Dubais Most Loved Malls Showcase Readiness For Summer 2011

Taking part in their first ever Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Dubai’s most loved malls from Majid Al Futtaim Properties is showcasing their readiness for the summer 2011 period. With a range of activities, targeted to tour operators and visitors to the UAE alike, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre and Deira City Centre are highlighting their immense offering.

Together, they boast more than 1300 retail stores, 217 restaurants and cafés, and endless entertainment options from Magic Planet, iFly, Bowling City, Playnation, Soccer Circus and the famed Ski Dubai to draw in crowds.

Emaar Malls Group and Baker Spice Launch New Season of UAE Farmers’ Market

A new season of the popular Farmers’ Market in Dubai will be held at Souk Al Bahar. Following on its launch success in April, and by popular demand, the Farmers’ Market returns on Friday 10 December as a weekly event (with the exception of Friday 31 December) throughout the cooler months, between 10.00 – 17.00.

Organised by Baker & Spice Dubai, in conjunction with Emaar Malls Group, the Farmers’ Market offers locally grown produce from Al Ain Abu Dhabi and Dubai: native and other varieties of fruit and vegetables that are in season and available, all picked and plucked just hours earlier – from field to your table without buying an airline ticket. – at very reasonable prices

Food Consultant Yael Mejia said, “it’s a great day out for all the family and an opportunity to get to know the range of produce grown in this region. You will definitely taste the difference of buying local”.

This is a selling market and all proceeds will go direct to the farmers with no middlemen. Currently in season are aubergines (eggplant), red yellow and cherry tomoatoes, cucumber, courgettes (zucchini), mini pumpkins, grapes, lemons, limes, coriander, parsley, mint, as well as organic eggs, chickens, turkeys and small livestock and much, much more.

Come and meet and talk to the farmers taking part and learn more about their produce:
• Abu Dhabi Organic Farm
• Dar al Fatah Farm from Al Ain and Liwa
• Salata Farms from Ras Al Khaimah
• Nasser Al Refaee bringing fresh produce from farmers in the UAE and from Oman
• Alfoa organic dates and sugarless date syrup from Abu Dhabi – the largest organic date farm in the world
• Showeib Organic farms

 

Families Head To Malls On Eid Day

Families headed to malls on the first day of Eid Al Adha as ‘Eid in Dubai’ kicked off to present various entertainment events across key malls in the city. Organised by the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, ‘Eid in Dubai’ staged events across Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre, and Dubai Festival City. The four-day celebration will conclude on November 19th.

Deira City Centre
Deira City Centre hosted acrobatic and comic shows in addition to roaming solo performers. The Special Roaming Group, featuring eleven acrobats, and the Clown and Comedy Theatre Show took the stage to entertain mall visitors while shoppers were also treated to carnivals and solo performers. The first ‘Eid in Dubai’ raffle draw was also held at Deira City Centre. Seven lucky winners took home cash prizes of AED 50,000 each. Cash worth AED 1.4 million is being given away during ‘Eid in Dubai’.

The winners of the first draw held on November 16th at Deira City Centre are Hana Mohammed (UAE), Ahad Khalid (UAE), Aftan Abu Sardana (UAE), Abdurehman Abdulla (The Comoros), Sau (Sweden), Liyana Al Nasser (Jordan), and Armin Bigham (Germany).

Dubai Festival City
Shoppers and families thronged the Dubai Festival City waterfront for a spectacular display of fireworks. The ten-minute display lit up the night sky in various colours as families lined up along the promenade to watch the spectacle. The display will go on till November 19th and begins at 8pm. The Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra, comprising of twenty young musicians, also performed a 40-minute musical show to entertain crowds. Visitors were also treated to the DINO LIVE exhibition.

Mirdif City Centre
Families and shoppers packed Mirdif City Centre on Eid day as culture and heritage were the focus of Eid celebrations at the mall. Specially organized to present traditional events held during the Eid festivities, the Heritage Zone incorporated all the local elements of a traditional Eid celebration through exhibits, cuisine, and music. The Heritage Zone hosted tents at the Central Galleria with live demonstrations of henna designing, bread-making, and arts and crafts, in addition to a hospitality tent to welcome shoppers and families. Traditional dances such as the dabke and tannoura wowed crowds in addition to Emarati, Moroccan, and Indian traditional bands that combined to present a cultural treat for mall visitors. The cultural shows begin at 4:30pm and will go on until November 19th.

