www.ibuz.ae

linkedin.com/company/buz-consulting

10/20/19 4:05 PM

CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

SILVER

SPONSOR

ShopperTrak is now part of Sensormatic Solutions.

Sensormatic Solutions is the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls enabling smart and connected shopper engagement. By combining critical insights into retail inventory, shopper traffic and loss prevention, Sensormatic Solutions powers operational excellence at scale and helps create unique shopping experiences.

Our solutions deliver real-time visibility and predictive analytics for accurate decision-making across the enterprise, enabling retailers to confidently move into the future.

With more than 1.5 million data collection devices in the retail marketplace, we capture 40 billion shopper visits and track and protect billions of items each year. Our retail portfolio features the premier Sensormatic, ShopperTrak and TrueVUE brands.

SHOPPERTRAK Office 2401, API World Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, PO Box 211851 Dubai, UAE George Kasparis

+971 4 330 7111

Regional Director MEA

gkasparis@shoppertrak.com https://ae.shoppertrak.com/

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 3

BURJ NAHAR MALL

‫ﺑـــﺮج ﻧﻬــــﺎر ﻣﻮل‬

Burj Nahar Mall, a member of Juma Al Majid Holding Group, is a mixed-used development located centrally in the heart of Classic Dubai – Deira.

The Retail Development is poised to become a mass-market, outlet driven, brand-oriented destination community center set to attract customers from within the heart of Old Dubai.

With 300,000 sqft of leasable space, Burj Nahar Mall is proud to announce that we are currently 72% leased, anchored by Nesto Hypermarket and Department Store, Burj Nahar Mall is poised to become a daily driver supported with a generous mix of F&B & Service options including a Gym, Family Entertainment Centre, Food Terrace Court & Government Services aiming to create a community center hub within Deira like-no-other.

Located in an area with the highest population density in the UAE, Burj Nahar Mall provides extremely high visibility and is connected through three main roads with direct pedestrian and parking access.

The project features a massive internal residential catchment with one, two and threebedroom configurations.

Opening Q1, 2020.

Burj Nahar Mall

(A Member of Juma Al Majid Holding Group)

Al Muteena Bldg, Salahuddin Road/ Metro Station, PO Box 21785 Deira Dubai, UAE Amjad M.G.E. Roushdy Mall Manager

+971 4 271 5252 +971 56 508 5070 +971 52 460 2020 amjad.roushdy@almajidproperty.com www.almajidproperty.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

About JLL

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. Our vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, we will build a better tomorrow for our clients, our people and our communities.

JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $16.3 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of nearly 92,000 as of June 30, 2019. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.

JLL MEA

Across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) JLL is a leading player in the real estate and hospitality services markets. The firm has worked in 35 countries across the region and employs over 800 internationally qualified professionals across its offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Cairo, Casablanca and Johannesburg.

JLL Emaar Square, Building 1 Office 403, PO Box 214029 Dubai, UAE Anood Haddad Head of Marketing, MEA and Turkey

+971 4 426 6999 jll-mena@eu.jll.com www.jll-mena.com

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jll-mena.com

Achieve Ambitions With retail intelligence experts across the globe, we work as a team to make your ambitions our own.

When you succeed, so do we.

To learn more about how our retail intelligence fuels your ambitions, please visit jll-mena.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 27-28

Blachère is the original and largest illumination provider with a global presence of 25 subsidiaries, 5 factories and 45 years of experience. As a major global player, Blachère has the resources and infrastructure to deliver complete illumination concepts with an unrivalled service and the highest quality.

From fashion creations with top designers to collaboration with contemporary artists, our ideas inspire and delight customers in search of memorable experiences. We support our clients by designing and delivering unique customer experiences using light to inspire, draw attention and promote involvement.

We understand the challenges faced by cities and shopping centres today to be competitive and the necessity for stylish commercial ideas that enable increased footfall and longer dwell time.

Thus, working with our customers we develop ideas that support and express the individual brand while distinguishing it among competitors. As well as being stylish, we develop interactive solutions using the latest mobile and illumination technology that enable customers to create their own artistic creations delivering longer dwell time, viral marketing opportunities and commercial benefits.

Our products and services include Festive Lighting and Decoration, City Lights, Media Façade, Projections and Mapping, Interactivity, Augmented Reality and Retail Line for homes, restaurants and cafes.

Blachere Illumination LLC Empire Heights Tower A P3 Office, A0440 Business Bay PO Box 124584, Dubai, UAE Mehmet Soltay Managing Director

+971 50 506 9231 blachere-middleeast@ blachere-illumination.ae www.blachere-illumination.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

Shurooq was established in 2009 with the aim of achieving social, cultural, environmental and economic development on the basis of Sharjah’s distinct Arab and Islamic identity, and to encourage investment by adopting the best international standards in providing quality services that help attract investors from the region and the world.

The Authority’s key mission is to provide facilities and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing investment activities in the Emirate, evaluate tourism and investmentrelated infrastructure projects, and lay down the necessary plans to complete such projects.

In recognition of its overall accomplishments, Shurooq was named The Banking Awards 2013 and 2014 – FDI Agency of the Year in the MENA region, in The European’s Global Banking and Finance Awards.

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) Corporate Office, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) PO Box 867, Sharjah, UAE Hassan Ayoub Head of Investment Relations

+971 6 519 5824 info@shurooq.gov.ae h.ayoub@shurooq.gov.ae www.shurooq.gov.ae

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 51

Xpandretail powered by Sávant, for 16+ years has been delivering consumer intelligence analytics and business intelligence solutions to the retail sector. Having a global footprint in 40 countries, 500+ relationships in place and with 40,000+ installations – we are the leaders in the MENA region for retail analytics and innovative business solutions.

Through our services, businesses have gained the insights to make actionable decisions in delivering a seamless consumer shopping experience. With the use of Xpandretail Bi tools, we have engineered a platform which translates the data accumulated through our Ai-Enabled Solutions to understand the key touch points of the customer’s shopping experience across their establishment. By strategically implementing Xpandretail AI-Enabled Solutions, retail establishments are able to not only get transparency on their day-to-day operations, but drill down to how the brand itself is communicating with the consumer.

Through the Xpandretail AI-Enabled Solutions, businesses have been able to leap years ahead of the market to even decipher who their repeat customers are, allowing a more targeted marketing approach to retain brand loyalty. By analyzing shopping patterns, gender recognition, marketing effectiveness leading to the core element of product or brand placement within a business layout, Xpandretail AI-Enabled Solutions does more than the traditional footfall tracking solutions in the market today.

Xpandretail powered by Sàvant Data System L.L.C. Office 401, ONE by Omniyat Business Bay, Dubai, UAE Damien D. Singh Marketing Manager

+971 4 393 9315 marketing@sdsdxb.com www.xpandretail.com

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE

A f e d

SPONSOR

Dubai Retail, the retail management arm of Dubai Holding, focuses on developing, operating and managing an extensive range of strategically located retail assets across prime destinations and communities in Dubai, supporting the growth and expansion of local and global retail partners through the delivery of holistic, convenient and diverse solutions.

Spanning two million square feet and over 1,000 multi-format units, Dubai Retail’s differentiated portfolio includes premier beachfront attraction Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), one of Dubai’s most sought-after tourist destinations in Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Boulevard at Emirates Towers District in the heart of the city’s financial hub, Bay Avenue and Bay Square in Business Bay, and a number of community centres in popular suburban districts.

The Dubai Retail portfolio also includes an F&B component - Sarood Hospitality, an independent leader in restaurant management and world-class concept development. Popular brands include Al Nafoorah, The Noodle House, Pierchic, Flow, The Duck Hook, Hillhouse Brasserie, Khaymat Al Bahar, Pai Thai, Perry & Blackwelder’s, Segreto and Trattoria Toscana.

Dubai Retail Jumeirah Al Qasr King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, Dubai, UAE 800RETAIL customerqueries@dubairetail.ae www.dubairetail.ae

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As the retail management arm of Dubai Holding, Dubai Retail focuses on developing, operating and managing the company’s extensive range of strategically located assets across prime destinations and communities throughout Dubai.

Follow us on

/dubairetail

For more information click here www.dubairetail.ae

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CONFE RE NCE & EXHIBITION

BRONZE SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 2

Retail Consulting Group (RCG) offers Retail, Leisure & Entertainment consulting services focused on the comprehensive needs of businesses across the full range of a project development cycle including hospitality.

Founded by experienced retail consultants with a strong track record in the Middle East and Africa regions, RCG offers quality services with tailored solutions targeted at mixed-use facilities.

RCG has worked on several key engagements for mixed-use developments in prime locations in the Middle East and Africa regions. We understand the market well and we have an established network within the retail and the development communities. We work closely with developers and architects to contribute to the success of the projects.

RCG offers a range of services for clients to choose from, catered to their particular business needs. These include: Market Research Study, Feasibility Study, Retail Design Advisory, Leasing Strategy & Tenant Mix, Leasing & Brand Development, Retail Facility Management Advisory, Technical & Fit-Out Coordination, Pre and Post Retail Operation Assistance and Hospitality Consulting.

RCG – Retail Consulting Group S.A.L. Offshore Abdel Razzak Building, 2nd Floor Bab Idris, Beirut Central District PO Box 113542, Beirut, Lebanon Mrs. Claudia Kassab Tarazi Managing Partner

+961 1 985 070 / 71 info@rcg-me.com www.rcg-me.com

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BRONZE SPONSOR

Booth Stand No. 16

V-Count is the leading provider of visitor analytics solutions in the world. We offer global organizations the latest in people counting, heatmap, queue management, staff exclusion and business intelligence platforms. Our solutions are backed by a secure cloud-based business intelligence platform that leverages best-in-class AI and machine learning tools to analyze collected data.

We provide our clients with actionable reports and software-based recommendations on how customers behave in their physical locations. We offer them insights on how to optimize their business operations, boost conversion rates, and thereby, start increasing profits just in 30 days. V-Count is the trusted technology partner of over 700 global brands (including Samsonite, Samsung, Sephora, Marks & Spencer, Ford Motors, Vodafone, Philip Morris International, Bosch Siemens).

V-Count leads the visitor analytics industry in R&D and innovation, and we are partnered with other industry leaders like Amazon and Microsoft. We have offices in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Miami, Brussels & Istanbul, with a growth of 104% in turnover Year-On-Year.

V-Count solutions are being used in over 36.000 locations in 100 countries, and our software has counted a total of over 9.3 billion people.

