Dubai will have a new mega-mall - twice the size of the Dubai Mall that is the biggest in the world -- and far more modern, under plans unveiled by Emaar this week. The Dh10 billion complex, known as Dubai Square, will serve the clever additional purpose of helping the UAE capitalise on the fast-growing e-commerce industry.
“You just operate your store – don’t worry about anything else. We will operate and manage the digital side of it completely, so you can just focus on your business,” Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar told stakeholders at an event on Tuesday.
Emaar pitched Dubai Square as the world’s first digitally-enabled shopping mall. The complex will have its own ‘Dubai OS’ operating system embedded into its wifi to support retailers’ online operations. Mr Alabbar’s $1bn e-commerce venture Noon.com naturally, is a key part of the plans, with retailers able to list their products on its website.
Shoppers can use Noon.com if products are not in stock, and delivery firm Aramex, in which Mr Alabbar also has a stake, will take them to customers.
“We are leveraging the largest logistics network in the Middle East,” he said.
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Emaar asset sale could help fund Dubai Creek plans, says chairman
Emaar to build ‘tech-embedded mall’ at Dh10bn retail complex
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Over time, the system will gather valuable data about people’s shopping habits, to improve both retail performance and customer service.
“Omnichannel retail is the way forward so shopping malls are here to stay, but they require e-commerce DNA to be embedded in their bricks and mortar,” Mr Alabbar added.
With the GCC e-commerce market forecast to grow to $24bn by the end of the decade, according to consultancy A T Kearney's estimates, the billionaire businessman is really on to the something with this latest venture.
It’s also no surprise that he wants to use Emaar’s biggest investment to date (Dubai Square is part of the Dubai Creek Harbour scheme, set to become the new heart of the emirate) to beef up his other interests – Aramex and Noon.com. The latter launched in the UAE last year, but has yet to raise its profile amid fierce competition from Amazon's Souq.com and others. Encouraging retail tenants to be a part of Noon’s growth strategy is smart.
The scheme should also be a no-brainer for global brands. An invitation to hand over their digital operations to Dubai Square and its partners is a compelling proposition as successful e-commerce requires expertise and investment. But they must be careful not to lose their place in the global retail race.
It’s all very well Mr Alabbar telling retailers, “you just focus on your business”. But in a world where e-commerce is disrupting traditional retail, digital strategy is part and parcel of any retailer’s growth strategy. If they fail to develop that side of the business it themselves and acquire necessary expertise, they run the risk of missing in other markets in future.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The years Ramadan fell in May
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
