Sahara Centre hosts BBC World for Ramadan shopping trends reports

The highly respected broadcasting giant chose Sahara Centre for being one of the leading shopping malls in the country, and for its strategic location being based in Sharjah and very accessible to Dubai.

The Holy Month of Ramadan is a time for fasting, worship, and forgiveness. It has traditionally been a slow period for businesses in the region due to shorter working hours and the lack of productivity during the daytime.

BBC World conducted several interviews with shoppers and some visitors which showed that locals and Muslim residents in the UAE are still very much into the tradition during the month of Ramadan - the first two thirds of the month involve work and rest during the day, and family visits for breakfast. Following the Iftar at sunset, people spend their time going out.

Businesses respond to this tradition with special Ramadan timings. They also implement a variety of promotional schemes to stimulate consumer spending. Sahara Centre for its part prepared an exciting line-up of promotional activities, including cultural programmes and a raffle draw that will give away three Nissan Muranos to lucky shoppers.

"It is usually a busy month for Sahara Centre with a strong 10% annual increase in traffic during this period, especially during the Eid," said Gavin Cox, Sahara Centre Managing Director. "As it is, customers already enjoy a world-class shopping and entertainment experience when they come to Sahara Centre. For Ramadan, we are staging cultural activities such as calligraphy and painting exhibitions, as well as pottery and ceramic exhibits and workshops, because we want to enhance the shopping experience of our customers by making it both meaningful and exciting."

BBC World took this opportunity to film Ramadan activities that are currently taking place at Sahara Centre, including a model of a traditional Arabic house, which is one of the mall's major attractions during the Holy Month. It is furnished with a selection of antique furniture, where shoppers can sample delectable home-made traditional sweets, dates and bread over a cup of aromatic coffee.

The British broadcasting company also took footages of the pottery and ceramics workshops, as well as the calligraphy and painting exhibits, which showcase more than 30 pieces of rich creative images on Islamic arts that depict Ramadan customs and traditions using various styles and colours.

"We are expecting retail activity to pick up considerably before and during Eid, which more than compensates for moderate sales during most of Ramadan," Cox explained. "Sahara Centre is known to be the most suitable shopping mall targeting high profile UAE Nationals as it is a pleasurable place to visit," he added.

In response to a BBC World query regarding competition in the shopping mall industry in Dubai, Cox had this to say: "Competition is a major issue in the retail industry, especially here in the UAE. At Sahara Centre, we always try to innovate and improve our service to exceed consumer expectations. In addition, we implement a variety of corporate social responsibility programmes that bring us closer to the communities we do business with."

"I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to come to Sahara Centre, where we guarantee shopping experience at its finest - from a wide selection of retail shops and world-class entertainment features to excellent customer service," Cox concluded.