2007
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Carrefour cheap in Qatar
French supermarket chain Carrefour has emerged as one of the cheapest places to buy essential shopping items in Qatar, reported The Peninsula citing a government survey. Carrefour was found to offer goods such as basmati rice, cooking oil, butter and frozen chicken at lower prices than rivals such as the Al Meera chain of cooperative stores and Lulu Hypermarkets.
Bombay Dyeing to debut in region
Rivoli Group, a Dubai-based luxury lifestyle retailer, has partnered with Bombay Dyeing, one of India's leading textile and garment manufacturers, is set to launch its first stores in the Middle East, reported Emirates Today. The company has partnered with the Rivoli Group, a Dubai-based luxury lifestyle retailer, and will open its first shop-in-shop store by the end of December or early January. The two stores, measuring 4,000 square feet each, will be located on Za'abeel Road in Dubai.
L'Oreal loses 'smell-alike' case
French cosmetics firm L'Oreal has lost a legal battle to stop a Dubai company from selling "smell-alike" copies of its perfumes, reported Reuters. London's Court of Appeal said consumers were unlikely to confuse genuine L'Oreal products with cheaper imitations, even if they smell similar. Scion International markets its fragrances with phrases such as 'only your wallet smells the difference.'
Planet Hollywood in Bahrain
Planet Hollywood, the US restaurant chain, will be opening a branch in Bahrain. The Lagoon Bahrain, a mixed-use development, has handed over one of its first commercial units to Bahraini businessman Waleed Khalil Kanoo, managing director of Planet Hollywood Bahrain. Kanoo will use the outlet to bring Planet Hollywood Bahrain to The Lagoon, which is located on Amwaj Islands, a 2.75 million square metre development in Muharraq.
Egypt to host powerboat race
Egypt's Porto Marina has been selected by the World Professional Powerboating Association to host the 5th race of the 'Class I' World Powerboat Championship from October 25-27, 2007. Hosted by Amer Group, 'Class I' has become the leading event in the world of powerboating over the past 25 years. The seven-race event concludes in Qatar and Dubai.
UAE bans Chinese toothpaste
The UAE's Ministry of Economy has banned the sale of Chinese-made toothpastes that may contain DEG (diethylene glycol), a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze, reported Emirates Today. The toothpastes are sold in the UAE under the brands names of Best, Smile, Acura, Special 2, Shine, Moon Light, Clean Up and Zane.
Smartbuy in Jordan
Smartbuy, a Jordanian electronics megastore located at the Cozmo Centre in Amman, was officially opened on October 4. The store will offer goods covering a number of sectors including IT, audio visual, home appliances and telecommunications. SmartBuy is a subsidiary of Jordanian Saudi Company for Electronics Trading.
UAE GM food concerns
Environmental activist group Greenpeace has said tonnes of genetically modified (GM) rice may have been imported to the UAE from India and then re-exported without bearing the correct labelling, reported Gulf News. Dubai Municipality said it had not as yet established any defined policy regarding GM foods and so traders were not obliged to label their products. Greenpeace believes not enough is known about GM foods to classify them as safe.
Kuwaiti price crackdown
Kuwait's Trade and Industry Minister Falah Fahd Al Hajeri has said the government will tighten up pricing controls in a bid to cool inflation levels, reported Reuters. Al Hajeri stated that anyone who raises food, or rental, costs in an 'unjustified way' will face prosecution. The country's lawmakers have called on Kuwait's cabinet to discuss ways of curbing rising prices on November 8.
Ajman smoking ban
Ajman Municipality has introduced a no-smoking policy in all of the emirate's malls and 'closed markets', reported Gulf News. Security guards and municipality inspectors will ensure that the ban is enforced. The move is intended to reduce the exposure of non-smokers to passive smoking and follows a similar ruling in Dubai last month.
Christie's jewelery sale in Dubai
Christie's has announced that it will stage a second sale of contemporary jewels and watches in Dubai, at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel at 6.30pm on 1 November 2007. Christie's inaugural sale of similar items in Dubai, held in January, sold for a total of $11,814,880. Highlights of the sale will be previewed in locations including Geneva, London, New York, and Abu Dhabi ahead of the auction in Dubai.
Abu Dhabi gold sales slow
Abu Dhabi's gold sales fell 20% in September, and 10% in the third quarter versus the same periods a year earlier, due to high gold prices, reported Reuters. Tushar Patni, the emirate's Gold and Jewellery Group chief, said gold sales in September were very quiet in terms of volume and value due to 'very high' gold prices, adding that October has also gotten off to slow start.
Al Tayer to open @home stores
Dubai-based Al Tayer Group has signed an agreement to introduce @home, a leading South African homeware chain of stores, across the GCC. @home is a chain of 50 stores that offers fashionable and practical homeware catering to the middle and upper segment of the market. The group plans to open more than 20 stores in the region over the next three years.
Benneton under fire in Iran
A group of prominent members of Iran's parlaiment have issued a warning to Italian clothing retailer Benetton, saying its fashions are a bad influence on female consumers in Iran, reported AFP. The five MPs - four members of parliament's cultural commission and a member of its legal commission -issued their warning in a written protest to parliament.
Hitler ad sparks anger
A property advertisement featuring a picture of German dictator Adolf Hitler has sparked outrage across the UAE, reported Emirates Today. Conqueror Real Estate used an image of the Führer alongside the strapline: 'The World Is Yours.' The firm's general manager said the firm used the image to attract attention, but residents have branded the advert insulting and in bad taste.
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