Dubai's summer shopping festival gets under way today as malls across the emirate undergo face-lifts amid rising competition.
Retailers are hoping that visitors opting for Dubai as a result of the so-called Arab Spring will boost sales.
"A lot of tourism in the region will be attracted to Dubai," said Neelesh Bhatnagar, the chief executive of Emax Electronics. "Summer Surprises is typically quite good for the market … and people who come on holiday to the UAE also benefit."
The large numbers of foreign tourists meant more customers buying electronics to take back to their home countries, he said.
While many retailers in the West offer reduced prices in the winter as incentive for customers to trudge through snow or brave wet weather, in the Middle East the decline in the numbers of shoppers occurs during the summer. This year, the Dubai Summer Surprises event has been cut to five weeks, ending on July 31, rather than extending into August as has been done in the past.
The event has been cut back so as not to clash with Ramadan, which this year begins at the start of August.
Retailers have mixed feelings about the length of the sales period, which has been shortened to 40 days from 64 in 2009.
The shorter sales period was not as much of a concern as the fact that Ramadan and the "back to school" period would overlap this year, Mr Bhatnagar said.
Business from foreign tourists is also expected to fall during Ramadan as visitors from the Gulf are more likely to go on holidays before the holy month, he said.
Other retailers are worried that the shorter sales period allows for less time to clear stock.
But the recent increase in the number of shoppers comes as the outlook for retailers appears brighter, said Simon Thomson, the principal at Retail International, a consultancy.
"They're doing a little better than they were doing six or nine months ago," he said. "Dubai and now Abu Dhabi as well are benefiting a bit from some of the political disturbances that have been [taking place] in Cairo and elsewhere. Tourist shoppers are coming back and choosing to shop in the Gulf."
The result would be a boost for some malls that are starting to see tenants depart, Mr Thomson added.
"We've seen that in Dubai particularly, where some of the more expensive, high-end brands are moving out and [malls] are waiting for more value brands," he said.
But the summer boost for retailers comes alongside steadily falling rates for mall rentals, said Craig Plumb, the head of research for the Middle East and North Africa at Jones Lang LaSalle.
"Rents have been falling over the last six months, and we think overall the market is probably close to the bottom," he said.
The large number of malls in Dubaiwas helping to push down rents, Mr Plumb added, although spaces at big shopping centres such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were seeing the greatest demand among occupiers, at the expense of others such as Wafi Mall and BurJuman Mall.
"The big malls are going to benefit from tourism retailing, which tends to be focused on [those] with good relations with the hotels," Mr Plumb said.
ghunter@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
SPECS
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How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
