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Retail

Retail and consumer news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Art NFTs Video length: 04:13

Dubai art dealer uses NFTs for fractional art ownership

A Dubai tech startup is introducing tokenisation to the art world, after the NFT bubble burst spectacularly. 10101.art aims to make investing in art accessible to all by selling digitised fragments of works by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy and Picasso, allowing for collective ownership of a masterpiece for as little as $100 a fragment. […]

Getir initially bought a stake in the online shopping platform known as n11 in 2022 before acquiring the remaining shares

UAE-backed Getir plans sale of shopping platform

Turkish grocery delivery startup Getir is planning to sell its Istanbul-based online shopping platform, known as n11, as part of its restructuring strategy, a media report said. “There are many options on the table being discussed with investors. One of them is the sale option for n11,” Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source. A Getir spokesperson […]

Cenomi executives hope to attract shoppers who might otherwise spend abroad by offering a 'world class' experience Young muslim couple shopping and having fun

Saudi mall operator takes aim at Dubai’s retail crown

Saudi Arabia’s leading mall operator is looking to challenge Dubai for the title of the top retail location in the Gulf, with plans to add five more locations by 2027. Bruno Wehbe, chief operating officer of Cenomi Centers, said the Jawharat Riyadh would include new elements such as 3D holographic projections, food halls with live […]

The final offer price of Spinney's IPO will be determined by May 1 through a book-building process

Spinneys targets market cap of $1.5bn on Dubai listing

Supermarket operator Spinneys will have a market capitalisation of between AED5.11 billion to AED5.51 billion ($1.39 billion-$1.5 billion) after its initial public offering (IPO) price range was set between AED 1.42 and AED 1.53 per share. The total offering size is expected to be between AED1.3 billion and AED 1.4 billion, the company said. Spinneys last […]

Sunil Kumar, CEO of the supermarket chain, says private-label sales account for 42% of its revenue

Spinneys bets big on sales growth for own-label goods

Supermarket operator Spinneys is betting big on strong sales of its private-label products as it prepares to go public next month, CEO Sunil Kumar told AGBI on Tuesday. Its private label – or own-brand – ranges cover food, toiletries and household goods. The retailer also has exclusive rights to sell Waitrose-branded products from the UK […]

Spinneys CEO Sunil Kumar and chairman Ali Al Bwardy. The company operates 75 grocery retail supermarkets in the UAE and Oman

Spinneys to offer 900m shares in Dubai IPO

Supermarket operator Spinneys will sell 25 percent of its business in an initial public offering (IPO) on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), according to an intention to float document released on Tuesday. The company’s offering will be open from April 23 to April 29 for retail investors, while institutional investors can subscribe until April 30, according […]

Musicians perform at the Sharjah Ramadan Festival. Retailers offered discounts of up to 75% on local and international brands

Sharjah’s Ramadan retail sales peak at nearly $110m

Ramadan retail sales in Sharjah hit a new record high of AED400 million ($109 million) in 2024, reinforcing the positive outlook UAE companies had ahead of this year’s holy month. Sales jumped 25 percent year on year during the Sharjah Ramadan Festival 2024, which concluded last Saturday, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting […]

An artist's impression of part of the Diriyah Square development

Diriyah Square planned for historic Riyadh district

A public space featuring 400 retail outlets and 100 restaurants and cafes is planned for the historic Riyadh district of Diriyah. Diriyah Square will be announced next week at the World Retail Congress in Paris and aims to attract a combination of international retail brands and local artisans.  Diriyah Gate Development Authority group CEO Jerry […]

Sima Ganwani Ved: 'The people being hired are GCC, the people running the stores are GCC-based'

Boycott of western brands hurts GCC workers, Apparel chief warns

Boycotts of western brands by Gulf consumers in protest against the Gaza conflict only hurts local workers in the region, the founder of the fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate Apparel Group has warned. The company, which is based in the UAE and handles more than 80 brands from the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia […]

2BYN5A4 Mall of the Emirates is a shopping mall in the Al Barsha district of Dubai.. Image shot 04/2014. Exact date unknown.

The pros and pitfalls of pop-up shops

Pop-up shops are appearing in more shopping malls, hotels and even beach clubs. Whether they are for new brands looking to build a name or more established companies opting for a more experiential way to market and test their products, pop-ups are largely temporary affairs designed to create a buzz. They are also considered a […]

2BF61E1 Young Arab woman using laptop for online shopping at home

Electronic retail payments rise to 70% in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi central bank said this week that the share of electronic payments in the retail sector rose to 70 percent in 2023 from 62 percent the year before, as the government tries to boost online banking and the fintech sector.  A total 10.8 billion transactions were processed in 2023 compared to 8.7 billion transactions […]

Cenomi will reduce its number of stores from 1,000 to 367 following last year's losses

Cenomi Retail to divest more brands in turnaround plan

Franchiser Cenomi Retail has announced another round of brand divestments as it seeks to tackle rising losses. The Saudi company closed more than 200 stores last year and sold 16 brands in the first quarter of 2024. On Wednesday Cenomi Retail said its board of directors had approved the third phase of the sell-off. The […]

Strong demand for Inditex brands such as Zara increased international earnings to SAR1.1 billion

Saudi retailer Cenomi reveals major brand sale

Saudi-based franchiser Cenomi Retail has announced the sale of 16 brands in the first quarter of 2024 as part of a turnaround strategy to stem mounting losses. Cenomi transferred 226 stores in Saudi Arabia to Abdullah Al Othaim Fashion Company. This follows the retailer’s exit from some international markets and the net closure of an […]

Wanda Plaza in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. Dalian Wanda Commercial Management Group will retain 40 percent of Newland Commercial Management

ADIA and Mubadala join $8.3bn China shopping mall deal

Two Abu Dhabi state-backed companies are part of a group which has agreed to invest $8.3 billion to acquire a 60 percent stake in Chinese property major Dalian Wanda’s shopping mall subsidiary. The investment was led by Hong Kong private equity firm PAG, along with Platinum Peony B 2023 RSC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu […]

Saudi Arabia rose nine places in the Kearney Global Retail Development Index, putting it 'at the forefront of retail's next wave of growth'

Cenomi Centers’ growth reflects Saudi retail potential

Saudi Arabia’s largest operator of shopping malls has reported record footfall, which drove a 49 percent jump in net profit last year. The number of visitors to Cenomi Centers malls rose by 19 percent to 124 million in 2023, smashing the previous pre-Covid record of 114 million in 2019. The company delivered SAR2.3 billion ($613 […]

Retailer Lulu has branches across the Mena region, India and the Far East. It plans a billion-dollar IPO before the end of the year

UAE’s Lulu selects banks for potential $2bn IPO

UAE’s retail conglomerate LuLu Group International has appointed local and international banks to lead its proposed $2 billion initial public offering (IPO), according to a media report. The company, which is among the largest hypermarket chain operators in the Middle East, has selected Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Citigroup, Emirates NBD Capital and HSBC Holdings to […]

Aster expects the sale of its GCC business to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024

Aster DM says India, GCC business split nears closure

Hospital chain Aster DM Healthcare has confirmed that the separation of its GCC and Indian businesses and the proposed investment in the former by a Dubai private equity firm are nearing completion.  The company agreed to sell a 65 percent stake in its Gulf business to a state-backed Fajr Capital-led consortium for $1 billion in November […]