Mall of the Emirates
Mall of the Emirates staged three musical shows in addition to solo musicians and roaming musical shows. Musicians playing on the flute, saxophone, violin, oud, and qanoon entertained visitors to the mall and the ‘Brainiac Live Show! The Big Bang’ attracted crowds of children. The event is an extremely popular televised science show and will go on until November 23rd at the Mall of the Emirates.
 

The Dubai Malls Beauty Bazaar Campaign Offers Emirates Holidays Luxury Spa Getaways

This month, shop for beauty products at The Dubai Mall for a chance to win a rejuvenating holiday to a luxury spa retreat in Thailand, Australia or Mauritius in association with Emirates Holidays.

The world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination located in Downtown Dubai is hosting a ‘Beauty Bazaar’ promotion through October 23, 2010, also featuring an array of in-store activities at the beauty and health outlets in the mall.

Customers who spend AED 200 at any health and beauty retailer can obtain a coupon from Guest Services to enter a draw for winning a relaxing spa retreat courtesy of Emirates Holidays. The draw will be held on October 24.
Exciting prizes include a spa retreat at the Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa in Mauritius inclusive of flights, hotel transfers and breakfast; the spa retreat at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Thailand inclusive of flights, hotel transfers and breakfast; and the spa retreat at the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia inclusive of flights, hotel transfers and breakfast.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The Dubai Mall has set a new benchmark for visitor experience offering continuous promotions, festivals and celebrations that add value to their lifestyle. The Beauty Bazaar promotion will appeal to shoppers looking for beauty, health and nutritional products and services, with a bonus chance to indulge in luxurious resort and spa retreats.”

John Felix, Senior Vice-President, Emirates Holidays said: “This is a continuation of our successful ongoing partnership with The Dubai Mall, and presents an ideal platform to showcase the depth and wide range of Emirates Holidays destinations. The luxury spa getaways are representative of our varied bespoke holiday options and the diversity of our travel offering.”

Several beauty and health outlets have set up kiosks at the health and beauty segment at the mall. Among key retailers participating in the promotion is the NIVEA Haus Spa, which is promoting environmentally friendly products, while Lanvin highlights its new fragrance.

Among in-store activities, the Nutrition Zone store is rolling out special offers on health nutrition for women and men. Inglot make up artists will personally answer and advise visitors on a new look suitable for each individual.

The Dubai Mall, the must-visit retail and leisure destination in the city, features over 1,200 retail stores and 160 F&B outlets. With Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s as the anchor stores, the mall has a dedicated Fashion Avenue hosting 70 of the world’s leading names in haute couture. The dedicated Gold Souk offers the latest in gold and diamond jewellery.

Leisure attractions at the mall include Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo; the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink; SEGA Republic, the largest of its kind indoor theme park in the Middle East; KidZania®, a unique children’s edutainment destination; and the 22-screen Reel Cinemas.
 

Dubai Outlet Malls Charity Campaign Reached Out To Hundreds Of Families

In line with the mall’s ongoing strategic focus to support the community and to reiterate the Ramadan spirit of giving and sharing, Dubai Outlet Mall put together a comprehensive charity campaign for Ramadan to help women and children who suffer from domestic violence, less fortunate members of the community, victims of the Pakistan floods and help to feed a hungry mind by partnering with non-profit charitable organisations in the UAE.

In collaboration with the Dubai Land Department, Outlet Mall delivered hundreds of gift bags containing new clothes, shoes, toys, learning products, accessories and much more, donated by the mall and retailers to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children for Eid Al Fitr.

In the annual charitable program, with the support of the UAE Red Crescent Society, Outlet Mall successfully gathered tonnes of donations of clothes, personal hygiene products, non perishable food, blankets and tents for the devastated victims of the Pakistan floods.