V-Count One Central The Offices 1 01.03 PO Box 9821, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE Tuna Vehaplar Kartal Regional Sales Director - MEA

+971 50 246 0033 sales@v-count.com www.v-count.com

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TECHNOLOGY PARTNER

From a modest beginning in 1999, HyperMedia has grown into a regional force, operating the largest digital signage network in the Middle East, along with an extensive array of static displays throughout the GCC. HyperMedia’s diverse products include outdoor, malls, in-store and airport signages and are primely positioned to answer all OOH marketing needs, linking brands seamlessly to their target markets.

With a strong track record and expansion curve, HyperMedia will continue to lead the frontier of OOH marketing and advertising. Today HyperMedia expanded their coverage to 800 digital screens. www.hypermedia.ae

HyperMedia Boutique Offices, Villa 4 Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE Tala Yassin Communications Director

+971 4 3902 293 tala@hypermedia.ae www.hypermedia.ae

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OFFICIAL AIRLINE PARTNER Emirates Airline: Emirates Airline is the world’s largest international airline, flying to 158 destinations in 85 countries. Emirates operates nearly 270 modern aircraft and is the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 family of aircraft. The airline’s industry trendsetting amenities, regionally inspired cuisine, award-winning in-flight entertainment system – ice – and unmatched hospitality provided by its iconic multi-lingual Cabin Crew from over 130 nationalities have made Emirates one of the world’s most recognized and well-loved airline brands. www.emirates.com

GALA GIFT SPONSOR Real Oud Factory: Real Oud Factory LLC is something different as it’s the first and only manufacturer in the GCC, guarantees that all its Oud is not only 100% real but fully natural and traceable to source backed up by CITES. The Real Oud Factory is backed by luxury real Oud perfume brand Fragrance Du Bois, which is owned by Fragrance Holdings. Fragrance Du Bois has fast built up a solid reputation in the world of haute perfumery as a leading luxury brand Crafted in France”. The factory will be producing a supply of natural and real oud Bakhoors, Mamools, Mabtoth and Attars. www.realoudfactory.com

MEDIA PARTNERS Selfie TV: The ultimate destination and guide to entertainment happening all around the world. It’s an online Web Channel catering to all your entertainment needs at your fingertips. Our company was launched in 2014 with the vision of creating a platform that covers everything from exciting happenings around the world to the latest celebrity and lifestyles trends. From producing our own TV shows to providing flawless events coverage, we aim to provide rich and remarkable multimedia creations that match your expectations. At SELFIE TV, we believe in providing services like you’ve never seen before. From interviewing celebrities in our original talk show to covering all events from press conferences to festivals, we do everything the Selfie way – blending creativity and charm. In-house Production: Photography – Events Coverage – Documentaries. www.selfietv.co

Insights

Trending Business Insights: Trending Business Insights is an International quarterly publication featuring Business and luxury lifestyle topics providing a comprehensive guide for individuals who like unique, bespoke and extraordinary products and experiences that sets them apart from everyone else. The magazine showcases luxury brands in the Retail, Hospitality, Real Estate, Marine, Fashion and Beauty, Automotive and travel sectors. Look out for our interviews and stories on inspiring personalities, premium brands, Art, Culture, cars, yachts, F&B, hotels, destinations, healthcare, technology, accessories, and fashion. https://trendingbusinessinsights.com

REGISTRATION PARTNER

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Nofa Solutions: Nofa Solutions is the ideal go-to provider for managing Event Registration, Online Marketing and Web Development services. We have customized Online & Onsite registration services with one of the most versatile, efficient and secure Data Management system. Our Registration Management software includes seamless Badge Printing technology, Post Event Analysis, Payment Gateway Integration, Session Tracking Solutions like RFID, NFC & Barcode Scanning. With the collaboration of registration management tools along with our highly trained professionals, we ensure to execute faster and easier access for attendees & smooth registration flow during the event. Apart from Registration services, our team also specializes in development of Interactive Event Mobile Application, Customized Survey or Feedback Applications & Digital Marketing of Event, Exhibitions & Conferences. www.nofasolutions.com

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SUPPORT PARTNERS Cityland Mall: The world’s first 1.2 million sq.ft. Nature-inspired property located beside Global Village in Dubai. Developed by Cityland Group, Cityland mall will host international and locally-crafted retail offerings through 350+ outlets. The mall will plate up more than 75 global dining options in the dedicated food court and other sections. The circular-shaped property will be segregated into six thematic pavilions representing distinct global cultures that provide an immersive shopping experience for an international audience. The highlight element of this project will be the 200,000sq.ft. open-air botanical wonder called Central Park – which will be a breathing testament to nature’s rich biodiversity and the innovative prowess of Dubai. This space will feature a range of activities and features that will capture the imagination of residents and visitors while providing an outlet for recreation and entertainment for all members of the family. www.citylandmall.com Crystal House FZC: Crystal House Sharjah is One of UAE’s leading manufacturer and Trusted Name in industry of Corporate Awards. Our Each & Every product is made with Passion of perfection to ensure that it’s not just aesthetically appealing but also fulfills the purpose of Creation. Our Specialization is Crystal Awards, Metal Awards, Acrylic Awards, Wooden Awards, and Velvet/Leather boxes. In Branding we can do Engraving, color Filling, Laser engraving, Die cutting of trophies, 3d models/Replicas, Screen printing, UV printing and Etching. You are welcome to choose from wide range of corporate gifts like trophies and desktop products, replicas of famous traditional and modern buildings, objects of common interests, religious artifacts, sports awards and trophies, 3-Dimensional images in cubes, gift ideas for family occasions or simply the latest gift trends. www.crystalhousesharjah.com Dhamani: Since 1969 Dhamani has grown into a vertically integrated company offering a wide variety of rare Diamonds and precious stones to create the finest jewelry set in beautiful designs while maintain the highest level of craftsmanship. Dhamani’s commitment to exclusivity & creativity is highlighted with the “Dubai Cut” diamond, a distinctive cut technique that elevates the beauty of a diamond, which can only be found at Dhamani and nowhere else in the world. www.dhamani.com Procurement +: Aprovider of professional procurement services with a focus on indirect spend i.e. Facilities Management, Marketing, IT and HR for retail and shopping malls. We have experience with shopping malls in Bahrain, Oman, UAE, Egypt and Lebanon. Our operating module is to create a group procurement of several malls of different areas that do not compete. Our financial module is based on shared savings, we get a share of what we save. Main services are: 1. Spend Analysis; 2. Group purchasing; 3. Tendering Services; 4. Procurement Support Services; 5. Category Management; 6. Tail-Spend Management. www.procurementplus.ae

THE Emirates HERITAGE FLORIST EST. 1975

Oleander Flower: Oleander Flowers has been part of Emiratis’ life since 1975, when resignified the floral market, by introducing the first full-service flower shop which was inspired by European design and quality standards. Over the years, we have been accompanied by loyal customers, and together, we consolidated a timeless and distinguished brand that carries the innovative and bold spirit of Dubai in its heritage. We are offering landscaping services, premium flower retail, events and corporate flowers. Oleander Flowers directly sources the finest blossoms and plants from the world’s best farms, always ensuring fair and ethic trade, and guided by best governance practices. For over 40 years, Oleander Flowers’ bedrock values are honesty and reliability, principles that have been sustaining the company as the longest established flower business in UAE. www.oleandergroup.com

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Careem: Careem is the region’s leading technology company, providing customers with reliable, safe, convenient and affordable travel. Careem currently operates in more than 120 cities in 15 countries across the broader Middle East, including North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan, with more than one million Captains, serving more than 30 million users regionally. As part of our mission, we want to build a lasting institution for the region. One where talent from all over the region can find a place to develop their skills and build awesome new products. www.careem.com/en-ae Pathfinder Global FZCO: Pathfinder is a 25-year-old innovative solutions provider enabling the digital transformation of Shopping Centres, Retail and Airports globally.

Enabling businesses to realize and achieve their potential with data capture solutions, data analytics to mine actionable insights that can help them grow exponentially. Rappo, our “customer-engagement-platform” for Shopping Centres & Aviation Retail, helps their asset owners know real customer shopping habits and develop insights based on them. We help retailers with a “marketing platform” to identify potential customers, sell more to new customers and run their marketing campaigns profitably. Pathfinder also offers “Third Eye”, a facial recognition-based footfall system that helps retailers know their shopper-profile, shopper dwell-time and also to recognize repeat customers. www.pathfinder.global Samha Chocolate: SAMHA, a subsidiary company of Prime Chocolate FZE, recently launched camel milk chocolate coated Khalas dates with pistachios, at the 2019 London Dessert Festival. Dates are a staple of the UAE making it the perfect choice for an indulgent snack. SAMHA aspires to offer a pure alternative to the world of desserts and snacks which is based on the best that the UAE has to offer. Being completely free of any shelf life enhancers, soy lecithin, artificial aromas or vegetable fats of any kind SAMHA offers an indulgent “no nasties” and Halal snack from Dubai to the world. Experience the distinctive flavor and velvety texture of SAMHA Chocolate.

The finest delicacies in one sweet bite! www.samhachocolate.com GHESA: GHESA Water & Art is a global Water Feature specialist with over 50 years of experience in the design, manufacture and installation of ornamental, cybernetic, musical and multimedia fountains. With more than 3,000 installations in operation worldwide, we have been operating in the Middle East for the past twelve years. With offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and a staff of 65 people, including managers, specialized engineers, supervisors and technicians, GHESA can undertake turnkey projects from Concept Design to Manufacture, Installation, Operation and Maintenance. https://ghesawaterart.com Champion Group: Champion Digital (a member of Champion Group) specialises in the latest digital advertising solutions including LED screens, LCD signage displays and interactive technologies. Our indoor and outdoor solutions enhance the overall consumer experience across all industries. Champion Digital also provides rental solutions for events, exhibitions and conferences. In addition, Champion Neon is our Group’s pioneering signage manufacturer with over 30 years of experience. Together, we provide turn-key signage and digital display solutions to our corporate clientele, with the highest quality standards, creativity and craftsmanship. Let the Champions bring your brand to life and be a part of your success story! www.champions.me

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Amusement Services International LLC 1706-1708, Tameem House Barsha Heights, Dubai Internet City, PO Box 113926, Dubai, UAE

+971 454 2929 +971 454 2945 info@asi-world.com www.asi-world.com

Rojy Thomas Sales Director

+971 4 885 7517 hello@brisigns.com www.brisigns.com

Nita Odedra GM Sales & Marketing

1

Amusement Services International (ASI) is dedicated to providing Design-Build- Operator-Transfer solutions for the Leisure & Entertainment Industry worldwide. It offers a range of professional expertise for our clients to choose from, including initial project feasibility study, master planning, conceptual design development, detailed design development, landscaping, theming, fit-out, equipment install & commissioning and onsite project supervision/ management.

