Mall Of The Emirates Records Sales Of AED 7.7 Billion In 2008 And Expects Significant Footfall During DSS 2009

Shopping promotions and exciting events at the Mall of the Emirates during Dubai Summer Surprises have been instrumental in attracting visitors to the mall during summer, and this has reflected positively on retail sales and the overall visitor turnout, according to Fuad Mansour Sharaf, Vice President of Mall of the Emirates.

Mall of the Emirates, the world’s first shopping resort is a member of the Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group – a key sponsor of DSS 2009.

Sharaf noted that Mall of the Emirates had logged tremendous growth rates since its launch in 2006. ’In 2008, we achieved AED 7.7 billion worth of sales, an indication substantial evidence of the pioneering retail position now boasted by the Mall.”

He also outlined the mall’s plans for DSS and stressed that DSS was key to the growth of retail business during the summer. “Most of the summer activities in the emirate are organized in malls during the summer and therefore, shopping malls are more than keen to have a strong presence in the summer extravaganza. For us at MAF, the event is of a paramount importance to our business and we are ensuring to make the best use of it.”

Mall of the Emirates was the venue for the opening ceremony of DSS 2009 and witnessed a massive response with over 100,000 mall-goers on the day. Fuad said that the selection of the mall for an important event such as the opening was enough indication of the confidence that DSS officials had in the mall’s ability to host such an event.

Elaborating on the promotions being organized this DSS at the Mall, Fuad said, “This year, Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre are coming together for the first time ever in a joint promotion to give visitors the chance to win prizes worth AED 2 million this summer. The massive campaign sees both malls give two winners AED 100,000 each every week with the amount doubling up in the last draw by the end of DSS. The joint initiative means shoppers can now spend the AED 300 needed to enter the draw at any of the 800 stores in the two malls.”

While stressing that the AED 7.7 billion sales figure for 2008 was an achievement by itself, Fuad said “In DSS 2009, we expect the sales to be almost the same of 2008, a year which witnessed a 30 per cent increase in sales over the previous year 2007. A huge footfall of 6 million visitors came to the Mall during the DSS 2008 and we expect the same number during this edition.”

He also threw light on the nationalities of the visitors at the mall. “Usually tourists coming from the GCC countries to Dubai during the DSS are the largest in number in comparison with other nationalities. During the first days of this edition we’ve noticed that a large chunk of those visiting the Mall are locals and expatriates living in the country along with a reasonable number of GCC nationals and Europeans. We expect an increase in the footfall over the coming period, especially among those coming from Saudi Arabia.”

In an indication that Mall of the Emirates was poised for an expansion, Fuad said that they were embarking on an ambitious expansion project under which up to 40 new stores offering international assortments of global brands would be ready by the fourth quarter of 2010. This move, he added, would bring the number of operating stores at the Mall to 511, and effectively provide 233,000 square metres of Gross Leasable Area for retailers and other service providers.

On a closing note, Fuad said that new malls would only strengthen Dubai’s retail sector and add to Dubai’s position as a top-notch global shopping destination. Competition, he added, would play a vital role in protecting consumer interest and vitalizing the country’s economy.

Emirates Launches Unbeatable Family Friendly Holiday Offer in Time for Dubai Summer Surprises

Coinciding with their participation in Dubai Summer Surprises as a key sponsor for the twelfth edition of the summer extravaganza this year, Emirates has recently launched the ‘Kids Go Free’ promotion offering families from across the globe an incredible saving when they visit Dubai with Emirates. The promotion will run up to 20th September, 2009. The promotion, which has been developed to further attract international visitors to Dubai across DSS, will see one child under the age of 16 years fly free and up to a maximum of two children stay, eat and play in Dubai for free when travelling with two paying adults; once again proving that Dubai is the ultimate family friendly holiday destination.
 
Collaborating with some of the emirate’s most impressive attractions this one-of-a-kind offer will provide families with the opportunity to take an exciting break, in a unique destination, without breaking the bank.
 
