Wellness is a word that has been gaining a stronger foothold in our consciousness over the past few years. It's all-encompassing, a term under which healthy eating and living, weight loss, exercise, mindfulness and so much more falls. It also connotes a certain lifestyle. One that looks at the labels, checks up on the environmental and sustainable goals of companies, and prides itself on staying informed with the latest news and developments.
With 44 years spent producing fresh juices and produce, the home-grown Barakat Group is looking to move further into the wellness arena, with a rebrand that goes beyond labels and logo, and deeper into issues such as sustainability, local produce and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in the UAE.
Enter Rashid Mohamed Alabbar, 33, Barakat board member, e-commerce champion, self-confessed fan of disruptive innovation, and passionate advocate for the next generation of tech and brand-savvy business brains in the region.
“With technology, I try to disrupt many channels and come up with new ways to give great customer service,” he says. “On a personal level, I am driven by seeing change and creating impact. Going forward, we will try and explore and develop new products under the Barakat umbrella in the health and wellness space. We’re known for our healthy products – juices and fruits and vegetables – and we’ll stay in the healthy food sector, working on product development among other things. People trust Barakat and that’s a great responsibility.
“The rebrand is very important,” he adds. “The Barakat business needs to be relevant to a younger audience in the way we present and package.”
With an eye on the next 44 years, he tells The National: "From now on, we're changing."
What inspired the rebrand?
It’s been a very interesting time for the food service industry. The pandemic brought home just how important the food service industry is. That sparked a lot of interest in me with Barakat as a business, because all of a sudden, you are aware that you’re creating a meaningful service to the community during that time.
What does the next generation customer base look like?
Health-conscious. Young people are more educated. They watch what they eat, and they know of and use an array of health apps, like the ones to see how many steps you’ve done, or how many calories you’ve burnt, or what you should eat based on your blood type. These go hand-in-hand with Barakat’s vision. And with Covid-19, especially, we have all become so much more aware of our health.
How important is social media to the rebrand?
All young people are on Instagram and TikTok and [other] social media platforms, so we’ve been focused on building an amazing marketing team, everyone tech-savvy, all young – much, much younger than me – and they know what the next generation wants. Social media is critical to communicating with our audience, we have to do it right and the content has to be relevant.
What moves are you making towards sustainability?
Sustainability really gathered pace during the pandemic, due to the surge in the use of e-commerce. People would post pictures of the mountains of boxes and packaging they were throwing away from their deliveries, they are concerned about these things. For Barakat, it’s important that the packaging be environmentally friendly and sustainable. It’s also about the efficiency of operation, maximising deliveries and having the right technology. I want to make sure we have aggressive targets to increase efficiency and sustainability.
Will sourcing local produce play a role in your sustainability goals?
Historically, Barakat sourced from all over the world; we were never big on [home-grown] produce, plus, the infrastructure wasn’t there. But now with the government support of local farmers, we’ve grown the number we work with to about 50. It takes [research and investment], but it’s well worth the support. Again, looking at what happened recently, with Covid-19 shutting down airports, and companies unable to ship products from certain countries – it affected how we look at things globally and locally.
How will you develop the business further?
I’m passionate about working with entrepreneurs, and about young, energetic, smart people becoming part of the team. They could be local farmers or producers, or people with great ideas and new technologies. My wish is that we can become a testing ground to support entrepreneurs to support themselves, to create jobs and opportunities for people to explore.
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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
'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Disturbing%20facts%20and%20figures
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
SPEC%20SHEET
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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