Retail
- The news you choose »
- Login to Add to Watchlist
UAE retailers warned not to overcharge
The UAE Ministry of Economy has warned top retail outlets against overcharging customers. 'The ministry does not see any need to increase price of any item, especially when the present times call for discount,' said Dr. Hashim Al Nuaimi, Director, MoE's Consumer Protection Department. 'Studies conducted recently by the MoE confirm more falls in prices occurred during July and August. This is attributed to the supply and demand factor, decrease of prices of most commodities in origin countries and falling cost of transport and operation,' he said.
Zara opens new UAE stores
Spanish fashion brand Zara, has opened two new stores, catering for men, women and kids, in Bawadi Mall's ground floor, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi Mall's first floor, in partnership with Dubai Holding Group (DHG). 'In the current climate shoppers are looking for high quality fashion items at reasonable price points. The Zara concept meets the needs of this audience effectively,' said Duncan McLellan, General Manager for DHG.
Survey: Retail customer service is 'poor'
A recent study of the UAE's retail sector, conducted by Ethos Consultancy, has found that only 35% of customers were extremely satisfied with the services offered by the retail sector. The study added that 44% were just satisfied with the quality of service, 13% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 7% were dissatisfied and 2% were extremely dissatisfied. Companies need to consider the recruitment process seriously and they need to recruit better people and put the right people in the right place, said Halima Anderson, Business Unit Head, Non-Government, Ethos Consultancy, Dubai.
Saudi companies complain of 'flood' of foreign products
Saudi companies have made several complaints over the flood of cheap foreign products that they say are damaging market competition, appealing for measures to protect native interests from what they describe as 'unfair and illegal competition', the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce said. 'The Council can help national companies with laws and legislation to prevent foreign companies from flooding the market with foreign products, as this violates the kingdom's competition law,' said Fouad Al-Sultan, Secretary General of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce.
Dubai Duty Free sales fall 4%
Dubai Duty Free sales have fallen by 4% in the first five months of this year despite 3% increase in passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport, The National has reported. DDF has sold Dhs1.52bn worth of goods, down from Dhs1.59bn in the same period last year. Perfume and cosmetic sales were down by 7% while confectionery were up by 9%, as well as cigarette and tobacco, by 8%.
Joyalukkas to open second Doha store
Jeweller Joyalukkas is set to open their next showroom in the Lulu Centre in the Qatari capital, Doha, to promote jewellery shopping within popular supermarkets. 'It's important we are accessible at key locations. We package our showrooms taking into consideration the profile of the customers frequenting the location,' said Joy Alukkas, Chairman of the group.
New UAE malls must have mosques
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issed an order that will require new shopping centres to have mosques and health clinics for the convenience of shoppers. The facilities will allow mall visitors to shop and perform their prayers, news agency WAM reported.
Dubai Metro retail outlets tendered
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said in a statement it has successfully tendered 92% of the retail outlets and ATM sites in Dubai Metro's Red and Green Line stations, and the received bids are three times higher than the minimum bidding rates. The successful companies will operate the retail shops across the 29 stations of the Red Line and 18 stations of the Green Line. The RTA is working on the final phase of leasing with the limited units available for tender in the coming days.
Electronics goods sales drop 10% in UAE
A new report by GfK Retail and Technology said total sales of electrical consumer goods in the UAE during Q1 2009 had dropped 10% to Dh2.43bn ($662m), compared to Dh2.7bn in the same period last year. Sales of telecommunications goods dropped by 25.5% to Dhs747m million in Q1, while sales of laptops grew by 12.1% to Dhs740m. The biggest jump in sales was for video game consoles, which jumped 96% in the Q1 2009 to Dhs19.6m.
HP to open two Middle East stores
Computer manufacturer HP plans to open retail outlets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by the end of 2009, offering the full range of HP products. The two countries are HP's biggest markets in the Middle East. The shops will be run with partners and not impact margins for current retail stores or partners.
Time Machine prepares for luxury upswing, despite sales fall
Time Machine Group has said that even though luxury goods sales fell 21% in the first quarter of 2009 to Dhs21m, the company still plans to open restaurants, cafes, retail and beauty outlets in hotels. Prakash Bhojwani, Chief Executive of the Dubai-based group, said the company wants to be ready for when tourism rebounds. "In the UAE and particularly in this region, trade and tourism will be the future. So that's what we are trying to focus on, services that will attract more tourists," he told the National.
Al Maya expands in Oman
UAE-based Al Maya Group has followed Lu Lu, Safeer and KM Trading, opening its two supermarkets in Muscat. The company plans to open at least seven supermarkets in Oman by the end of the year, Group Director, Kamal Vachani, told Gulf News. The group had been doing wholesale trade in Oman for 20 years.
MidEast gold sales down 26%
The World Gold Council (WGC) has said in its quarterly report that gold sales in the Middle East dropped 26% to 53.6 tonnes on the year during Q1 2009 as economic uncertainly and high prices discouraged buyers. Both jewellery and investment recorded similar percentage declines, with a fall of 26% to 49.5 tonnes and 28% to 4.1 tons respectively, the report said. Rozanna Wozniak, investment research manager at WGC said the total volume decline for the UAE during the first quarter was 31% and the volume was 16.6 tonnes, while Saudi Arabia was the only country in the region that saw jewellery demand rise, with an increase of 8%.
Consumer electronic sales in Dubai fall 14.8% in Q1
Dubai-based GfK Retail and Technology said sales of consumer electronics in the emirate fell 14.8% to Dhs599m ($163.1m) in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, reported The National. Retailers across the region are reporting sales drops of between 10% and 20% in the first quarter compared with the exceptional sales peaks of last year, worth Dhs37bn across the region, according to GfK.
TAF opens in Beirut
NexCen Brands, has announced the opening of the first TAF, previously known as The Athlete's Foot, franchised store in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Khalid Al-Mutawa is the master developer for TAF Lebanon and owns the rights to develop TAF in Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt.
It looks like you are using a Mac - check out our 
Web Feeds