Night Souq adds colour, excitement and savings to the nights of DSF 2004

This event attracts families, and with amazing shopping, relaxation and even entertainment shows, there is something for the entire family.

Waleed Al Maghrabi, Corporate Alliance Coordinator and Night Souq Supervisor, Dubai Shopping Festival, said, "The crowds at the Night Souq are of good numbers, and if you notice, there are some parallels to this attraction and the Global Village. The Night Souq started off last year in around half the area that you see this year, and we have over 7000sq.m. We had 40 retailers last year, while this year there are 62 brands across 72 outlets. There is also a great food court with 10 outlets, which often stays open much later than the Night Souq itself. There are smaller services like tea, coffee, corn and a stage area that hosts some good games and competitions especially for the younger ones."

"Eid Al Adha was an absolutely fabulous time to be at the Night Souq. We had regular 'flash' sales at many of the outlets, and people were very pleased at the chance to really rush to an outlet and root out a bargain. Brands like United Colours of Benetton, who are selling at a 40% discount at the Night Souq, were selling at 60% during Eid Al Adha. The opening time of the Night Souq was brought forward to7pm to allow more people to make use of the great offers. In just the first two days of Eid, there were over 120,000 visitors recorded at the Night Souq!"

"We have been running raffles daily for all shoppers at the Night Souq, with good prizes that they can redeem right at the Night Souq itself. Any shopper gets a raffle coupon for every Dhs.100 spent, and there is a draw every night, at or just before midnight. The first prize is a voucher for Dhs.1000, the second prize a voucher for Dhs.500 and there are 5 prizes of Dhs.100 each. The eighth draw identifies one lucky shopper who will get a voucher from Mexx to redeem at their Night Souq outlet or at any 'Mexx for Less' outlet in the UAE. The grand prize, with the draw on February 15th, is for a Nissan Patrol", he added.

There have been special Eid Al Adha offers on almost all the products at the Night Souq, with promotions being run by Electronics retailers Cosmos, Philips, dealers in Household items, Pierre Cardin for readymades, and even Nescafe, Baskin Robbins and Q's Cuisine, who gave dinner vouchers for two to a winner each day.

The Dubai Shopping Festival Merchandise store too is seeing a great response from the public, and residents and visitors alike are eager to take away a keepsake of their memorable time at DSF 2004. The store near the main entrance of the Night Souq carries the full range of DSF merchandise.

"The response we have had from traders have been just great. We have had so many enquiries about bookings for next year that we are sure that this event is only growing. We have enjoyed the support and encouragement from so many groups and companies, and everybody will surely find something of their interest to keep them occupied. We have the balloons play area for children, there are a whole lot of competitions and games on stage, with gifts and prizes for participants and winners, Egyptian and Mexican parades, and we have got Masafi to sponsor this attraction. Among the impressive line-up at the Night Souq are the exclusive jeweler, Damas, and the mobile phone outlets, Axiom and Siemens."

Axiom, the renowned mobile phone and accessories outlet, has set up a stall in the DSF Night Souq, and is offering its entire range of products to shoppers at between 5% and 20% discounts. "The response we have seen from people has been great. We have sold a good number of phones at this stall, sometimes even going up to 40 mobile phones a day. All features that we offer through our regular stores are available to our customers here too. It is only the price that has changed, nothing else. People can be assured of good after-sales service, warranties and quality accessories. Although we are not running any special offers on accessories, there will be discounts and bundle offers when buying a mobile phone and its accessories together", said Mohammed Khaled Othman, who along with Randy, man the Axiom Telecom outlet in the Night Souq.

Levi's and Hang Ten are among the more popular of the clothing retailers at the Night Souq. These adjacent stalls, belonging to the Al Madani Group, are seeing a great response from the public, as all our clothes are greatly marked down. All the garments here are at wholesale rates, and during Eid Al Adha, we had even sold some stocks at cost. We get fresh stocks once or twice a week and we have decided to have a very simple stall with a 'Bazaar' atmosphere. It is very beneficial and even therapeutic to find something suitable from a huge pile of clothes. Levi's jeans are most popular, while with Hang Ten it is tops and t-shirts, jackets and accessories. We will most definitely be coming back next year, as this place cannot be beaten for the sheer volumes that we sell", said Andrew, Merchandiser with the Al Madani Group.

Visitors to the Night Souq may have noticed a little outdoor stall in a corner, with interesting metal and glass creations and many types of junk jewellery. This is the Night Souq outlet of Lily's Luxury Trading, which is based in the Bin Sougat Centre, Al Rashidiya. Farhad Madani, Managing Partner, said, "We specialize in hand-made glass and costume jewellery. The products that you can see around here and in our store include crystal, lampshades of re-cycled glass, ashtrays, flowers and even wedding decorations. This is our first time at the Night Souq, and we have enjoyed a good response, including striking a business deal to export some of our products to Africa! We get stocks once in two or three days here, as the junk jewellery is quite fast moving. There are women's bracelets, necklaces, chokers, mostly made of silver. We also have and produce frames for all kinds of wall hangings."

Gloria and Benjamin Asisdigo, residents of Dubai from the Philippines, were on their fourth visit to the Night Souq. "Our daughter loves to come here, and we come with her and the children. We shopped at Giordano, Mexx and many of the other outlets. The Night Souq is just great when compared to shopping outside. We could buy all the things we need now and not have to do some shopping for a while! We will definitely be coming again to this place. It is good that there is enough entertainment for everyone here, and our grandchildren are kept amused too, with the shows, the balloons, and the many activities. This place really has something for everyone."

Abdul Majid Abdullah and his family, frequent visitors to the Night Souq, are from Iran and have lived in Dubai for 17 years. "This is the third time that we are coming here during DSF 2004 and we are just amazed at how clean and colourful this place is. This year is an improvement of the Night Souq over last year. We have done some good shopping at shops for crystal, garments, electronics and others. Some of the things that have really grabbed our attention are the green carpets used for the flooring, giving it a feeling like a lawn, and the rule of non-smoking. Being a smoker myself, I find it good that such family places enforce rules like this."