Dubai Shopping Malls Group joins hands with Dubai Summer Surprises for the 12th edition

This is the twelfth year that the Group is supporting DSS, a key event on the Dubai summer calendar.

Majid Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Shopping Malls Group commented, "We are proud to continue our association with Dubai Summer Surprises and roll out a collective campaign with leading malls. Malls in Dubai have become destinations and mall based entertainment and associated activities are one of the key attractions during DSS."

"All through summer, shopping malls will transform into venues for live entertainment, competitions, workshops and other interactive programmes. The annual summer event which has helped to attract record number of visitors every year, is a great example of how the private sector and government can work together to boost the retail industry," he added.

This year's programmes and promotions by Dubai Shopping Malls Group will be announced by the first week of June 2009. Comparative figures show the dramatic transformation that DSS with the support of the Group has brought to Dubai's retail sales. Total spend at shopping malls during DSS 2008 was recorded at over Dhs1bn.

Speaking on DSMG's support, Laila Suhail, Chief Executive Officer of DSF Office said, "We are delighted to have DSMG as one of our key sponsors for this year's DSS. With the support of DSMG we will implement an interesting campaign to highlight Dubai's retail offerings, revitalising the industry. Our promotion with DSMG is one of the key success factors of every DSS. Campaigns are cost effective and create more impact when organisations come together to offer bigger attractions under the DSS umbrella."

The Dubai Shopping Malls Group was formed in 1998 as a Dubai Shopping Festival Office initiative to support the first ever Dubai Summer Surprises. The Group has since then evolved to provide a unified face to the shopping malls in Dubai helping the industry to work together to provide better customer service and increase retail sales.

The Dubai Shopping Malls Group currently has a total membership of over 30 malls in Dubai. DSMG is governed by a Board of Directors including Mr. Majid Al Ghurair, CEO, Al Ghurair Group & Chairman of DSMG; Ms. Laila Suhail, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Shopping Festival Office; Mr. Tom Miles, Senior General Manager - Retail, Dubai Festival City LLC; Mr. David Thurling, Managing Director, Nakheel Shopping Malls LLC; Mr. Fareed Abdelrahman, VP - Division Asset Management MAF Shopping Malls;Mr. Eisa Adam, General Manager, Burjuman; Mr. Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group; Shahjahan Unneen, General Manager, WAFI - MKM Commercial Holdings.