'Convenience shopping' concept spells success for NTDE

"The location of a NewsCentre is always crucial to the success of the store, as a result it was decided that it would be to our best advantage to have the store close to Cinestar, opposite the Second Cup café. We are already very encouraged by the response that the store's received,"

said Ebad Ahmadi, Director, NewsCentre - NTDE.

He added that being present in the west end of the mall was a strategic decision targeting impulse buyers looking for cigarettes, cigars, FMCG items, newspapers, or magazines, but who did not want to walk all the way back to the Carrefour's end of the mall to buy what they needed.

Attractively designed, with an up-beat appeal, with a look similar to European railway station outlets or duty free shops, the concept has been extremely successful among end users looking to make a quick purchase within the shopping malls. The most popular items at NewsCentres to date are the extensive range of magazines and tourist guide books, plus cigarettes and tobacco accessories.

The business development team at NTDE, who is responsible for overseeing the NewsCentres, is presently engaged in expanding the NewsCentre network. New locations have already been selected, including its first outside Dubai, and five new stores are on-line to open before the end of 2006.