UAE retailers ready for shoppers

Malls and food distributors are gearing up for a bumper sales week as shoppers prepare to splash their cash for the Eid Al Adha holiday.

A huge influx of visitors from neighbouring countries including Saudi Arabia and Oman is expected over the period.

The Eid Al Adha break for staff at all government ministries and federal bodies begins today, with work resuming on Sunday. Private sector workers also start their holiday today, returning on the Saturday.

"We are already witnessing increasing numbers of visitors from Oman and Saudi Arabia in Ibn Batuta Mall,” said Rebecca Rees, communications manager for Nakheel.

"We have an average daily footfall of around 55,00 visitors, but the Eid al Fitr holiday in July this year saw visitor numbers reach an average of 87,000 driven by residents, GCC nationals and other tourists,” she added.

"Our expectations are similar for this holiday although our ‘Giant Claw' holiday attraction in the China Court has proven so popular already, with the queues so long we have had to institute a lottery for participants.”

The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment said that a huge surge of GCC visitors was expected during Eid Al Adha. The holiday is a key target for trading among all major retailers in the UAE.

"Eid Al Adha remains a key retail period for us,” said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, the senior director of property management at Majid Al Futtaim. "We are optimistic that residents and visitors from Saudi and other GCC countries including Oman and Qatar will be taking advantage of the entertainment activities on offer. This is a trend we have witnessed over the past years.”

Food distributors and producers are also expecting a spike in demand.

"Eid Al Adha will see an increase in demand, maybe 15 to 20 per cent,” said Gopi Pillai, the sales and marketing manager for Al Ain Poultry. "We produce 20 tonnes of fresh chicken daily and 280,000 eggs which are distributed throughout the country.”

Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarket, Geant, Spinneys and Hyperpanda are all running Eid Al Adha promotions with a variety of discounts across a spectrum of products and accessories. Spinneys has a traditional offering discounting a range of confectionery and celebratory soft drinks, with Geant discounting a range of fish, meat and fruit.

Lulu has discounted its Philips range of electronic appliances. Most promotions end on Saturday.
Source: The National