Not only do we offer you end-to-end turnkey solutions for your projects, but we also fit out your operations with the latest, most popular amusement solutions. From Customized Attractions, Major-FamilyKiddie Rides, Arcade Games, Play Ground Systems, Adventure Play Areas, Soft Play & Toddler Play, Simulators, Carnival & Midway Games, Custom Designed Elements to Spare Parts and After Sales Support for all of the listed categories, ASI offers you a TOTAL SOLUTION for all your Fun Business requirements.

Blue Rhine Industries PO Box 114001, Dubai Investment Parks 2, Dubai, UAE

Booth Stand No.

Booth Stand No.

52

Blue Rhine Industries are a digital display, signage and wayfinding manufacturing company. We have been in the signage business for more than 18 years and are specialists in creatively engineering, fabricating and installing brands into the built environment across shopping malls, retail, hospitality, leisure and many more sectors. We collaborate with end-clients, architects and design consultants to plan, develop and deliver signage products that meet brand, design and environmental requirements.

We provide complete turnkey solutions for all types of digital display solutions including the design, supply, installation, software, testing and commissioning. Our digital team provides training to the client on the software for the screens being used, to enable independent management.

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Coniq 3rd Floor, 15 Long Lane London, EC1A 9PN +44 (0)20 7078 8333 sales@coniq.com jay.freeborn@coniq.com www.coniq.com

54

Coniq is Europe’s leading CRM and Loyalty provider for retail destinations.

Coniq operates in 17 countries providing mobile-enabled programmes for 1,600+ retail brands in 5,000+ locations; our programmes are used by over 15 million shoppers, driving consumer spend of more than €1bn per annum.

Coniq is proud to be working with many of the world’s most respected destinations and retail brands; our clients include The Bicester Village Shopping Collection, VIA Outlets, ICON Outlet at the O2, Designer Outlets Wolfsburg, Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Zsar Outlets and LIWA, as well as household names such as Starbucks.

Jay Freeborn Marketing Manager

Funtopia Franchising 111 V “Tsarigradsko Shosse” Blvd.

Sofia, Bulgaria, 1784 +359 2 448 57 49 marketing@funtopia.com www.funtopia.com

Booth Stand No.

Ivaylo Krastev Marketing Manager

Booth Stand No.

4

Funtopia® is a lifestyle concept. Equally challenging to both, body and mind, it is the true alternative to screen entertainment. Through its Active Entertainment Centers, Funtopia® links healthy living, sports, and entertainment to encourage creativity, personal interactions, and family-shared experiences that last.

Each Funtopia® offers one-of-a-kind adventure that invites visitors to experience new sensations. Climbing the back of a dinosaur, jumping off the edge of a skyscraper, sliding down an extraordinary slide are just some of the attractions we have. But that’s not all! We know that healthy diet is equally important to being active, and this is the reason why healthy and no sugar food options are offered at our locations.

Established in 2013, the company operates units on four continents.

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Kingsmen Middle East LLC Official Exhibition Contractor

Al Quoz, Industrial Area 1 PO Box 37741, Dubai, UAE +971 4 338 9340 rohan@kingsmen-me.com www.kingsmen-me.com

Rohan Dodhi Manager, Business Development

+971 4 371 2550 admin@lpflex.com www.lpflex.ae

Sanjay Nambiar.A Administration Manager

35

Established in 1976 and listed on the main board of Singapore Exchange, Kingsmen is a leading communication design and production group with offices in 19 major cities across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Through its strategic network of offices and worldwide associates, Kingsmen provides integrated communication solutions covering a full range of services from ideation, research & design, consultancy, project management, prototyping to fabrication, implementation & installation, logistics support and after sales services.

These seamless end-to-end solutions are offered to global clients across multiple sectors like trade shows & exhibition, retail & corporate interiors, thematic and museums and alternative marketing.

Kingsmen – your partner of choice in Asia Pacific and Middle East.

LPFLEX Base Industry LLC

Dubai Industrial City, Dubai, UAE

Booth Stand No.

Booth Stand No.

5

LPFLEX is a 95 year old Brand Engineering & Technology company, headquartered in Germany, having factories in UAE, USA, Poland, GCC and India. LPFLEX holds patents for our products, specialized in light colour tuning technology for Brands, ensuring uniform Brand Identity aacross all locations.

Our technology has helped Top Retailers, worldiwide for executing all kinds of Branding & Re-Branding Projects, with no hassles. We produce and supply High Quality LED Signages, Digital Displays and Retail Display Solutions to all major BrandS, in over 100 countries across the globe. Our Products are high quality, ecofriendly, sustainable, durable & maintenance free.

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McARTHUR + COMPANY SHOPPING CENTRE SPECIALISTS

Pinnacle Building Suite 401 Sheikh Zayed Road PO Box 283850, Dubai, UAE +971 4 392 8304 phil@mcarthurcompany.com www.mcarthurcompany.com

Phil McArthur, CSM, CDP, CRX Founder and Chairman

McARTHUR + COMPANY

+971 4 567 4903 mohammed@mk-illumination.ae www.mk-illumination.com

Mohammed Saeed

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The creation of shopping centres that generate strong returns for investors and profitable businesses for retailers is at the heart of the McARTHUR + COMPANY approach to shopping centre and mixed-use development, leasing and operations advisory Today, McARTHUR + COMPANY boasts a talented team of over 30 industry professionals with decades of global shopping centre development and leasing experience. Our strategy is to add real financial value to each retail development project. Our team is well experienced in shopping centre investment, finance, development planning, marketing, as well as retail leasing and management.

We understand retail real estate and shopping centres and what it takes to achieve successful new centres or reinvigorate centres that require new energy. We work closely with global retail chains to assist with cross-border expansion needs.

McARTHUR + COMPANY believes in well-planned, highly popular shopping destinations with long-term financial growth in value. Our philosophy is to use international best practices combined with local knowledge of retail markets and shopping influences to meet each project’s goal.

MK Illumination

Shangri-La Hotel, 7th Floor Office No. 702A-703A Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

Booth Stand No.

Booth Stand No.

14

At MK Illumination, we know how to connect with your customers.

We are the world leader in spectacular festive lighting, decorations, animations and grottos and are experienced at creating unique atmospheres that attract people and engage with their emotions.

We have been an established and popular company with an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction.

We create exceptional temporary and permenant display concepts tailored to your specific location. Thanks to our local proximity, global approach and production facilities, we are able to deliver bespoke projects of any size and scale. We set the industry standards in design, development, technical expertise, service and in corporate ssocial responsibility providing excellence in everything we do.

Senior Account Executive

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re ransform

TM

Retransform

Booth Stand No.

10

solutions for real estate

D204, Dubai Silicon Oasis HQ Building, PO Box 341472, UAE +971 4 501 5931 pjshroff@retransform.com www.retransform.com

Pinkesh Shroff Vice President

Retransform provides Information Technology, Business Process Management services and Insightful Analytics to Commercial, Residential and Corporate Real Estate companies across the globe. Retransform’s services improve efficiency while lowering expenses. We continuously learn and innovate to improve our customer’s businesses. A brief description of Retransform’s services appears below: • Information Technology: System Implementation, Data Migration, 3rd Party Integrations, Custom Application Development, Custom Report Writing; Business Intelligence / Data Warehouse, Helpdesk Support, Testing • Business Process Management: Lease abstraction/validation, Lease administration, Financial Accounting, CAM Setup / Reconciliation, Data Modeling / Valuation, Mortgage Solutions.

• Insightful Analytics: Our 4See Analytics platform is a self-service platform for discovering, acquiring, refining and delivering actionable insights derived from disparate sources of your data, also accessible via a voice-based assistant, and chat-bot.

• Partners with: Yardi, MRI, Trimble, Salesforce amongst others.

Saudi Bonyan Co.

2663 Al Imam Saud Ibn Abdulaziz Rd - Al Muhammadiyah Dist. Unit No 8, PO Box 9102 Riyadh 12364 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Booth Stand No.

12

Saudi Bonyan is the real estate development arm of Abdulrahman Saad Al-Rashid & Sons Company in Saudi Arabia. It is a whollyowned subsidiary. Saudi Bonyan has a large and diversified portfolio of income-generating assets that span across different sectors such as retail, residential and mixed developments. The company also engages in land development as part of its strategy.

+966 11 829 0800 s.khan@saudibonyan.com.sa www.saudibonyan.com.sa

Shaukat Khan General Manager

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Support Partner

AZAB PRODUCTION GROUP FZE

Jumeirah Business Center 3 Cluster Y, Office 2804, Jumeirah Lake Towers, PO Box 392245 Dubai, UAE

+971 4 447 2998 +971 52 633 3359

lisseth@azdef.com razab@azdef.com www.AZDEF.com www.azabproduction.com

The AZDEF Group / AZAB Production Group FZE

11 & 13

AZAB Production Group FZE is a part of THE AZDEF GROUP of Companies focusing on Event Management, Business Development and International Business Ventures. Our Company operates in the USA, UAE, KSA, South Africa and Bahrain.

We offer a wide range of services focusing on Kids & Family Related Events for Malls and Venues. We have 12 years of experience in organizing events including Mall Related Events, Concerts, Fashion Show and leveraging artist and stars for appearances that create a maximum impact and bring branding, sales, and marketing opportunities to a wide range of international clientele. We pride ourselves in providing our clients with professional service, accurate and highest level of confidentially.

Lisseth Azab Global Director

theleisureway Paseo de la Rivera, 8 Zaragoza (Spain) - 50014 +34 976 22 61 52 info@theleisureway.com ggaitan@theleisureway.com www.theleisureway.com

Booth Stand No.

Booth Stand No.

26

At theleisureway we lead genuine and iconic projects internationally, transforming clients’ needs into innovative bespoke solutions. With expert knowledge and understanding of public and commercial environments, we create innovative places where emotions come alive. Our team combines the power of innovation, consultancy, creative design, technical development, and the management expertise to control the delivery of all these capabilities offered as integral solutions. Our aim is to reinforce the leisure-oriented design as the core axis of any emotion-driven customer journey.

Gastón Gaitán Founder

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Middle East & North Africa Shopping Centre & Retailer

AWARDS

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Welcome to the 2019 MECS+R MENA Shopping Centre & Retailer Awards The 2019 MECS+R – Retail Congress Gala Awards Celebration

THE AGE OF FOCUS Gala Awards Celebration The Gala Awards event at the MECS+R continues to be the pinnacle of recognition for excellence globally in the retail industry.