Dubai Outlet Mall is also partnering with Dubai Cares ’School Feeding Campaign’ by displaying donation boxes at different locations in the mall to raise funds and some stores are also participating in fundraising in support of the campaign and other ongoing programs of Dubai Cares.

Vishal Mahajan, Director of Dubai Outlet Mall said: “Outlet Mall has a very strong commitment to CSR initiatives and the response to this year’s charity campaign has been overwhelming from Outlet Mall staff, stores and customers as well as from individuals and companies in the UAE. We would like to thank everyone for their support and we are looking forward to continued partnerships with Dubai Red Crescent, Dubai Land Department and Dubai Cares in the future.”

The ‘School Feeding Campaign’ is ongoing for one year at Dubai Outlet Mall and all donations will be very much appreciated to raise funds for this initiative.

Crowds swarm malls on first day of Eid in Dubai

Crowds swarmed select malls on the first day of ‘Eid in Dubai’ as international character shows, carnivals, heritage tents, and fireworks made for a busy Eid itinerary for children and families. ‘Eid in Dubai’, organized by the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, will go on till September 12, with the back-to-school funfair and exhibition at Airport Expo Dubai running till September 18 at the Airport Expo Dubai. Atlantis, The Palm, also hosted fireworks and organized amazing promotions to welcome Eid visitors.

Mirdif City Centre
The Central Galleria was the hub of Eid activity at Mirdif City Centre as Ben 10, Hello Kitty, and the Freej Show proved to be a massive success with children and families alike. Apart from watching brilliantly choreographed shows, children were treated to spectacular stage settings including specialized sound and lighting. An Eid tent at the Galleria welcomed shoppers and families with coffee and dates in accordance with the traditional Eid custom of ushering in guests. A colourful Eid carnival also added to the celebrations at the mall.

Mall of the Emirates
The adorable purple dinosaur Barney joined Baby Bop and BJ in a musical titled Barney’s Beach Party at Mall of the Emirates. Popular with children of all ages, the character show is famous for Barney’s Hula Dance that gets everyone dancing. On September 12, the mall will also host stilt walkers, jugglers, and an ‘Eid in Dubai’ carnival.

Dubai Festival City
The Dino Live Exhibition was the highlight of Eid festivities at Dubai Festival City. The world’s largest movable dinosaur show features life sized moving dinosaur models and entry is priced at just AED 50 per person. Visitors were also treated to a stunning display of fireworks and laser display that lit up the night sky over the waterfront. People were also treated to heritage tents and welcomed in the traditional Emarati way with coffee and dates.

Airport Expo Dubai
The back-to-school exhibition and funfair were the main highlights at Airport Expo Dubai as families crowded the venue for the best back-to-school stationery and exciting games and rides at the funfair. To add to the festivity, the venue also hosted the international character show Lazytown, for free. Entrance to the venue is free for all.
 

Mirdif City Centre Welcomes Visitors To Celebrate Mall’s 1st Holy Month

Mirdif City Centre has celebrated its first Ramadan this year by welcoming hundreds of visitors to enjoy a traditional set up in the mall’s Central Galleria, complete with a special Ramadan story teller.

Every day of Ramadan during Iftar timing, Mirdif City Centre hosts the traditional story teller, who entertains guests with stories inspired by the meaning of the Islamic Holy Month.

The stories are told in the mall’s Ramadan area, which is specially decorated with inspirational words that have significance to this time of year: acceptance, compassion, consideration, encouragement, friendship, integrity, perseverance and wisdom. Visitors are invited to take the time to write or draw what these words mean to them, and hundreds of visitors have taken part since Ramadan begun earlier this month.

At the conclusion of the Holy Month, this feedback from visitors will be compiled to create a montage of thoughts and pictures about what Ramadan means in this day and age.

Yousif Al Ali, Vice President of Mirdif City Centre, said: “Ramadan is an extremely important time for us here at Mirdif City Centre, and to celebrate our first Holy Month, we wanted to share this with all our customers and hear what this special occasion means to them. Our traditional Ramadan set up in the mall’s Central Galleria, complete with our very own Ramadan story teller, has proved to be very popular with visitors so far and we are excited to see the final collage of thoughts and pictures on the meaning of Ramadan.”