“Dubai Summer Surprises is an important event in Dubai’s calendar. Each year the festival attracts thousands of international visitors into Dubai to shop, explore and be entertained in the emirate. This year, Emirates has launched an innovative and competitive promotion called Kids Go Free, that we believe will further push travel to Dubai, said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran Emirates.
 
“The Kids Go Free offer allows families from across the globe to take a well deserved break, in an exciting destination, without the financial strain an international holiday can bring. Knowing that their child will travel, stay, eat and play for free takes a huge degree of financial pressure off the family budget. We hope that this enticing offer from Emirates will enable more families to experience Dubai Summer Surprises and have their annual holiday in this exciting destination.”
 
The Kids Go Free promotion is applicable for passengers travelling with Emirates to Dubai from select destinations around the world and includes Meet and Assist at Dubai International Airport.
 
A total of 33 hotels in Dubai are participating in the promotion with a hotel to suit every family’s budget and preference, from a six star luxury hotel to serviced apartments. In addition to free flights, accommodation and meals children will also have free entry to a wide range of Dubai’s most interesting children’s attractions, ensuring an action packed family vacation. Some of these exciting and complimentary activities include;
 
• Wild Wadi Water Park, including a medium meal
• The Lost Chambers at Atlantis The Palm Dubai
• Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall
• Dubai Ice Rink in Dubai Mall
• Sega Republic Indoor Theme Park in Dubai Mall (opening June 2009)
• Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates
• Bowling at Magic Planet in the Mall of the Emirates
• Round of golf and access to the driving range at The Montgomerie Dubai
 
The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest, will also provide each family with some incredible discounts to be utilised within the mall, helping families save even more money and make good use of the recently announced increase to Emirates’ free baggage allowance.
 
For further details and full terms and conditions please contact your local Emirates office.

Emaar Launches Festival@The Dubai Mall To Showcase Spectacular Shopping And Leisure Extravaganza

