We just opened our newest #Carrefour store in #Dubai International Airport’s iconic Terminal 3. Carrefour has always been a popular destination for not only residents, but visitors too, both tourists and business travelers. As Dubai continues to welcome back more flying passengers, we are glad to now be one of the first to greet and serve them when they arrive. Passengers can enjoy the convenience of over 3,000 different grocery items including delicious ready-to-eat meals, snacks, beverages and essential items as they return home from a trip or start their holiday. To offer a seamless shopping experience, the store also provides our Scan&Go and Self-Checkout features. I am proud of the great work and beautiful execution of my colleagues and extend my gratitude to the trust placed by Dubai Airports to serve their travelers. Majid Al Futtaim #GreatMoments #DXB

Dubai retail giant Majid Al Futtaim plans to open a further 15 Carrefour stores in the GCC before the end of the year as it looks to meet a target of 50 openings in 2020. Hani Weiss, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, told Arabian Business that the openings will include hypermarkets, supermarkets and small format convenience stores and will be concentrated in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Outside the GCC region, more stores are planned to open in Egypt, Uzbekistan and Eastern Africa. Weiss said: “We’ve seen Covid-19 impacting all sectors, but I would say the retail business, unlike other sectors where we have seen a major decline in business, here we have seen a major increase in demand, especially when it comes to grocery.” Majid Al Futtaim holds the exclusive franchise rights to operate Carrefour in over 30 countries and currently operates around 300 Carrefour stores in 16 markets. Carrefour’s online sales increased by 300 percent in the UAE and by 100 percent in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 lockdown period. Supermarkets vs hypermarkets? However, Weiss revealed that the coronavirus pandemic has also seen a change in consumer behaviour in the offline stores, with the company’s supermarket business growing twice as fast as the hypermarkets since February. He explained: “In the past, we know that on average a customer here in the UAE, a customer would visit a hypermarket at least four-to-six times per month. Some customers visited the hypermarkets twice a week, but on average we had a visit six times a month. “Nowadays we see the maximum number of visits to the hypermarkets is restricted more or less to four times a month, ie. once a week, where customers are buying their shopping and their products for the full week and they try to top up their daily needs, their fresh milk, the baguette and bread, from the local supermarkets or online.”

Owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, VOX Cinemas is the cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa. VOX Cinemas is the Middle East’s most innovative and customer-focused exhibitor. With 44 locations totaling 441 screens across the region, VOX Cinemas is the Middle East’s largest and most rapidly growing exhibitor. Across the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Lebanon, the company is undergoing a AED1.2-billion (USD326-million) investment to expand to operate 300 screens by 2020. In addition, Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas will invest AED1.96 billion (USD517 million) to develop 600 screens across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 2023. Tailoring every cinema location to the surrounding market place and customer preferences, VOX Cinemas offers a mix of experiences including luxury concepts, THEATRE by Rhodes and GOLD by Rhodes both in collaboration with Michelin-starred Chef Gary Rhodes. Another signature VOX Cinemas concept, MAX is the mega-screen designed for the biggest blockbusters and features Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. VOX Cinemas was also the first to introduce IMAX with Laser to the Middle East and the only exhibitor to offer IMAX with Sapphire. The company also offers a multisensory movie-watching concept, 4DX. For young movie fans and families, VOX Cinemas offers the only cinema dedicated to children, KIDS. Complementing its portfolio of world-class experiences, VOX Cinemas offers OUTDOOR, an open-air concept.

Located at City Centre Bahrain with an area of 15,000 square metres, Wahooo! Waterpark is the Middle East’s first ever indoor-outdoor waterpark, and offers a host of thrilling rides including Flowrider, the world’s first full size surfing machine at an indoor park. With 70 percent of the pool deck area indoors and 30 percent outdoors, Wahooo! is well-equipped to welcome guests all year-round with temperature controlled surroundings and pools. Guests at this sub-tropical paradise themed park can also enjoy top- class amenities such as a restaurant, large party rooms and Wave Pro, a retail outlet selling swimming apparel and souvenir merchandise.

Ezdan Mall Company, one of Ezdan Holding Group subsidiaries, has announced the opening of Carrefour Hypermarket in Ezdan Mall, located opposite Al Wakra Hospital.The launch of the supermarket giant comes as an enhancement to the serve the needs of the district as well as a mechanism to pave the way to the opening of the most anticipated shopping destination in that area.It is the second collaboration between Ezdan Holding Group and Carrefour after the success of opening a branch at Ezdan Mall in Al Gharaffa. “We have sought, in our founding vision of Ezdan Al Wakrah Mall, to establish a shopping centre that provides residents access to international brands and luxury products,” Ezdan Holding Group chief executive Ali Mohamed al-Obaidli said. Highlighting that Carrefour’s opening is only the first stage that will provide access to the district’s population to one of the world’s largest retail chains, he said the development of the rest of the mall is currently in full swing and the mall is awaiting global retail chains to launch their brands with ease. “The mall’s leasable space is over 40,000 sq ft, and the group expects that the official opening of Carrefour will serve as a catalyst to achieve full occupancy,” he said. Malik Qaisar Awan, group general manager of Ezdan Mall Company, said Ezdan Mall Al Wakrah is unique for its location in the heart of a lively region experiencing unprecedented population activity, in addition to ongoing constructions that will bring more facilities to the area. “We expect the region to become a vivid commercial hub in the heart of Qatar thanks to our malls sprawling in the region,” he said. The mall comes in a modern architectural design and is made up of a two-storey building that provides a variety of services to shoppers, including a parking for more than 1,500 cars. At present, the number of commercial outlets amounts to 167, which include restaurants, cafes and shops offering the biggest brands. The mall allocates spaces for ‘edutainment’ activities and events which attract families and children and people of all walks of life, a company spokesman said, adding Riva, Funville, and Mado are set to be part of edutainment.