In addition to the mall’s traditional set up, Mirdif City Centre has also joined hands with other malls under Majid Al Futtaim Properties in their annual Ramadan charity drive – ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’.

The month-long initiative encourages customers to donate a number of specific used items such as spectacles, clothing, mobile phones and books, at special collection points placed strategically throughout the mall. All items collected will be distributed to the Red Crescent Society and ultimately gifted to underprivileged people across the region.

The Mall has extended its operating hours during the holy month of Ramadan daily from 10am to 1am.
 

Shopping Malls Under Majid Al Futtaim Properties Mark Ramadan With Annual Charity Drive

Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ eight shopping malls in the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have joined hands to support the month-long charity campaign ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’.

Through this annual charity initiative, Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Sharjah City Centre, Ajman City Centre, Maadi City Centre, Alexandria City Centre and Bahrain City Centre, will once again reiterate their commitment to help the underprivileged across the region.

The initiative encourages customers to donate a number of specific used items such as spectacles, clothing, mobile phones and books, at special collection points placed strategically throughout the malls. All items collected are then distributed to relevant charity organisations in the area and ultimately will be gifted to those who are in need.

Fuad Al Najjar, Vice President, Deira City Centre, said: “Ramadan is a time to reflect on the lives of those who are less fortunate, and our annual Ramadan charity campaign is extremely important to our whole team.”

“By partnering with these local charity organisations we make it easy for people to participate. Last year our malls together successfully collected around 62,000 items, all of which found a new home with those who are most in need. We hope to build on this success this year and to continue to spread the message of giving this Ramadan,” added Fuad.

Red Crescent Society will receive all the donations from the malls in the UAE. In Egypt, donations collected from Maadi City Centre will be gifted to a number of charity organisations such as the Egyptian Society for Integrated Development. Donations collected from Alexandria City Centre in Egypt will be given to Future Protectors, Daawa Lel Haya, Resala and Sahabet El Khair charity organisation.

Visitors to the malls who choose to donate to the initiative will also receive a special offer coupon that provides deals and discounts from participating retailers, as a small gesture of appreciation for their generosity.
 

Emaar Malls Group Awards Winners With Glittering Prizes During Dubai Summer Surprises

Visitors to the malls of Emaar Malls Group in Dubai won glittering prizes in gold at Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), the shopping and entertainment extravaganza held in the city.

All the outlets of Emaar Malls Group – The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, Souk Al Bahar and Gold & Diamond Park – also recorded a boost in visitor footfall and stronger sales at the participating outlets.

The Grand Prize winners in the ‘All that Glitters is Gold’ promotion, held from June 17 to August 7, took home a gold watch, return Business Class tickets to a European destination and a luxury gold and jewellery set. The campaign was held in partnership with Emirates Airlines and Rivoli Group.

Gold bars were distributed weekly through SMS and online competitions in addition to Emirates business class air-tickets to Amsterdam, Prague or Madrid, and Longines watches.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “This year’s Dubai Summer Surprises further contributed to driving visitor footfall to our malls and strengthening sales at the participating outlets. The shopping and entertainment event is a perfect fit for driving the retail sector during the summer months. The fun factor appeals to the family while the attractive bargains and raffles are a huge draw for customers.”

Visitors who spent AED 200 at any of the four malls received a coupon from the customer service desk. Customers simply had to SMS the coupon number to enter the draw for weekly and grand prizes. They could also take part in the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) ‘Shop & Win’ promotion to win attractive prizes.

To celebrate DSS, The Dubai Mall organised a range of entertainment events too, including the Sheila & Abaya Fashion Show, Mini Bladi Exhibition, Kids Wonder Talent Show, Tap & Hip Hop Dancers, Circus Fera Show, Butterflies Show, and Yellow Speed Team.

The Dubai Mall, the must-visit retail and leisure destination in the city, features over 1,000 retail stores and 160 F&B outlets. With Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s as the anchor stores, the mall has a dedicated Fashion Avenue hosting 70 of the world’s leading names in haute couture. The dedicated Gold Souk has 220 stores offering the latest in gold and diamond jewellery.