The Dubai Mall, the city’s most-definitive lifestyle shopping and leisure destination, will host a spectacular shopping, entertainment and raffle extravaganza from April 30 to May 29, 2009. The Festival@The Dubai Mall is envisaged as the Gulf region’s most innovative mall-based shopping and leisure event offering superb shopping deals, life-changing raffle draws and non-stop entertainment. With Dubai Shopping Festival Office as a Strategic Partner, Festival@The Dubai Mall celebrates the tag-line ‘30 Days, Many Ways.’Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director – UAE, Emaar Properties, said that Festival@The Dubai Mall is conceptualised to become an important event in the tourism and retail calendar of Dubai. “Tourism and retail have been the key pillars of Dubai’s economy,” he said. “With Festival@The Dubai Mall, we are not only adding further stimulus to the retail sector of the emirate but also strengthening the tourism experience offered by Dubai. The festival is being promoted across the GCC region and larger Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Iran to ensure wide-scale participation that will energise Dubai’s tourism, retail and hospitality sectors.”Mr Matrooshi said Festival@The Dubai Mall offers the entire breadth of excitement associated with a shopping and leisure extravaganza. “There will be exceptional shopping deals at the over 900 retail outlets in The Dubai Mall and shoppers stand to win millions of dirhams in prizes, all planned to give a boost to the local economy. The Dubai Mall is an unparalleled family destination and with this festival we are showcasing the mall’s unmatched strengths to the world.”Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said that Festival@The Dubai Mall is a timely celebration of Dubai’s stature in global retailing as the fourth most popular destination for retailers, as recognised recently by CB Richard Ellis in their global survey. “The CBRE survey revealed that 46 per cent of 280 of the world’s top retailers have a presence in Dubai, next only to London, Paris and New York City. This is a big achievement for our city, which has invested heavily in retail infrastructure. The Dubai Mall is one of the most significant investments in retailing, and what we have created is a world-class mall and a superb shopping and entertainment destination.”Visitors to The Dubai Mall during the month-long festival can look forward to exceptional shopping deals with three kinds of shopping offers – Part Sale, Festival Discount and Festival Offers. Mall tenants will display their chosen category of the offers in-store for easy identification by customers. The Dubai Mall has also made special arrangements for mall tenants to obtain these permissions from the Department of Economic Development (DED) office, located within the mall.
The Festival@The Dubai Mall will give away five prizes each of AED 10,000 every day and AED 100,000 every Saturday with a bonus AED 50,000 if the winner happens to be present at the draw, with a grand prize of AED 1 million at the end of event, through raffle draws. Shoppers get a raffle coupon for every AED 500 spent on aggregate purchases across any retail outlet, including the food court in the mall. The purchases may be made during the 30 days of the festival.One of the innovative events at Festival@The Dubai Mall is “Bid 2 Win,” a live daily auction of three to four products from mall retailers valued between AED 10,000 and AED 100,000. Any visitor can participate by sending an SMS with his or her price bid, which starts at AED 1. Another fabulous winning opportunity is the Grand Bentley Raffle, whereby only 5,000 tickets, which can be purchased at AED 200 each, are drawn to reward a lucky winner with the luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur.Mr Rafi explained: “The Bid 2 Win and bargain deals will be a significant boost for retail in the mall, while also offering families the opportunity to win big. With several flagship stores and exclusive franchises in the Middle East, The Dubai Mall is a full-spectrum family shopping and leisure destination. We are adding to the appeal of the mall to families with the Festival@The Dubai Mall.”Complementing these retail and raffle-driven events will be larger-than-life entertainment programmes. Apart from The Dubai Fountain show every evening, which is currently in the testing phase, visitors will be entertained by 25 solo acts including jugglers, musicians and magicians, skating shows at the Dubai Ice-Rink and celebrity appearances.“The Dubai Mall is already popular for the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, The Waterfall and the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice-Rink. For the Festival@The Dubai Mall we are introducing several innovative leisure events,” said Mr Rafi.Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and Emaar Hospitality Group. Dubai Shopping Festival Office offers strategic support in executing the various retail and entertainment activities.Opened in November 2008, The Dubai Mall currently has over 900 retail outlets open, of the total 1,200 stores. The mall also has a Gold Souk with some 200 gold and jewellery outlets. Families and friends can meet at the extensive food courts featuring 160 F&B outlets and capacity to seat 3,000 people at a time. More entertainment avenues including KidZania®, SEGA Republic, and the 22-screen REEL cinema will open later this year. Galeries Lafayette, France’s leading lifestyle retailer and Bloomingdale’s, America’s leading department store will be the key anchor stores, which marks the first time both retailers will open stores in the Middle East region.
 

Community Development Authority Supports Government Initiatives On Human Rights

The Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai participated in a seminar on “labour and human rights” organised by the UAE Ministry of Labor and held under the patronage of His Excellency Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour. The participation of CDA is part of its strategy to support governmental initiatives to strengthen human rights.Commenting on CDA’s participation, His Excellency Saqr Ghobash said: “We value CDA’s participation in such an important event, which reiterates the Authority’s valuable role and responsibilities in achieving comprehensive development of the society. CDA’s initiatives complement the efforts of the ministry in achieving the goals we have set in upholding human rights in the country.”Dr Maryam Matar chaired one of the sessions at the seminar entitled ‘Human rights in labor relations: fundamental rights at work’. She said: "The Community Development Authority has always accorded the highest priority to issues that concern all members of the society. This is in line with the directives of our leadership and the government to implement solutions for various societal challenges. This will help us strengthen socio-economic growth as well as mitigate the negative effects of challenges that face the nation’s security.”She added: “CDA highlights its contribution to international efforts in promoting and enhancing human rights and seeks to strengthen our networking with other organisations that have a track-record in supporting human rights and with the Human Rights Council.”Mr Ghassan Khalil, Advisor for Social Policy and Strategic Planning for CDA, and an international expert on human rights, participated in one of the sessions in the seminar entitled ‘The right to consensual work: strategies for deterring, detecting and combating forced labor’. He presented a paper on trafficking of women and children and ways to combat human trafficking and ways to address the outcomes.