Encouraged by the sale of a wedding ring costing $800,000 (about Dh2.9 million) at an earlier event, Kamlesh Parekh, CEO of Dubai-based retailer Aastha Jewellery, is hopeful that his $8-million Type 2A diamond will find takers this summer.
Summer, he says, is not a slack season any more. “Dubai is the only city where you have promotions throughout the year. It adds to purchasing power and it attracts people. This time we have a rare, flawless piece to show, since only 2 per cent of all diamonds qualify as type 2A. I only show them to the right type of customers. We should have made the sale by the end of the year, if not after Ramadan,” says Parekh, whose invitation-only sales of diamond jewellery have been well-accepted among the UAE’s high-net-worth-individuals.
This June, at the start of summer, Aastha Jewellery lounge held its third invitation-only event to showcase jewellery worth $80 million at the Capital Club at the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Seasoned strategists in the UAE will recall a time when summer was less than optimal for events and launches. But events such as Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), Ramadan in Dubai and Eid in Dubai have reversed this trend.
“Our annual summer campaigns targeting families have been paying off, especially in neighbouring countries, which account for the bulk of visitors every year,” says Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Sector Promotions Establishment. “We have a three-month-long summer during which we expect to do extremely well in terms of visitor numbers this year as well.”
Increase in spend
Last year’s DSS attracted 4.36 million shoppers who spent Dh12.3 billion during the 32-day extravaganza, according to official statistics. More than 900,000 were international and regional visitors.
DSS 2012 saw a year-on-year increase of 39.9 per cent with spending increasing from Dh8.8 billion in 2011 to Dh12.3 billion last year.
“We know that promoting Dubai in the summer has traditionally raised a few eyebrows and seen a sceptical response from some people,” Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said in a recently released statement. “Indeed for some, it is almost as unusual as promoting the North Pole as a winter destination. But that is the beauty of Dubai: its ability to redefine what the word impossible means. The fact that almost three out of four of our international visitors described their summer holiday in Dubai as excellent says it all.”
The flavour of the summer is different from the rest of the year. “Recently, GCC travellers have shifted their travel preferences within the Middle East and North Africa and have been attracted to Dubai’s stable economy and political climate,” says Hussain Moosa, Associate Director for Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Properties.
Visitors from Saudi Arabia continue to comprise the largest visitor group from the GCC, he says.
However, there is a notable presence of visitors from Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. “Russians are also becoming an important and influential visitor audience during the summer and there are an increasing number of services being introduced to cater to their needs,” Moosa says.
MAF’s malls — Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre — are giving away a total of Dh1 million in shopping spree offerings, rewarding a winner each week.
All-encompassing
The action is spread across all the emirates. In Al Ain, for instance, the city’s largest mall, Bawadi Mall, has launched a 71-day offering of attractive shopping vouchers until August 10. In April, officials said visitor numbers to the mall increased 11 per cent over the last year. In Abu Dhabi, August is the expected month for the opening of the Galleria at Sowwah Square, a luxury shopping and dining destination.
Retailers are also getting involved with promotions. Better Life, a home appliances, electronics and telecom store, has announced promotions covering the three festivals — DSS, Ramadan in Dubai and Eid in Dubai.
Retail majors say the summer strategy is special. “Our malls have introduced multilingual store directories and tourism brochures and we have hired multilingual staff,” Moosa tells GN Focus. “During peak shopping or holiday periods, our strategy shifts to include advertising in relevant in-flight magazines and engage with international media.”
Retail is such a big draw that when new e-gates were installed in Terminals 1 and 3 at the Abu Dhabi International Airport in June, registration desks were set up at Marina Mall. From July to September, there will be desks at various malls in the UAE.
Clearly, now summers are anything but lazy.