Six years ago we received less than 50 submissions for awards. In 2019 the team at MECS+R received 171 submissions for awards. The increase in the past six years represents a 300% growth in the number of submissions for these awards. The retail industry continues to thrive, innovate and evolve.

The level of sophistication in these submissions is world-class. These latest submissions indicate the high levels of creativity and investment in the retail industry locally, regionally and globally.

Our credibility in the retail industry for our awards and the recognition for the Gold Winners through our association with the VIVA Awards at ICSC have in part resulted in the growth of submissions for our Gala Awards Dinner.

Our independent Judges who are regional industry professionals, deserve a special thank you for their time invested for their independent review of all submissions. With a large number of submissions, our Judges spent many hours of their volunteer time reviewing the merits of each entry. Thank you!

A very special thank you to Lea Venezuela, our Director in the MECS+R and the entire team who deserves true recognition for the tireless efforts to bring the Awards Event and the entire Retail Congress Conference to life!

Congratulations to all entrants for taking the time, effort and investment to deliver these detailed and sophisticated submissions. Your striving for excellence and your desire to achieve exceptional results raises the standards in the retail industry in our region and globally. Best of all, we are all being recognized for our excellence on a world stage!

Enjoy the Evening!

YOUNUS AL MULLA

DAVID MACADAM

Chairman MECS+R

Chief Executive Officer MECS+R

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C

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

www.kingsmen-me.com . www.kingsmen-int.com

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2019

MECS+R MENA Shopping Centre & Retailer Awards Jury

General Manager and Chief Financial Officer

Bhupinder Singh

Managing Director

Colin Beaton

David Richardson

Dalma Mall

Limelight Creatie Services

Nakheel Malls

Head Of Leasing

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen

EMRE PELIN

Novo Cinemas

Andarakis Advisory Services

CEO

Partner

Franka Lange

Leanne Hamilton

Maimunah Shebani

Raza

LH7

The Retail Agency - Oman

Director of Marketing and Communications

Managing Director

Managing Director

Nada Abou Saab Marketing Director, East Region – Shopping Malls

Pam Bryson

Senior Vice President – Retail Marketing

Majid Al Futtaim Properties LLC

Aldar Properties PJSC

Shannon Quilty

Stephen Clough Technical Director

General Manager of Marketing and Entertainment

Senteo

Black & White Engineering

Dubai Festival City Mall

Partner

Vanessa Hinton

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Judging and Scoring Procedure The Middle East and North Africa Shopping Centre and Retailer Awards Jury, a group of leading industry experts, will review eligible submissions and score them confidentially. The jury will not review entries from their own companies or any entry that might constitute a conflict of interest.

Judges review each entry according to a specific criteria and award points accordingly. Please refer to the specific awards categories.

In each category and classification there is a potential for honouring Gold and Silver winners. All entries with a total of 85 for Design and Development and 40 for Marketing, NOI Enhancement and Retail will be honoured with a Gold Award and entries with the score of 75 points but less then 85 for Design and Development and 35 points but less then 40 for Marketing, NOI Enhancement and Retail will receive the Silver Award regardless of how many other winners are in each category or classifications. The entries that score within the top 50 percent are designated finalists.

MECS+R seeks to honour entrants in every category and classifications, but remember, the programme is designed to recognise the highest level of excellence, so entries must achieve a minimum number of points required to be considered for an award.

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Gala Awards Evening Program 18:00 hrs :

Cocktail Reception & Networking

19:00 hrs :

Introduction & Welcome Remarks

19:15 hrs :

Gala Dinner

20:45 hrs :

Awards Ceremony 2019 MECS+R MENA SHOPPING CENTRE & RETAILER AWARDS PRESENTATION TRADITIONAL MARKETING

Advertising Cause-Related Marketing Customer Service Experience and/or Engagement Digital/Social Media Grand Opening, Expansion & Renovation New/Emerging Technology Public Relations Sales Promotion and Events

NOI ENHANCEMENT Marketing/Sponsorship Operations/Overall Team Leasing DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT New Developments Renovations/Expansions Retail Store Design RETAIL EXCELLENCE Fashion Children’s Wear Gold, Jewellery, and Watches Footwear and Accessories Sportswear and Goods Pharmacy, Health and Beauty Home and Office Furnishing Kiosks Entertainment, Music and Leisure Bank and Financial Services Fast Food Restaurants Luxury NEW! Theme Park NEW! Cinema NEW! Family Entertainment Centres NEW! Waterparks BEST MENA RETAIL BRAND RETAIL PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR SERVICE EXCELLENCE NEW! Property Management Software NEW! Data Analytics NEW! Technology Innovation NEW! Decor & Design Installation NEW! Merchandising Display NEW! Retail Consultancy Service

22:00 hrs :

End of Awards Ceremony

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20 9 MENA

Shopping Centre & Retailer Awards Finalists TRADITIONAL MARKETING ADVERTISING BurJuman Food Art BURJUMAN CENTRE LLC, United Arab Emirates Giant art installations were positioned throughout the BurJuman Centre to create “Dubai’s Most Instagram-able Food Festival.” The festival appealed to both the eye and the palate, as food samples were offered across the mall.

WTC Abu Dhabi Rebranding – Advertising ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC, United Arab Emirates The mixed-use urban center unveiled a new brand-identity campaign to simplify the brand and create a single destination identity for consumers in the capital’s downtown district. WTC’s advertising campaign encapsulated the vibrancy, diversity and connectivity of this downtown environment, and was launched across print, outdoor, radio and social media channels.

Where Shopping is all about Experience…

We Have it All at Dalma Mall DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates The campaign increased awareness of its diverse offerings and witnessing steady growth in footfalls and a positive effect on overall sales.

Marketing Innovative Campaigns in Y2018/2019 for Al Qasr Mall in Riyadh DAR AL OSOOL, Saudi Arabia The largest shopping center and residential community in the vivid heart of Riyadh with 80,000 sqm of NLA. Al Qasr Mall hosts 310 shops with all the major retail groups of the Middle East.

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CAUSE RELATED MARKETING Red Sea Mall Productive Families

One Painting One Thousand Brushes

RED SEA MARKETS COMPANY, LTD., Saudi Arabia

CEFIC, Turkey

The Red Sea Mall for their Productive Families initiative, partnered with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, to provide kiosks and marketing support for entrepreneurial families to start businesses and sell their products within the mall.

One Painting One Thousand Brushes project’s main goal is to depict children’s hopes and happiness through canvass painting with the combined effort from over 1,000 mall visitors.

Happiness Wardrobe CEFIC, Turkey The Happiness Wardrobe project by Cefic at Carrefour Bursa Shopping Center, which promoted the happiness created through sharing by offering a program whereby visitors could buy items in center stores and donate them to children in need at an onsite wardrobe.

Don’t Dispose, Blend it With Art CEFIC, Turkey By saying “Don’t Dispose, Blend it With Art,” Palm City Mersin created a fun awareness regarding recycling, gave strong messages and received rave feedback from its target audience.

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Be My Eyes... White Cane Day @ Dalma Mall DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Dalma Mall honored the White Cane Day to celebrate the abilities and success achieved by people with determination in the sighted world.

Back to School DOHA FESTIVAL CITY (Al-Futtaim) Doha Festival City’s initiative’s mission was to collect donations financially or in-kind to the initiative was positioned in the highest footfall zone in the mall to ensure visibility. Donations accepted from customers were backpacks and uniforms, shoes, and other school materials.

Saudi National Day KINAN INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, Saudi Arabia Saudi National Day 2018 inspired Saudi citizens and foreigners alike throughout the nation. Kinan Malls capitalized on this exciting time with Saudi National Day Festival 2018 with innovative activities.

Mushrif Mall Autism Awareness MUSHRIF MALL, United Arab Emirates When it comes to CSR events, Mushrif Mall, located on Airport Road, Abu Dhabi leads in outreaching to the community. This year, the mall sponsored and supported the autism initiative to make people aware of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) reiterating the commitment to better understand ASD and improve the lives of individuals living with it by hosting events, schools for special needs and expert spokespeople.

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Breast Cancer Awareness

Mushrif Mall Free Bus Service

MUSHRIF MALL, United Arab Emirates

MUSHRIF MALL, United Arab Emirates

One of Mushrif Mall’s activities last year included the commitment to spread awareness and educate the masses about Breast Cancer. The initiative was from Mushrif Mall in partnership with Medeor Hospital and included experts offering free mammograms, pink merchandise for awareness and volunteers distributing awareness brochures.

The mall introduced an environment-friendly initiative to reduce traffic congestion and ease local commute was planned with support from the local Department of Transport. Two specially designed eco-friendly buses for the local community offers free bus service to and from nearby areas of Mushrif Mall.

Khalidiyah Mall – Abu Dhabi Police & Government Collaborations LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates The mall collaborated with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate to reward the hardworking and dedicated staff of Traffic and Patrols Directorate for International Labour Day.

Khalidiyah Mall – World Refugee Day with Red Crescent LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Khalidiyah Mall joined hands with Emirates Red Crescent for a fund-raising awareness event on International Refugee Day for Rohingya refugees. The mall hosted volunteers, public, Emirates Red Crescent volunteers with banners to highlight the plight of the refugees.

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Al Wahda Mall - Operation Smile Charity Book Sale

Zero 6 Mall

LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates

Zero 6, the Emirate’s lifestyle destination, celebrates Sharjah’s evolving identity through an inspiring lifestyle community experience, where trendsetters will constantly feel at home.

Al Wahda Mall, which hosted an in-center charity book sale and information booth to benefit Operation Smile, a global humanitarian organization providing facial and dental reconstructive surgery for children and youth born with deformities.

Saudi Arabian National Day Campaign ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia Al Othaim Malls took this as a way of approaching a segment of nationalism and various campaigns and activities were held across 8 Al Othaim Malls.

ALEF GROUP, United Arab Emirates

UAE National Day Campaign ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO. Al Othaim Malls took this as a way of approaching a segment of nationalism and various campaigns and activities were held across 8 Al Othaim Malls.

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My Farm DEERFIELDS TOWNSQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE LLC, United Arab Emirates Deerfields, being a community mall, created a platform where everyone came together to launch farmers market in the outdoor section of the mall. People were invited to come shop, learn about farming and participate in engaging activities for the entire family. and expert spokespeople.

Be A Rock DEERFIELDS TOWNSQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE LLC, United Arab Emirates A rock art workshop was held for local people of determination. Later, a Ramadan-themed stand housed their creations, and invited shoppers to make their own rock art and also make a donation to help people with disabilities. The campaign raised funds, and created awareness, for the thousands of people of determination struggling to be part of society in the UAE.

