In a city that prides itself on being green, nothing testifies to the power of plants so eloquently as ringing cash tills, heavily laden shopping trolleys and a packed car park. These were the unexpected sights and sounds during a visit to Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Park last weekend.
The streets of the local Al Matar neighbourhood normally greet you with an almost post-apocalyptic emptiness, but even at 9.30 on a Friday morning, the capital's green fingered and curious had turned out in force, tempted by the prospect of a new farmer's market, award-winning coffee and the capital's first proper garden centre. The seasonal, locally grown organic vegetable boxes came from Ripe, a new Dubai-based business that already hosts a market at the Dubai Garden Centre each Saturday. The freshly ground coffee from Raw Coffee Company, a family-run boutique roastery whose fair trade blends are sold through a cafe that's also based at the Dubai Garden Centre.
Unsurprisingly given the team sheet so far, Abu Dhabi's new Desert Garden Centre also comes courtesy of the Dubai Garden Centre and its parent company, the Dubai horticultural giant that is Desert Group.
Even if the cast of characters and business model are already well tested in Dubai, their arrival in Abu Dhabi is a welcome first and their effect on this particular corner of Khalifa Park is difficult to overestimate. When I arrived it seemed that the proceeding excitement and anticipation on Abu Dhabi's online chat rooms and message boards was well justified. A steady stream of people were walking from the busy car park toward the garden centre, and a small flotilla of trolleys laden with plants, bags of compost and oversized containers was being wheeled in the opposite direction as nursery employees helped shoppers back to their cars. Once I'd paid my dirham to enter Khalifa Park, I saw it had been transformed into part plant nursery, part street market and part playground. It was wholly un-Abu Dhabi.
Up until now, shopping in the capital has taken place almost exclusively indoors, so to be able to shop, eat, drink and meet friends in the sunshine while being surrounded by plants rather than the usual roster of all-too-familiar international brands felt like a regular weekend ritual in the making. Danny Powell, the general manager of the Desert and Dubai garden centres, has spent a professional lifetime trying to achieve this general sense of well-being and lifestyle. "We're trying to make people happy in the nicest possible way because we see everybody as a potential customer."
Powell, a New Zealander, is a Middle East veteran who was bitten early by the horticultural bug. "I started growing radishes when I was five or six. They're one of those plants that allow you to put the seed in the ground and 28 days later you're eating them. It was probably my first gardening lesson and I immediately enjoyed it."
After working with interior landscapes in London in the early 1980s, he spent 20 years setting up garden centres in Saudi Arabia before moving to Dubai five years ago. Powell is now, the face of the Abu Dhabi and Dubai garden centres; his caricature appears on every sign, price tag, shopping bag and advertisement. This actually makes meeting the face behind the cartoon something of a surprise, but when presented with the opportunity, I feel obliged to raise the issue that always seems to crop up whenever local gardeners discuss the Dubai Garden Centre: price. It's not an unexpected question.
"Price may have been an issue historically, and it's hard to get rid of a reputation like that, but I think that's something that's in the past. I often speak to people who tell me that they stopped shopping at the Dubai Garden Centre because it was terribly expensive, but I always tell them to come again and when they do come back they find that we're actually very competitive."
Powell is also keen to stress the quality and local credentials of his outdoor stock. "Just take a look at our gardenia; I'm particularly proud of those. They're of such high quality we could easily export them to Europe."
Shoppers at the Desert Garden Centre seem delighted, surprised and downright relieved. For Jane and Matthew Benniston, the centre means that they can now shop locally: "One of the problems we've found since being in the UAE is that it's always a problem to simply do things yourself, to be able to buy the equipment you need, whether it's for DIY or gardening."
A quest for decent compost and a tomato growing addiction originally took them to Dubai Garden Centre, but now they can walk to the Abu Dhabi garden centre from their home in nearby Al Maqta Village.
Tomatoes originally appealed to Matthew's desire to get involved. "If you want to grow stuff, get your fingers dirty and remain interested, then you really have to grow things from seed. Otherwise you're just watering something you've bought from a shop that looks pretty."
James and Sue Rix came to the park to support a friend selling handmade jewellery at the farmer's market, but are leaving with a box of organic vegetables and the firm intention to return. "We normally only shop for seasonal bedding plants at Mina Port, but you don't get much information there and it always feels like they're just telling you whatever you want to hear. The staff here seem much more knowledgeable."
Powell should be pleased with such comments. Some of his Abu Dhabi team are old-timers from the Desert Garden Centre, some have worked for him before elsewhere, and the new recruits spent three months training in Dubai before making the switch to Abu Dhabi.
When I ask about the weekend's takings, Powell is understandably coy, but it's clear from a morning's observation that the latest addition to Abu Dhabi's horticultural scene is doing something right.
Ask Nick
While recently walking along the Abu Dhabi Corniche, I saw a plant with silvery-grey leaves growing as an attractive hedge. What is it and would it be suitable for my own garden?
There are several species used as hedging along the Corniche, but only two that have glaucous, silver-grey leaves and both of which are North American in origin. Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas Ranger) is normally grown as a low hedge, while Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus (Silver Buttonwood) is usually grown as a taller barrier in situations where privacy is a concern. Both are excellent plants for local conditions, but Conocarpus pollen can be a concern for people who suffer from allergies. I would check with your neighbours before using this plant as a hedge in a domestic garden setting.
homes@thenational.ae
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SHAITTAN
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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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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
