PepsiCo Opens New Manufacturing Plant in Saudi, To Create 300 Jobs

The new snacks manufacturing facility, in Dammam, is the company’s 15th facility in the Middle East.

Dubai-Based Retailer Al Ghurair To Launch 30 New Stores In The GCC

The latest addition will see Al Ghurair’s retail presence in the region increase to 90 shops from the 60 it currently operates in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.

Is E-Commerce The Best Bet For Middle East Start-Ups?

Although opportunities are abound, many entrepreneurs underestimate the challenges of starting up online.

UAE Online Shoppers Seeking Global Deals- PayPal

About 60 per cent of online consumers in the UAE have made purchases from overseas stores in the last 12 months, a new survey says.

Nakheel Begins Leasing Units At Circle Mall In Jumeirah Village

The Circle Mall is currently in the design stage and will open by 2017.

UAE’s Mulk Holdings Invests $40m In Nigeria’s Shopping Centre

The duty free shopping centre, situated in Lagos, is scheduled to be completed by 2016.

Chocolate Maker Mars Invests $60m To Expand Dubai Factory

The facility will now have a new production line for Snickers, and employ 50 additional people.

Qataris Leading Race For $900m Pepe Jeans Buyout

The clothing retailer, which is also selling its menswear brand Hackett, expects binding offers in around three weeks.

TDIC Seeks To Complete Financing For Abu Dhabi’s Biggest Mall

The District on Saadiyat island, is being developed by TDIC along with L Real Estate.

Middle East Retailer Azadea Eyes $500m From Stake Sale

Azadea expects to fetch between $400 million and $500 million with its offer of a 25 per cent stake, sources said.

Saudi’s Almarai Says October Bakery Fire Will Not Impact Finances

One of the plants at the facility had been destroyed, while another had its structure partially damaged.

Lego Opens First MENA Store In Abu Dhabi, Plans Dubai Store “Soon”

Spread across 198 sqm, the Lego certified store is located in the newly opened Yas Mall.

Dairy Queen Fast Food Brand To Return To UAE In 2015

The first Dairy Queen Treat Stores and Grill & Chill restaurants are expected by Q2 2015.

Kuwait’s Mabanee Says To Spend $910m On Mall Extension

The total project cost, including the fourth phase, stands at KD610 million.

MasterCard Launches New Digital Payment System, MasterPass In UAE

RAK Bank, Mashreq and Emirates NBD will offer digital wallets using the MasterPass system in the UAE.

World’s Largest Roller Coaster Restaurant Opens In Abu Dhabi

The restaurant will span across 14,000 square foot and will have a network of 30 individual roller coaster tracks that loop, spiral and spin around diners to deliver the menu and food to tables.

Dubai’s Al-Futtaim To Invest $700m In Egypt After Dispute Settled

Mohamed al-Makkawi, Al-Futtaim’s Egypt CEO, said the investments would be directed towards new projects in Cairo Festival City development.

Dubai-Based Restaurant Chain Kcal Expands To Egypt

The fast food chain plans to open about 14 branches within Egypt following the launch of its first store.

Dubai’s Jumbo Electronics Launches Online Shopping Portal

Jumbo.ae has been developed in collaboration with Build-a-Bazaar, a subsidiary of Indian e-commerce firm Infibeam.

Building A Luxury Brand Image In A Digital World

Luxury managers often see digital media as a threat, but digital channels offer powerful connections with customers, say David Dubois, INSEAD assistant professor of marketing and Debbie Teo, INSEAD MBA ‘12.

Five Minutes With… Hugo Van Der Schaegh, Director, Retail Access ME

Regional retailers must move away from the conventional ways of designing their stores, states Hugo Van Der Schaegh.

Emaar To Approve $2.45bn Special Cash Dividend For Shareholders

The company said it would pay the special cash dividend following the recent IPO of Emaar Malls Group.

Dubai Festival City Said To Seek $1.1bn From Loan

The company owned by Dubai’s Al-Futtaim Group plans to raise a 10-year, amortising facility.

Lulu Group Inks Deal With Oman Government To Operate $20.8m Retail Complex

The commercial complex will include a shopping centre, stores, a food court and an area for children’s games.

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall Opens Its Doors To Public

The 2.5 million sq ft mall, developed by Aldar Properties, includes more than 370 stores with nearly 10,000 covered parking spaces.

VOX Cinemas Signed For Nakheel Mall On Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah

VOX Cinemas will occupy two-storeys in the upcoming mall and feature 15 theatres.

Five Minutes With.. Nguyen Nguyen, GM, Trung Nguyen Franchising

Vietnam’s largest coffee grower is plotting 100 locations across MENA over the next 10 years, according to Nguyen Nguyen, general manager, Trung Nguyen Franchising Corporation.

Souq.com Plots MENA Black Friday Sales Weekend

MENA Online retailer looks to follow the success of behemoth Alibaba, which generated $9 billion worth of e-commerce sales during China’s recent Singles Day.

Construction Begins On Abu Dhabi’s New Mega Mall, Al Maryah Central

The 2.3 million sqft mall, located in Al Maryah Island, is scheduled for opening in March 2018.

Al Ghurair Centre To Spend An Additional Dhs60m On Mall Revamp

The latest renovation will add an 80,000 square feet Carrefour hypermarket, around 50 new retail brands and a number of street-based restaurants to the mall.