Spread the Light LULU GROUP INTERNATIONAL OMAN AVENUES MALL, Oman As part of Oman Avenues Mall’s CSR initiative and to support children’s education” by emphasizing on the value of giving, the Mall launched the ‘Spread the Light of Happiness’ which extended support to the noble cause of education for children. Oman Avenues Mall joined hands with Dar Al Atta’a, Oman’s inclusive charity organisation, for this virtuous initiative.

Positive Days CEFIC, Turkey CEFIC kicked off “Positive Days” with the main message of “CREATING A BETTER WORLD FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS” to ensure a better future for the society and led by CEFIC President & CEO Mr. Anthony KHOI, was carried out first at Carrefour İçerenköy SC in November 2017.

Re-Think Plastic, Aldar Retail ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC, United Arab Emirates Yas Mall and The Mall at WTC, Abu Dhabi, their collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment raised awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on the environment.

The “RE-THINK PLASTIC” campaign encouraged the reduction of plastic waste by utilizing reusable canvass shopping bags.

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NEW/EMERGING TECHNOLOGY Digital Dynamism - The All New Dalma Mall Website DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates The highly responsive and SEO-friendly website features top-notch design layouts, social integration and a dedicated microsite for each brand. The dynamic and interactive new website boosted daily visitor traffic by 159% and organic search engine results by 92%.

360 MALL AI Chatbot TAMDEEN MALL MANAGEMENT, Kuwait 360 MALL has launched a bilingual chatbot Nouf, a 24/7 digital engagement channel for WhatsApp and Messenger users. Artificial Intelligence technology makes the chatbot highly personalized, and Nouf understands customers’ needs and provides far greater insight into the mall’s brands and services than standard, scripted chatbots.

Spring Campaign - Fashion Robot MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, Bahrain City Centre Bahrain’s ‘Fashion Robot’ harnessed 3D printing technology to allow customers to replicate their custom drawings, or use one of the ready designs, onto T-shirts and delivered a unique, interactive experience for residents and tourists alike.

GRAND OPENING, EXPANSION & RENOVATION Al Jimi Mall Grand Opening (13th to 15th March) ALDAR PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates An extensive renovation and expansion added 100 stores, including an 8 screen VOX cinema and a retail park, consisting of 10 big box retail units, family dining, an event plaza and a parking area for over a thousand additional cars.

Traditional Marketing: Grand Opening: Snow City, Cairo AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Snow City Cairo is the second Snow Center built and operated by Al Othaim Leisure Company. Snow City Cairo opened on the 2nd of June 2019. Snow City is located on the 8th floor of the Citystar Shopping Mall in Cairo.

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Traditional Marketing: Grand Opening: Fabyland & Xtreme Zone - Mall of Muscat AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Fabyland and Xtreme Zone are anchor tenants at newly opened Mall of Muscat, Oman. Xtreme Zone includes a host of interactive activities including the bouncy and fun Trampoline Park, the Challenging Climbing Walls for enthusiastic children and a host of fun games for everyone spread over an area of 35,000 sqft.

PUBLIC RELATIONS ‘Lucifer’ Sets Tongues Wagging for Dalma Mall DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Dalma Mall’s recent collaboration with ‘Lucifer’s’ star cast and marketing team drew a massive gathering of fans and shoppers who waited to catch a glimpse of their favorite TV stars. The initiative not only resulted in greatly increased footfall and sales, but also achieved high media visibility, with a total reach of 45 Million impressions and a PR value worth over $1.76 Million dollars.

PR Campaign - Mushrif Mall Talentology 2019 MUSHRIF MALL, United Arab Emirates The Marketing and PR campaign for the third edition of the annual Talentology 2019 was done in 3 stages – Pre-event, during the performances and post the Grand Finale.

Woman & Child Clinic ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia A health initiative that targeted and supported women and children all over the kingdom. A first of it’s kind, it was a crucial program to cement Al Othaim Malls as a supporter of women and children all over the Riyadh region.

The Healthy Mall ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia A health initiative that aims to tackle and overcome obesity issues that are prevalent in the KSA.

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Chinese New Year PR Campaign - The Galleria Al Maryah Island GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates The Galleria Al Maryah Island, which partnered with the island’s master developers, Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure (MREI), to host an incredible Chinese New Year Celebration. The PR campaign built awareness of the event and proved to be a fundamental driver of its success.

Pre-Opening PR Campaign - The Galleria Al Maryah Island’s Expansion GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates The campaign’s purpose was to create a strong and powerful transition in the minds of The Galleria’s existing luxury consumers, as well as engage the wider community on the mall’s new expansion and offerings. The campaign kicked off with an exclusive reveal event, attended by top-tier media, influencers and VIP stakeholders, garnering coverage with a PR value over $900,000.

WTC Abu Dhabi - Rebranding ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC, United Arab Emirates WTC utilised PR as a strategy to help create a personality for the destination which supported new brands. The PR campaign caught the attention of the public and attracted new visitors which resulted in an increase in footfall and sales for new retailers.

Dubai Festival City Mall Celebrates Philippines Independence Day DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL - Al Futtaim Group, United Arab Emirates Dubai Festival City Mall Celebrates 121st Philippine Independence Day. The exclusive show projected iconic landmarks from the Philippines accompanied by dancing fountains and lasers choreographed to popular folksongs. Over 600,000 Filipinos live in the UAE, of which 450,000 live in Dubai, and they form 21.3% of the population of Dubai.

Mall Millionaire LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates The ‘Mall Millionaire’ PR campaign communicated to the target audience via press releases, press events, Fam tours and weekly caption stories. The campaign offered shoppers AED 1.5 million worth of prizes with weekly draws of AED 50,000/- and a mega prize of 1 million at the end of the summer sales with other instant prizes.

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SALES PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS Winter Comeback TAMDEEN MALL MANAGEMENT, Kuwait Al Kout Mall’s two-month long Winter Comeback Program featured international shows and celebrities. It achieved an almost 29% increase in footfall, a 15.55% increase in gross sales and 65 million media impressions.

Shop, Win & Celebrate TAMDEEN MALL MANAGEMENT, Kuwait The Mall created an 8-week, 12 car sales-linked promotion paired with a strong entertainment element to create the perfect storm for Summer Shopping and Fun. Footfall increased by 33%, sales productivity by 11.06%, carpark usage by 69% and the campaign achieve 508M online and offline impressions.

BINGO!!! Sale Excitement Thrill & Prizes DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates I Love Bingo at Dalma Mall, where shoppers were rewarded with Bingo Cards to be played during their Valentine’s Day promotion. 70% of customers who played once returned to play again and the center saw a 6.8% footfall increase over the previous Valentine’s Day season.

Spring into Festivities AL FUTTAIM GROUP REAL ESTATE - Cairo Festival City Mall, Egypt “Spring into Festivities” was crafted by Cairo Festival City Mall’s marketing team to boost sales during the slow Spring season by presenting physical challenges that awarded prizes totaling $60,000 US dollars, complemented by weekly entertainment and a concert by Egyptian superstar Mahmoud Esseily.

Sweet Summer Campaign AL FUTTAIM GROUP REAL ESTATE - Cairo Festival City Mall, Egypt CFCM held a summer campaign with a “sweet” twist. Sweet Summer Campaign celebrated the hot season with ice-cream, candy and dessertthemed activations and decorations. Installations pulled in visitors, while physically engaging shop-play-&-win activations capitalized on feelings of instant gratification felt through instant wins.

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Hijaz Malls BALUBAID REAL ESTATE, Saudi Arabia Hijaz Mall celebrated the Saudi glorious national day in Makkah to achieve, realize welfare, prosperity of the people and country.

The momentum celebration events held for four consecutive days, the ambiance and atmosphere by fully green colored and decorated by Saudi theme, the sound & light shows characterized the celebration to art shows along the Mall.

LuckyOne Summer Magic LUCKY LANDMARK PRIVATE LIMITED, Pakistan LuckyOne Mall’s Summer Magic promotion: a five-week long shopping festival that presented a series of highly engaging ‘Shopper-tainment’ activities and events, that gave a 65% boost to center footfall in the late summer months.

Mushrif Mall Talentology 2019 MUSHRF MALL, United Arab Emirates Mushrif Mall’s Talentology 2019 contest, which supports new talent and stimulates growth in the creative industry.

700 entries were posted online for voting before 12 finalists performed on stage. Lebanese Pop Star Melissa appeared for the grand finale.

Khalidiyah Mall – Toy Factory Winter Fun LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Khalidiyah Mall’s Toy Factory Winter Fun event focused on entertainment and dance performances and gave shoppers an opportunity to win prizes. The event was further enhanced as 2,000 toys were distributed to children visiting the mall while parents took advantage of mall sales and promotions.

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Al Wahda Mall - Pink Fong and Baby Shark Meet & Greet LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Al Wahda Mall in collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi brought in the very popular Pink Fong and Baby Shark Meet & Greet over two days for kids and families to enjoy. Al Wahda Mall hosted an interactive sing and dance concert to get the families dancing to the beat of lively songs including the widely popular “Baby Shark” song, which has garnered over one billion views worldwide.

Range Rover Promotion ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia Al Othaim Malls’ Range Rover giveaway, where 12 winners would receive a 2020 Range Rover Evoque. All that was required of the patrons were to show up at a mall and fill out a coupon to enter the weekly drawing, leading to a 50% increase in monthly footfall.

50% Food Festival ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia A food celebration that invited all our customers and patrons to come and enjoy our food courts. This was a clever way of attracting customers to stay longer at our malls and subsequently buy from our shops.

New Year’s Car Promotion ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia To celebrate the new year, we decided to run a massive giveaway campaign. It consisted of a car being given away each week to a lucky winner.

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Ice Age Event ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia Combining both entertainment and education, the ice age event aimed to educate children through a fun and innovative campaign that was like no other in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh Shopping Festival ABDULLAH AL OTHAIM INVESTMENT CO., Saudi Arabia A contribution to the wonderful Riyadh shopping festival. Many activations and activities were created by Al Othaim to celebrate this wonderful festival.

Brand Reveal Event - The Galleria Al Maryah Island GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates The Galleria Al Maryah Island opened in 2013 with a predominantly luxury fashion, fine jewelry and fine dining offering which proved a successful mix within the capital. The decision was made shortly after to further extend the size of the mall whereby all tastes and budgets could be catered for.

Street Food Festival - 2018 ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC, United Arab Emirates The Mall at the World Trade Center launched the Street Food Fest from Dec 4-29 to address the challenges and create awareness of malls’ unique F&B and decided to bring the offering to the “street.”

