Apparel and accessory retailers bask in DSS glory

With the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) sales offering discounts and hard-to-miss promotions to the customers, the lure of shopping in Dubai increases manifold not just for the residents but also for the visitors from various corners of the globe.

A recent report by the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) has revealed that during the first two weeks of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), sales revenues of participating outlets skyrocketed by 103 per cent to Dh67 million. As the summer fiesta surges ahead on its glorious path of progress, the projected figure of total spend for the current edition doesn't seem too far. It is estimated that this year will witness a 20 per cent rise in the total spend as against 2006, reaching Dh3.08 billion.

Apparel and accessory retailers are all in favour of the projection and have been reporting a constant rise in sales since the start of summer this year.

Comments Natasha Tulsi, Marketing Manager for GCC, M&S, "Marks and Spencer now has five stores across the UAE with the addition of the flagship Dubai Festival City store. Dubai Summer Surprises always helps to boost sales as the attractions in the city help bring in visitors. Many hotels are giving out summer deals and this helps to boost the influx of shoppers in Dubai. Over this period, we have seen varied nationalities travelling from their countries to make the most of the discounts in the city. The latest collection at our stores is fun, vibrant and chosen carefully for the summer months. With continuously better and trendier merchandise, our store has seen tremendous growth this season as well."

Encouraged by the past trend the retailers are looking at a further hike in sales in the coming days. Says Dina Sabnani-Marketing Manager (UAE) - Splash LLC., "June was an exceptionally good month for us. All of our mall stores, such as Mall of the Emirates, saw a healthy increase in footfall, as well as overall sales. We expect similar growth throughout July, with only a slight projected drop due to the unavoidable 'vacation season'. This summer, the effect of DSS on our sales has been quite noticeable. We have registered a decent growth in comparison with last summer. The various activities held in the malls and across town have been real 'crowd pullers'. The increase in footfall generated by the activities has led to a definite increase in sales."

Adds Anil Nair, Manager, United Colours of Benetton, "We have already crossed our targets, and there is only one direction we're moving, its forward. We have a mix of nationalities - Dubai residents as well as GCC nationals - shopping at our stores although in recent times we have been witnessing an increase in European tourists. We are looking at a 20 per cent increase in comparison to last year."

The customer profile making the most of the summer sales varies from UAE nationals and residents as well as tourists from around the world. The influx of tourists from Europe and the Middle East heading their way into Dubai during summer also makes the DSS sales very lucrative for the retailers who offer tangible discounts to attract more and more customers. Rim Hammoud, business development manager for fashion division, Bin Hendi Enterprises attributes the rise in sales to the tourists coming into Dubai during summer. She adds, "Summer is always a good time for us. Most of our clients are tourists from different countries especially Eastern Europe."

Johan Schwartz, Deputy General Manager, retail at Lifestyle anticipates higher sales in the ensuing months as June has been tremendously fruitful for them. July being the first month of their new financial year the positive growth sets the trend for the year ahead. He says, "We have already witnessed an increase in our sales in the first two weeks of July and taking all the factors into consideration, we are expecting a 25% increase for this season.

"Since DSS is Dubai-centric, it has become a major part of the city's events and promotional calendar. It is good opportunity for us to build brand awareness by participating in promotions and the various events taking place all over Dubai. During summer holidays, there is a surge in the number of tourists, especially from Europe, shopping at our stores. Typically, we attract women with a geographic skew to nationalities prevalent in the relevant area. Deira attracts UAE Nationals, Arab Expats and Asians, while our stores in New Dubai attract a majority of Western expats, UAE Nationals and Asians."