WELCOME
GASTRONOMICA Diverse & Agile – Staying Successful in a Fierce Market Page 30
OUD ELITE The Affordable Luxury Page 43
THE GALLERIA Luxury Shopping & Dining at its Finest in Abu Dhabi Page 40
ISSUE 15 APRIL-MAY 2018
Circulated in 45 countries
GLOBAL TRENDS ON FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY Majed Al Hokair
Group Vice Chairman Al Hokair Group
Leadership in the world of Hospitality and Entertainment
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ON THE COVER: Majed Al Hokair Group Vice Chairman Al Hokair Group
Thank you to
Younus Al Mulla MECSC Chairman
Marwan Eskandarani
MECSC Board President Group Business Development Director – GCC Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group LLC
Andrew Williamson
National Director Head of Retail MENA, JLL
Avijit Yadav, CMD, CSM, CLS, CDP, CRX Chief Operating Officer GLA Property Management Co. LLC
Khalid Suleiman Aljasser
Chief Executive Officer Arabian Centres Real Estate Co.
Luca Cappuccitti
WELCOME Over the past five years, the team at the MECSC has been focused on our strong sense of vision for our members and our organization. We have had the discipline, despite the market variables, to never veer from our vision in the process. Everything we have done has worked towards our vision today and into the future. Our role at the MECSC is to help you all to facilitate your business and to raise the personal profile of everyone locally, regionally and globally. We have held each other accountable for the vision’s realization, and utilized it every day to guide our decisions at the MECSC. Our success has helped us to understand that creating an organization and lasting product with a clear vision is the only way to connect with our audience who are our members, customers, partners or employees. A clear vision gives our audience a way to tell the outside world who they are and what they believe. It inspires trust and loyalty. Our Retail People Magazine inspires trust and loyalty. The MECSC was founded on these values. Knowing your vision is essential for lasting success and the ability to rise above the others. The Retail People Magazine is one avenue which our team at the MECSC uses to promote our vision for our members and readership. The April 2018 issue is themed 'Global Trends on Food, Entertainment, Media and Technology'. We have received several great articles penned by NEW members. In addition we have received some very informative, insightful articles from seasoned members which you will also enjoy. Majed Al Hokair, Member of the Board of Directors at Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the Al Hokair Group writes about the opportunities in Saudi with the new hospitality and entertainment growth taking place. Majed graces our cover with his photo this issue. One on one with Bhupinder Singh. MECSC Regional Representatives Jamal Al Shawish and Lina Abbas have well thought out articles. Lina speaks about how to lease retail space in Kuwait, back to basics. Francis Loughran joins the Retail People Magazine again with a new view on food. NEWCOMERS – First time authors contributing to the Retail People Magazine. James Damian, a newcomer to the Retail People authors writes about a new view on the customer experience. Another new author for us is Susan Seibert who writes about a new disruptive technology called LifeOnScreen. Stefan Breg writes about Keane Brands and the large footprint appearing in the MENA region for the growth of new food concepts. Ben Chesser from Coniq writes about another disruptive technology in CRM. Chadi Habr writes about the bright future of VIP Parking Control and how this industry in other areas of the world has impacted our lives in positive ways. Cedric Ficheux has penned an article on IT and how retailers and shopping centre owners are just now realizing the benefits of utilizing data to increase Enterprise Performance Management. The team at the MECSC thanks you all for delivering these timely articles which has taken your time, focus and interest to pen these compositions. Stated many times before, we all have a stake in the future of the retail industry locally, regionally and globally in the many forms which retail will morph into. The MECSC is committed to work with all stakeholders to ensure everyone is brought up to date on the latest news through our many channels of communication. Thank you to our members, advertisers, authors and supporters who make each Retail People Magazine issue better and more meaningful with every quarter we publish.
Head of Global Business Development & Strategy Design International
Maimunah Shebani Managing Director The Retail Agency
Marcello Larizza, CSM, CRX
General Manager Line Investments & Property LLC
Mohammad Alawi
Partner & CEO Real Estate Development Solution Member - ICSC Board of Trustees
DAVID MACADAM Chief Executive Officer MECSC
MARWAN ESKANDARANI MECSC Board President Group Business Development Director – GCC Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group LLC
04. RETAIL PEOPLE . APRIL-MAY 2018
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