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Fortnite Season 6 Event - The First Official Event in the Middle East MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates City Centre Mirdif hosted the first Fortnite launch in the Middle East and partnered with popular YouTube personalities whose posts about the event reached over 3.6 million combined views. The launch achieved a 10% increase in footfall.

Home Away From Home MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates When the Dubai government launched the first-ever festival dedicated to all things HOME, Mall of the Emirates decided to partner with local celebrity Kris Fade and his team and challenged them to live in the mall for a WHOLE WEEK in a glass house furnished by key Home Retailers. The average spend within the Home category increased by 118% vs the same period last year.

A Fashion Season of Rewards MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates Mall of the Emirates’ Fashion Seasons of Rewards campaign was an effort to boost the critical category of fashion sales. A strategic partnership was forged with Visa to provide a cashback offer to all fashion shoppers and boosted spending 16% Year over Year.

World of Fashion 2.0 MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES - Shopping Malls, United Arab Emirates For 9 years, MOE has been successfully running its annual World of Fashion (WOF) event. This experiential positioning campaign celebrated all things Fashion and Luxury. The autumn-winter season is a time where our audience is overloaded with invitations to events, by competition as well as by the fashion brands.

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Spring Summer Fashion Campaign 2019 MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, Oman The results from the captured surveys reveal that PTA continues to strengthen its contribution in terms of percentage of shoppers and sales to the mall (68.7% to shoppers and 69.7% to sales), yet with high competition from other rising shopping malls offering new and existing fashion brands.

Winter Festival - Polar Express MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, Bahrain The mall celebrated its 10th Anniversary, delivering a magical experience with a fun-filled packed schedule of thrilling family events and incredible rewards for shoppers to mark the milestone.

The theme of the Winter Campaign was based on the story “The Polar Express� which is a train journey.

Kids Rock at Dubai Festival City Mall DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL, United Arab Emirates Dubai Festival City Mall hosted 40 days of fun, with four shows a day, character meet and greets, photo opps and workshop areas which included different activities suited to kids of all ages. The series of family-friendly events resulted in a 9% increase in footfall year over year.

Festival City Mall Gift Card DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL - Al Futtaim Group, United Arab Emirates With over 400+ retail stores, Dubai Festival City Mall is bringing its customers the convenience and luxury by launching its very own Gift Card, where family, friends and loved ones can use at over 400+ in the Mall.

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Yas Mall Modest Fashion ALDAR PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates Yas Mall, located in the Abu Dhabi capital hosted the region’s first “Modest Fashion” show developing an emerging talent contest for designers who focused on modest fashion.

The campaign has increased sales for participating fashion retailers by 3.7% and overall traffic by 3.4%.

Mall Millionaire Campaign - Line Investments & Property LLC LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Line Investments & Property LLC conceptualized a sales initiative called ‘Mall Millionaire’ to increase footfall across their eight malls in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Shoppers won AED 1.5 million worth of prizes in weekly draws of AED 50,000/-, and a mega prize of One million at the end of the summer sales.

Sparky’stoon AL HOKAIR GROUP, United Arab Emirates After the big success of Sparky’sToon first wave, SpaceToon & Sparky’s have continued their partnership by presenting Sparky’sToon Summer Festival with five live shows, four workshops and over fourteen meet & greet activities.

Upgrade your Adventure with AirRewards MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES - Shopping Malls, United Arab Emirates The programme offered shoppers a chance to earn 1 point for every spend of US$ 1.36. Shoppers were able to redeem points with any AirArabia services/ products and over 15,941,445m AirRewards points were issued.

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CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND/OR ENGAGEMENT Summer Fun at BurJuman BURJUMAN CENTRE LLC, United Arab Emirates Through, “Summer Fun at BurJuman”, the main atriums of the mall were transformed into inclusive community spaces by creating beach-inspired activation areas for kids and adults.

Red Sea Mall Key to Surprises RED SEA MARKETS COMPANY LTD., Saudi Arabia In line with one of the pillars of the Kingdom’s vision 2030, Red Sea Mall created an innovative marketing campaign to engage Red Sea Mall shoppers during the holy month of Ramadan in an interactive and fun way by rewarding them on the spot with a variety of gifts.

Red Sea Mall Cup RED SEA MARKETS COMPANY LTD., Saudi Arabia Along with the success of Red Sea Mall’s Key to Surprises campaign together with the presence of the Football World Cup, the mall created a new experience linked to the Football World Cup and it was named: “Red Sea Mall Cup”.

Red Sea Mall the Experience RED SEA MARKETS COMPANY LTD., Saudi Arabia The Red Sea Mall and the King Abdulaziz University signed an MOU in a step to support arts across artists & students of the university, especially the College of Engineering & Design and local talents, through the campaign: “The Experience”

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Red Sea Mall Stage Show RED SEA MARKETS COMPANY LTD., Saudi Arabia The Red Sea Mall initiated a series of entertaining activities, in order to contribute to the Kingdom’s vision and General Entertainment Authority (GEA) goals of enhancing entertainment. The mall planned and executed the stage show that consisted of a Barbie event for girls; a magic show by Ahmad Al Bayed; and stand-up comedy shows, as well as the famous Junk Show.

“Fashion with Passion” - Dalma Mall Starkids 2018 DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Dalma Mall’s Starkids “Fashion with Passion” event was rolled out as a high engagement activation for both customers and kids’ fashion brands alike, the initiative consisted of a Model Hunt, Fashion Show, and the final crowning of the Star Kids 2018.

360 MALL Chatbot - Reinventing Customer Service Experience TAMDEEN MALL MANAGEMENT, Kuwait 360 MALL has reinvented its customer service experience by launching a bilingual chatbot - Nouf, a new digital customer engagement channel available 24/7. 360 MALL customers have now instant access to Customer Service support by chatting directly to Nouf through familiar and convenient channels, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Webchat without having to download any applications.

Baby Shark KINAN INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, Saudi Arabia The Baby Shark Live stage show was hosted during the summer season in order to provide customers with an unforgettable shopping experience. The event was licensed by Baby Shark (Ping Fong) and GEA (“General Entertainment Authority”) in KSA.

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Eid at Granada GRANADA INVESTMENT CENTER, Saudi Arabia The center hosted two international events: The Baby Shark Show, where parents and kids were entertained together, and a series of circus shows performed in a tent with entertainment and food & beverage retailers involved serving visitors.

Packages Shopping Festival 2018 PACKAGES REAL ESTATE (PVT.) LTD., Pakistan In order to position itself as the primary shopping destination for all of Lahoris, the center put on various activities, such as magic shows, kids’ activities, live musical performances and daily lucky draws to engage shoppers.

Khalidiyah Mall – Toy Factory Winter Fun LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates To enhance the Festive Season, Khalidiyah Mall brought Toy Factory Winter Fun for kids and families including amazing dance performances.

Shoppers won amazing prizes while two thousand toys were distributed to kids.

Al Wahda Mall - Dinosaur event experiential project LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Al Wahda invited the public to Revisit the Jurassic Era!!! Dinosaurs are the most popular attraction all over the world in every form of entertainment, be it movies, theme parks, games or books as all age groups love them. Shoppers were welcomed to experience the adventure with giant interactive dinosaurs.

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Al Wahda Mall - Summer Sunflower Installation LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Sunflower Farm Summer Theme Installation at Al Wahda Mall represented the beauty of summer with the Tree Folk King running the Sunflower Farm. There were long beds of Sunflower along with a beautiful Sunflower Castle in the main atrium.

Fun Factory MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES - SHOPPING MALLS, United Arab Emirates The Fun Factory idea was developed utilizing an unleased unit in the mall and turning it to the favorite destination for all family members through an attractive and colorful exterior/interior design, variety of games for all ages, several workshops every weekend and collaborations with tenants providing different prizes.

Dubai’s Most Magical Festive Market DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL, United Arab Emirates Dubai’s Most Magical Festive Market at Dubai Festival City Mall. The four-week-long carnival turned the iconic waterfront, Festival Bay, into a fairytale world with a variety of pop up shops, food & beverage kiosks, kid’s activities, carnival rides, photo opportunities with Santa and snowfall every evening. The campaign resulted in 7 million in total social reach and a 498% increase in PR outreach.

IMAGINE and Pirates of the Bay DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL, United Arab Emirates Dubai Festival City Mall has transformed its outdoor waterfront into a pirate haven to launch the new IMAGINE show: ‘A Pirates Tale’. This unique ‘retailtainment’ experience resulted in increased footfall to an average of 20,000 people every night.

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The Victory Ice Cream MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES , United Arab Emirates Dubai Summer Surprises aimed at providing entertainment outlets during Dubai’s summer season for families. To grab our target audience’s attention and differentiate ourselves from our competition, we came up with a creative solution: At City Centre Deira, there is always a way to win; extending that feeling to another sense, and gave them the chance to taste it too.

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA “DALMA MALL DIGITAL WIZ – Interschool YouTuber Championship” DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Dalma Mall’s DIGITAL WIZ Interschool YouTuber Championship with 54 schools across the emirate participated in the contest and the winner selected by video engagement. The mall’s YouTube page activity rose by almost 2200%, with total views over 2.5 million.

Hashtag Mosaic Wall DOHA FESTIVAL CITY Doha Festival City’s hashtag mosaic wall was composed of over 15,000 images. Media personalities, celebrities and locals participated in the formation of the world’s largest hashtag mosaic wall during the Eid Al Adha period.

Khalidiyah Mall Enhanced Website LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Khalidiyah Mall’s Enhanced Website, which optimized the website to run on mobile devices as well as desktop computers, ensuring shoppers will have needed information about mall offers and communications always at their fingertips.

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Spotify Music Streaming Launch AL FUTTAIM GROUP REAL ESTATE, United Arab Emirates The center launched its own music streaming service available on multiple platforms, allowing listeners to stream songs from IMAGINE, Dubai Festival City’s record-breaking laser show. This initiative delivered an innovative advertising platform that raised awareness outside of the immediate trade area, while also delivering a unique revenue generator for the business.

360 MALL: Amplifying Data Driven Marketing through WiFi Service TAMDEEN MALL MANAGEMENT, Kuwait The mall sought to build a centralized customer database segmented by demographics and social psychographics to better target them with relevant campaigns, so analytical software was deployed to consolidate users’ social profiles using the mall’s free Wi-Fi service. 360 MALL captured over 40,000 visitors’ profiles in less than a year.

Pre-Opening Social Media Campaign The Galleria Al Maryah Island GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates In preparation for the launch of Abu Dhabi’s newest lifestyle hub and the most anticipated retail opening of the year in the UAE – The Galleria Al Maryah Island’s expansion – Gulf Related launched an allencompassing digital and social media marketing campaign that would transform the way the community thought about both the brand itself and lifestyle destinations.