Leisure attractions at the mall include Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo with over 30,000 aquatic animals; the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink; SEGA Republic, the largest of its kind indoor theme park in the Middle East; KidZania®, a unique children’s edutainment destination; and the 22-screen Reel Cinemas.

Souk Al Bahar is an Arabesque shopping and entertainment development located near The Dubai Mall with 100 stores including more than 22 food and beverage outlets framing the souk’s waterfront promenade. Waterfront dining at Souk Al Bahar offers some of the finest views of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building; and The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain.

Dubai Marina Mall, a lifestyle shopping destination for residents and visitors of the Dubai Marina community, has 160 stores. The mall provides an exciting mix of tenants including a supermarket, fashion wear, accessories, jewellers, boutiques, toy shops and children’s entertainment. The premier Reel Cinemas with six screens opened recently at the mall.

The Gold & Diamond Park, on Sheikh Zayed Road, has 90 retail outlets dedicated to the gold and jewellery trade. A sought-after shopping destination, it also has several cafés and a restaurant to cater for shoppers and neighbouring businesses. Jewellery enthusiasts have the option of commissioning their own designs and have them handcrafted within a short time frame at the onsite manufacturing site.
 

Grand Finale To Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s ’Shop And Win BMW Cars’ Star Campaign

Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s incredible ‘Shop & Win BMW Cars’ campaign, the biggest Dubai Summer Surprises raffle event of the year, came to a close at Modhesh World today. The final two winners of the campaign which offered shoppers a golden opportunity to win 14 coveted BMW 3 Series luxury sedans, are Iranian national Eisa Sadaaket and Saudi national Gaidaa Ali Al Zayer.

The promotion which ran from June 17th to August 7th was the star attraction of DSS 2010 and was supported by 21 malls across Dubai. Shoppers were entitled to one raffle coupon for every AED 200 they spent at participating retail outlets. Those shopping with MasterCard doubled their chances of winning, receiving an additional raffle coupon.

Eight different nationalities won in the seven week campaign. Four of them were tourists.
One of the last two winners, Eisa Sadaket, a resident of Al Ain for two years could not hide his amazement when informed of the win, “I have never won at any of the DSS raffle draws till now. I am so happy to win a BMW, this has made my summer an absolutely thrilling one. I look forward to drive away in my BMW.”

DSMG’s BMW promotion was complemented by an action-packed calendar of exciting events, amazing activities and sizzling surprises. Participating malls organised a plethora of shopping and entertainment extravaganzas for families and children, such as Kids Fashion Week, international cartoon show ‘Stories of SpongeBob’ and Middle East Junior Chef of the Year.

Majid Al Ghurair, Chairman of DSMG, commented: “This year’s DSS campaign contributed to a spurt in retail sales and footfall, reinforcing Dubai’s status as the shopping capital of the world. Mall-wide discounts and amazing bargains catered to the insatiable appetite of Dubai’s shoppers. Unique entertainment and winning opportunities, especially the ‘Shop & Win BMW Cars’, helped to boost the retail revenue this summer. This is an excellent example of how private and public sector collaboration can help to increase retail sales. We look forward to another sizzling summer next year, which will mark the fourteenth year of our support to DSS.

“The retail sector is showing signs of recovery. Though the Dubai Summer Surprises was on only for seven weeks, the shopping season will continue with the advent of Ramadan. Shopping centres under the guidance of DSMG will extend shopping hours in the evening to facilitate convenient shopping and food and beverage facilities. The malls will offer attractive promotions offers as DEPE has extended its support to ensure an exciting shopping event during the holy month of Ramadan.”

The member malls of DSMG that participated in DSS 2010 include: Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair City, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Arabian Center, Burjuman, Century Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Marina Walk, Dubai Outlet Mall, Gold & Diamond Park, Hamarain Centre, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Centre, Mercato Mall, Oasis Center, Palm Strip, Reef Mall, Souk Al Bahar, The Dubai Mall and Town Centre.