#CCMIFoodie- Foodie Hour Campaign MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES, United Arab Emirates The Dubai Food Festival is the only truly citywide food festival in the Middle East. City Centre Mirdif has so many incredible new F&B offerings but not enough awareness. How do we activate these F&B outlets during a time where the market was packed with ‘DFF’ experiences? How do we make the City Centre Mirdif the go-to destination for the best food experience in the UAE? How do we use social media to drive awareness and hence uplift in sales of the new F&B?

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NOI ENHANCEMENT MARKETING/SPONSORSHIP Upgrade your adventure with AirRewards MAJID AL FUTTAIM PROPERTIES - Shopping Malls, United Arab Emirates Campaign invited shoppers to spend US$ 1.36 on purchases and be rewarded with 1 AirRewards.

Points accumulation can be redeemed against Air Arabia products (airtickets, baggage allowances, meals, seats). One winner walked away with 1m AirRewards (US$ 10k). 200,000 points were sponsored by Air Arabia.

‘Lucifer’ Dazzles UAE - Celebrity Buzz @ Dalma Mall DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Utilizing a market opportunity to enhance its NOI by acquiring sponsorship costs, the mall hosts an immensely attractive Starbuzz evening in partnership with its retailer, driving massive traffic pull, huge PR buzz & incremental retail sales whilst garnering Brand Popularity, Share of Voice & Retailer satisfaction.

CFCM CAF ARENA AL FUTTAIM GROUP REAL ESTATE - Cairo Festival City Mall, Egypt The CFCM Arena: a unique, stadium-like experience in the heart of The Village for visitors to watch live all 52 matches of the 2018 African Cup. CFCM also partnered with the top league in Europe, La Liga, to hold an event celebrating the opening of the African Cup.

Al Wahda Mall Celebrity Visit LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates The Al Wahda Mall Celebrity Visit: the mall hosted the Middle East’s Official launch of “Madhura Raja” with the movie’s star Mammootty. The launch brought in over 80,000 movie fans for a chance to meet the cast.

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Lexus Sponsorship of IMAGINE A Pirate’s Tale DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL | AL FUTTAIM GROUP REAL ESTATE, United Arab Emirates In January 2019, Lexus was announced as the official sponsor for the newest IMAGINE show, A Pirates Tale with a 6-month activation that created a unique experience for Lexus customers.

OPERATIONS/OVERALL TEAM Snow City, Rabwa AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO., Saudi Arabia Snow City is the first of its kind snowpark and has 20 different activities. The fundamentals are of course present such as our different tubing slides, the usual wood sledge 1 and 2 places, the ski school, the zorb ball, carousel, snow play area.

Snow City, Cairo AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO., Egypt Snow City Cairo is the second Snow Center built and operated by Al Othaim Leisure Company. Snow City Cairo opened on the 2nd of June 2019. Snow City is the first of its kind snowpark and has 20 different activities.

Installation of Reverse Osmosis Plant for the Chiller Plant Makeup Water Supply DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates The primary objective of installing the Reverse Osmosis Plant is to provide high-quality purified water at low cost to the cooling towers for the newly installed chiller plant that supplies cold water for cooling the mall.

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Hayat Mall, Saudi Arabia ALANDALUS PROPERTY COMPANY Hayat Mall’s initiative connected to offering free Wi-Fi to enhance the shopper experience and in return be able to provide data collection of shopper demographics to center retailers, to help them create and track targeted marketing offers and specials.

Oasis Mall - Energy Management System OASIS MALL - Landmark Group, United Arab Emirates The Energy Management System implemented in Oasis Mall, our award entry has resulted in the following immediate benefits and has greatly improved the mall’s sustainability.

Zero 6 Mall ALEF GROUP, United Arab Emirates Zero 6 is the emirate’s lifestyle destination. The go-to venue for families looking for unique entertainment, leisure, shopping and fitness activities closer to home and under one roof. Zero 6 combines a sophisticated contemporary design with a diverse selection of dining, retail and leisure attractions.

IMAGINE Entertainment Team Dubai Festival City Mall DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL, United Arab Emirates IMAGINE is a unique Entertainment attraction for Dubai Festival City Mall delivering up to 10 multimedia shows daily in the Mall Waterfront Festival Bay. It is USP for Dubai Festival City Mall providing a free attraction for the mall and reason to visit. Daily shows attract up to 4,000 visitors per show and major events staged by Imagine capacity crowds of over 25,0000 to Festival Bay.

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LEASING Helping Hand from Barren Land. Budgets Saviour this Summer. Caribbean Circus@ Dalma Mall DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates Dalma Mall brought the Caribbean Circus onto un-used mall property, which provided rental income, a free marketing campaign for the mall, increased footfall and an exciting summer event. Over $58,000 of specialty leasing income was generated for the mall in just 30 days, as well as providing a sizable footfall increase to the center’s retail tenants in a traditionally slower month.

Al Wahda Mall Creative use of unused space Legend Billiards, Rolling Wheels & Knight Shot LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates Celebrating innovative and creative ideas, Al Wahda Mall looked into capitalizing the space in the mall that was not used and introduced spaces beneficial to mall visitors. Given the climatic conditions of the country, management decided to use unused areas for specialty sports stores and indoor sports.

Zero 6 ALEF GROUP, United Arab Emirates Zero 6 is the emirate’s lifestyle destination. The go-to venue for families looking for unique entertainment, leisure, shopping and fitness activities closer to home and under one roof. Zero 6 combines a sophisticated contemporary design with a diverse selection of dining, retail and leisure attractions.

Specialty Leasing Innovation - The Galleria Al Maryah Island GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates The Galleria Al Maryah Island‘s Specialty Leasing program lured retailers from surrounding malls and supported new-to-market and formerly-online-only retailers by offering shorter-term leases and fitted-out “white box” units to lease at lower startup cost.

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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT NEW DEVELOPMENTS (CENTRES LESS THAN 47,000 SQM OF TOTAL RETAIL SPACE) Mall of UAQ LINE INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY LLC, United Arab Emirates The single-level, complete shopping and leisure experience elevated the retail landscape of the city and adds much to the Emirate economy. It’s a funfilled destination offering an amusement arcade to keep guests entertained for hours. Nestled in the heart of the city, the mall is a hangout spot where friends and families enjoy shopping, dining, watching movies and relaxing.

Snow City Cairo AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Snow City, located on the 8th floor of Citystar Shopping Mall, Snowcity Cairo is the second Snow Center built by the Al Othaim Leisure Company. Catering to residents and tourists, everyone from working professionals looking to relax in a chilled, one-of-a-kind environment.

Fabyland – Mall of Muscat AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Fabyland at Mall of Muscat, an anchor tenant at the newly opened mall.

The 40,000 square foot family entertainment center is a fun-filled indoor playground that offers 10,000 visitors a day a heightened experience in leisure and entertainment.

Xtreme Zone- Mall of Muscat AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Xtreme Zone at Mall of Muscat includes a host of interactive activities including the bouncy Trampoline Park, the Challenging Climbing Walls and a host of fun games for everyone spread over a 35,000 square feet area.

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS (CENTRES OF 47,001-92,900 SQM OF TOTAL RETAIL SPACE) Al Rashid Mall Abha SAUDI BONYAN, Saudi Arabia Al Rashid Mall Abha, with its diverse retail mix, is positioned as one of the hottest destinations in the Southern Region for both residents and the regional tourists from neighboring countries. The venue has an attractive waterfall and lake on the Ground floor.

Mall of Muscat, Oman TAMANI GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT LLC, Oman Among the most important commercial and touristic projects in the Sultanate of Oman, the mall features the Oman Aquarium, an enormous Snow Park, a Family Entertainment Centre, and over 200 stores offering shoppers a wide variety of international brands located on three levels.

RENOVATIONS/EXPANSIONS (CENTRES OVER 92,901 SQM OF TOTAL RETAIL SPACE) The Expansion - Mall of Arabia MARAKEZ, Egypt Mall of Arabia’s aim was to reposition the mall into comprehensive retail and urban destination. 100 retail units were added, as well as new features such as: A Food Hall, High-End Fashion retailers, an in-mall park with an events lawn, outdoor fitness area and playground, an IKEA, and mixed-use locations such as a nursery school and office spaces.

Growing and Expanding with Brands Diversification UNIFIED REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT CO., Saudi Arabia Unified Shopping Centers is the largest and fastest-growing line of outdoor shopping centers in Saudi Arabia, with over 50 centers throughout the Kingdom as of 2019. Their aim is to continue developing 4 new shopping centers per year, targeted in the heart of Saudi Arabia’s growth areas.

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RETAIL STORE DESIGN HOB & Third Avenue DALMA MALL, United Arab Emirates HOB & Third Avenue Café: the high-end, multi-brand boutique offers luxury bags, perfumes, make-up, sunglasses and chocolates and connects to the Third Avenue Café, featuring a black & white interior with an abstract mix of colors that gives the space an elegant look.

Mihyar The Store Designed for the Saudi Man KAMAL OSMAN JAMJOOM GROUP, United Arab Emirates Mihyar takes a giant leap from the very restricted and limited confines of traditional made-to-measure to the limitless opportunities and options of materials, fittings, styles and colours that ready-to-wear brings. In order to fully demonstrate this leap, the new store concept required a much more experiential and engaging format.

Dusoul DHAMANI JEWELS LLC, United Arab Emirates Dusoul’s beautifully designed new boutique showcases its stunning, yet accessible, fine jewelry collection. The retail experience is enhanced by innovative technology, offering digital display software that allows realtime social media interaction between the brand and clients.

Fabyland - Mall of Muscat AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. The elevation was attractive and very visible from all angles in order to attract the people inside the center. Create a stimulating environment was essential in order to make the users spend their money. Proper branding to attract customers with good graphics. Adequate landscaping to create a more natural setting for the users to enjoy.

Ceiling elements to add to the overall experience.

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Xtreme Zone - Mall of Muscat AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Xtreme Zone Area is totaling to 35,000 square feet with the biggest trampoline park in Oman. Dedicated trampolines for small kids and teenagers. Attractions include: Trampoline park Active Climb Trampoline features: Jumping pads Basketballs arena Foam pit Ninja Course.

Snow City Cairo AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Snow City Cairo is the first Snow park in Cairo City. The concept has a warm side which includes guest area, reception, cafe, uniform area, merchandise area, lockers, storeroom, and maintenance area. The Cold side has rides and snowmaking facilities.

FabyLand Tabuk AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. All interior elements, from flooring, finishes, ceilings, lighting and fixtures to graphics, reflect the total entertainment design through the physical extension of the shop front design concept. Signage and wall graphics design are imaginative, unique, unusual and creative.

FABYLAND at TABUK PARK offers a wide range of Leisure Offerings for all age groups.

Saffori Land Hasaa AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. The proposed Indoor Amusement Family Destination concept for the Centre is conceived with the most spectacular and unique amenities that are designed to enthrall the enthusiastic and fun-loving clients in Al Hasaa.

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Mikyajy Glamour Girl Store Concept KAMAL OSMAN JAMJOOM GROUP, United Arab Emirates Mikyajy is the go-to beauty brand for Khaleeji girls. The new store features brand colors and imagery, flattering lighting, bold signage that portrays brand personality, and a beauty play station for trying and exploring new products.

Sharjah Cooperative Society Al Muweilah Store WANZL MIDDLE EAST FZE, United Arab Emirates Situated in a residential building, the sleek design of the store features colored glass walls that define the product category areas. Industrial elements such as pipes and ducts are exposed to give the store a modern feel.

Lulu Xpress Fresh Market - Al Reem Island WANZL MIDDLE EAST FZE, United Arab Emirates The design concept in Lulu Xpress Fresh market was to create a modern look and feel within a relatively small footprint. The open ceiling gives the impression of space whilst the sweeping LED curves recessed into the feature bulkheads to offer a bright, well-illuminated space.

The Body Shop - Beat Store Concept in Saudi Arabia THE BODY SHOP, Saudi Arabia Clear brand markers and engaging fixtures provide multiple ways to shop and experience the products. Interactive areas invite customers to touch, smell and try products, while associates give personalised advice leading to higher conversion rates.

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RETAIL EXCELLENCE Danube Home DANUBE HOME, United Arab Emirates Danube Home’s retail concept revolves around tastefully combining elements of luxury with affordability while offering the widest range of home improvement products not typically found in one store.

Xtremeland AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. The concept of indoor family entertainment, ‘videotainment’, ‘sportstainment’ and ‘edutainment’ are all included as per the brand portfolio.

Oman Aquarium TAMANI ENTERTAINMENT, Oman The Oman Aquarium showcases predominantly local sea life and incorporates Omani heritage and culture to make the experience more relevant for educational purposes, whilst promoting conservation in a fun and fascinating way for all those visiting, regardless of age.

Snow City, Rabwa AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Snow City is the first of its kind snowpark with more than 20 different fun and exciting activities. The fundamentals are of course present such as our different tubing slides, the usual wood sledge 1 and 2 places, the ski school, the zorb ball, carousel, snow play area.

Snow City Cairo AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Snow City Citystar Cairo is owned and operated by Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Company, a company dedicated to providing the MENA with a world-class entertainment venue. A strong focus is placed on transparency and delivering outstanding customer service.

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Saffori Land Rabwa AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Saffori Land Rabwa is an Indoor Theme Park considered to be one of the best entertainment destinations in Saudi Arabia. It caters to all age groups by providing the latest rides and arcade games in a fun atmosphere for families to spend quality time together.

Sparky’s Panorama Mall AL HOKAIR GROUP, United Arab Emirates Sparky’s Panorama Mall, featuring mechanical rides like the 360, super jump and roller coaster, and over 120 of the latest video games, skill games and kiddie rides, a giant soft play area, a 5D Cinema and a party room for special events.

Sky Zone /Al Hokair Time Malqa AL HOKAIR GROUP Sky Zone /Al Hokair Time Malqa, a closed sports entertainment city with many physical activities, several playgrounds for jumping, basketball, wrestling, climbing, other sports activities, and special areas allocated for small children.

BEST MENA RETAIL BRAND Marie France MARIE FRANCE SAL, Lebanon Marie France is a ONE STOP SHOP for all women garments and necessities. Imagine that in one single shop any woman (from different social & cultural backgrounds) can shop more than 17 ranges of up to date fashion products and basic classic necessities.

Snow City AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. Offering a refreshing experience to share with family and friends in a real and safe snow environment, Snow City is the only Snow theme park in Riyadh City and includes more than 12 different activities for kids and adults.

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Saffori Land AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. An Indoor Theme Park that is considered one of the best entertainment destinations in Saudi Arabia, Saffori Land provides the latest rides and arcades games in a safe and fun atmosphere that allows families to spend quality time together.

FabyLand AL OTHAIM LEISURE & TOURISM CO. An ideal one-stop family entertainment destination for kids of all ages, FabyLand is a fun-filled indoor playground that offers everyone a heightened leisure and entertainment experience and encourages children to learn and grow whilst they play.

Sparky’s Panorama Mall AL HOKAIR GROUP, Saudi Arabia Guests at Sparky’s can choose from a wide array of special rides and attractions, such as Roller Coasters, a Carousel, the Extreme Trampoline Zone, a soft play area and skill games.

SERVICE EXCELLENCE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Yardi Systems YARDI SYSTEMS, United Arab Emirates Dedicated to the development of software for the Middle East real estate industry designed for managing residential and commercial real estate portfolios, Yardi offers fully integrated and configurable solutions for over 5000 companies in 80 countries.

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DATA ANALYTICS Leading AI - Enabled Analytics Solution Providers XPANDRETAIL POWERED BY SĂ€VANT, United Arab Emirates Xpandretail powered by SĂ vant analytic solutions supports organizations to develop new insights into how to make their business more efficient and successful.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Yardi Systems YARDI SYSTEMS, United Arab Emirates Yardi Systems is offering its clients superior products and outstanding customer service through a real estate platform that encompasses all aspects of the property lifecycle.

Coniq iQ-powered Loyalty Programme CONIQ In under 3 months from design to delivery, USRA Rewards was launched in 102 Liwa Stores across multiple languages, currencies and locations and adds around 20,000 new members each month.

Aislelabs Flow & Connect AISLELABS INC. Aislelabs Flow & Connect, which are SaaS-based analytics solutions providing insights in any physical venue such as retail locations, shopping malls, airports or events, thus enabling retailers to understand customer traffic patterns and behaviors in ways never before possible.

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VIAFONE Technologies Chatbot for 360 MALL VIAFONE TECHNOLOGIES PART OF CELS GROUP, United Arab Emirates VIAFONE Technologies part of CELS Group has created a WhatsApp AIbased chatbot called “Nouf” dedicated to Kuwait-based Tamdeen Group’s 360 MALL. The artificial intelligence (AI) driven, bilingual chatbot supports the mall’s customer service function, making it easier for customers to engage with the shopping mall.

DÉCOR & DESIGN INSTALLATION Dubai Festival City Water Feature GHESA, United Arab Emirates Dubai Festival City is a vibrant multipurpose destination designed by Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate, combining shopping, hospitality and entertainment in one of Dubai’s most famous waterfronts. The centerpiece of the new scheme is a water feature designed, manufactured and installed

by GHESA.

AFKAR Lighting Brings Katara Cultural Village to Life this Ramadan AFKAR LIGHTING PART OF CELS GROUP, United Arab Emirates During Ramadan 2019, AFKAR Lighting a part of CELS Group was tasked with bringing Katara Cultural Village to life including the decoration of 1.6 kilometres of roads with Ramadan inspired lighting. Katara Cultural Village is set to be one of the greatest cultural projects worldwide, with a unique vision and perspective.

CELS Events Presents The Little Mermaid at Lagoona Mall CELS EVENTS PART OF CELS GROUP, United Arab Emirates CELS Events part of CELS Group presents The Little Mermaid at Lagoona Mall. This stage show was customised by IMAGINECELS within CELS Events who specialise in designing and delivering these shows set to capture the imagination of the entire family.

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RETAIL PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

Wail Balkhair

Eddy Abi Nasr

SAHAT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., Saudi Arabia

MARIE FRANCE SAL, Lebanon

This year, Wail Balkhair was appointed as CEO of Sahat Property Management Company, which achieved revenue growth of 140% in 2019 versus 2018. He was recently appointed as a Board Member of the MECSC. He believes in continuous learning to stay updated in an industry that is constantly evolving.

Eddy Abi Nasr is the CEO of Marie France SAL in Lebanon.

He strongly believes that succeeding in retail requires first and foremost a passion for the industry and more specifically, one’s brand. Marie France has been a part of who he is and has taken pride in his father - Nicolas Abi Nasr’s success story.

Daniel Parry

Ishwar Chugani

GULF RELATED, United Arab Emirates

GIORDANO, United Arab Emirates

Daniel Parry is the CEO and Managing Director of Gulf Related. Over the past 12 months, he has been instrumental in the management, development and opening of the UAE’s most-anticipated retail launch, The Galleria’s 1.4 million square feet (GLA) expansion and simultaneously led The Galleria Al Maryah Island’s Luxury Collection to a record year of footfall and sales. Daniel is involved in every facet of the company, from legal and finance to leasing and marketing.

Ishwar Chugani is the CEO and Managing Director of Giordano Middle East (FZE). As a member of the Management Committee of Giordano International, he is also responsible for global market expansion. Mr. Chugani was a founding member of the MECSC and was recognized as one of the Top 20 Indian CEOs in the Arab World by Forbes Magazine in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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Raise youR pRofile in ouR quaRteRly magazine SUBSCRIBE

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Retail PeoPle Magazine is foR all MeMbeRs of the Retail woRld. the MeCs+R wants Retail People to be the foremost source of knowledge information for the retail industry, where MeCs+R members can have an active voice in the activities of our organization. with readership in over 45 countries, we are continuously creating a voice in the Mena region. bringing the best in every retailers and raising their profiles at the optimum level.

RPM is indeed one of the best initiatives by MECS+R and it’s so enriching to be associated to it both as an audience and as a contributor. And it has so much more coming. All we need to do is Stay Tuned.

Juby Jose

Head of Marketing & Specialty Leasing Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Retail People Magazine keeps the readers updated on where is the industry is heading, so your business can cope with the trends, and participating in articles, which I love to do here, will keep the community aware of your profile and involvement in the industry.

Eng. Wail Balkhair CEO Sahat Property Management Co.

FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Contact: MARIZ MATOCDO, Marketing Officer E: customercare@mecsc.org

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P R E V I O U S LY R E C O N Organized by the largest Retail Industry Association

For Further inFormation visit

www.retailcongressmena.com

to register contact

D u b ai , un i te D a r a b em i r a t e s

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lea@mecsc.org or call +971 (0)4 359 7909

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How do you grow revenue?

Centralise your property data to minimise risk and deliver key performance metrics, while using mobile technology to revolutionise interaction with prospects and tenants.

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