The Jacobs Board Game Café, just off Parkhurst's trendy 4th Avenue, is helping people make connections the old-fashioned way this winter. There's no WI-Fi, no apps and not so much as an iAnything as far as the eye can see - just a wide selection of your best loved board games, some nostalgic favourites and... Continue Reading →

Nakheel PJSC, the state-controlled builder of artificial islands off Dubai’s coast, reported a first-quarter profit after a year-earlier loss as it delivered more completed properties to buyers. Net income totalled 362 million dirhams ($98.6 million) in the three months through March, compared with a 36 million- dirham loss a year earlier. Revenue more than doubled... Continue Reading →

British bargain-basement store Poundstretcher has flung open its doors to savvy shoppers in Dubai who love a discount deal. The iconic British high-street shop, which opened at Madina Mall in Al Qusais, Dubai, yesterday, has kept its ‘every penny counts’ motto on the signs and the £-stretcher logo above the door - even though every... Continue Reading →

A UAE astronomer has forecast the Muslim's fasting month of Ramadan could start on Saturday July 21, with Eid Al Fitr falling on August 19. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, astronomy researcher and supervisor of Sharjah Planetarium, said that the birth of the crescent moon will be on Thursday, July 19, at 8.24am (UAE time), and the... Continue Reading →

India’s Gitanjali Group, one of the world’s largest jewelery retailers, is considering expanding its network of jewelery vending machines into Dubai as part of its investment in the region, the founder and chairman of the company told Arabian Business. The firm launched jewelery vending machines in India last year, displaying a range of 36 gold,... Continue Reading →

Home & DIY retail group Kingfisher has today blamed “record adverse weather” for poor results over Q1, as total sales fell 6.9 per cent. Over the 13 weeks to April 28th 2012, the group saw total sales decline to £1.1 billion, a 10.4 per cent like-for-like (LFL) slide while UK retail profit also dropped by... Continue Reading →

Shoppers across the UAE are paying as much as 25 per cent more for major fashion brands than elsewhere in the world. Related ■ Emirati shoppers to save with Ramadan Ration Topic Shopping Despite lower rents, no added taxes and negligible customs duties in the UAE, the country is more expensive for brands such as... Continue Reading →

Clinton Cards looks likely to be bought out of administration by the end of next week if not earlier as would-be suitors jostle to take control. Administrator Zolfo Cooper aims to sell the business by June 8, it is understood. At the time of publication, sources indicated that a sale could come even earlier. Clinton... Continue Reading →

Saudi Arabia aims to complete a study on setting a minimum wage for private sector workers within four months, local media quoted the labour minister as saying, part of a government drive to make jobs more appealing to nationals and cut unemployment. The jobless rate in the world's top oil exporter is now running at... Continue Reading →

Saudi Arabia's economy grew 7.1 percent last year, while its non-oil sector accelerated 8 percent, the highest since 1981, the International Monetary Fund said. "Economic performance has been exceptionally strong and the outlook remains buoyant,'' Masood Ahmed, the IMF's Middle East direct said in a statement on the Washington-based organisation's website. "Oil production has been... Continue Reading →

EBay’s CEO John Donahoe has called 2012 a year of testing and learning for PayPal’s in-store payments as it gears up for a big push next year. And the company is making good on that with the roll out of its first barcode-based payments in the UK at four major retailers. Starting Thursday, British consumers... Continue Reading →

Irish chain will stock more goods from British supermarket giant HIGH-END UK grocery chain Waitrose is planning to deepen its relationship with Dunnes Stores by supplying the Irish retailer with more products, the Irish Independent has learned. Dunnes has been selling Waitrose-branded goods in some outlets here since last November. A spokesman for Waitrose said... Continue Reading →

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (MRW.LN) Chief Executive Dalton Philips Wednesday said the retailer will shift its focus to opening stores in the underrepresented south of England, even as he conceded there is no foreseeable lifting of the current retail gloom. Philips said that by the end of fiscal 2014, 60% of new retail... Continue Reading →

When Starbucks announced that it was coming into India as part of a partnership with the Tata Group, there was a lot of excitement in the country’s coffee shop segment. The first Starbucks outlet is scheduled to open in August. Meanwhile Dunkin’ Donuts, another U.S. coffee and baked goods chain, beat the Seattle-based company to... Continue Reading →

Tesco has rolled out its Delivery Saver offer which allows online customers to save on delivery charges by signing up to a subscription service nationwide today. The new offer allows Tesco shoppers to receive free delivery for a three-month or a six-month period. Shoppers signing up for six months could save up to £100 on... Continue Reading →

Ras Al Khaimah, the fourth-largest emirate in the UAE, today boasts a rapidly growing economy, thanks to the ambitious process of economic diversification adopted by the government that primarily focuses industry, trade and commerce, tourism and real estate. While Ras Al Khaimah’s business-friendly policies have ensured a brisk increase in foreign direct investments, it has... Continue Reading →

RETAILERS took on more staff for the first time in nearly a decade in May as stores geared up for an anticipated sales boost this summer. The CBI, whose latest survey of the retail sector covered the first two weeks of May, said responses indicated the recruitment drive will continue into June. It also found... Continue Reading →

The daughter of Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage has been arrested along with four others following the fire at Doha's Villaggio Mall, which killed 19 people. Iman Al-Kuwari, who ran the Gympanzee childcare facility in the retail centre, was arrested along with the mall’s manager, assistant manager and the assistant director of security,... Continue Reading →

A night market is set to launch in Dubai during Ramadan with retailers from around the region selling a variety of quirky products and speciality foods. The Ramadan Night Market will host up to 300 independent retailers over 10 days in the Dubai World Trade Centre and will sit alongside the Majlis tent and the... Continue Reading →

London Designer Outlet (LDO), currently under construction at Wembley City, has announced that it has secured Gap and Nike as its first anchor tenants. Sportswear brand Nike has taken a 9,182 sq ft in a prominent location on the ground floor of the Outlet facing Wembley Stadium, while global fashion brand GAP has signed up... Continue Reading →

Sales at Dubai Duty Free increased 14 percent during the first quarter of the year to AED1.42bn (US$390m), setting it on track to achieve sales of AED6bn by year end. The world’s largest airport retailer said liquor, perfume and gold remained the top three most sold items with perfume sales up 22 percent to AED213m.... Continue Reading →

Growth in South Africa, which has the continent’s biggest economy, slowed less than expected in the first quarter as a rebound in manufacturing compensated for a slump in mining output. Gross domestic product expanded an annualized 2.7 percent from 3.2 percent in the previous three months, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said on its website today.... Continue Reading →

May 29 (Reuters) - Spanish retail sales fell 9.8 percent year-on-year in April on a calendar-adjusted basis, official data showed on Tuesday, 6 percentage points greater than the revised fall of 3.8 percent in March. The data from the National Statistics Institute marked the 22nd month in a row of falling retail sales data and... Continue Reading →

Shares in Greggs rose in early trading after the government was forced to make a U-turn on ‘pasty tax’ last night. The unpopular pasty tax, which would have raised the VAT on pasties from 0 per cent to 20 per cent, had contributed to a 15 per cent fall in Greggs' share price since the... Continue Reading →

Tuesday May 29th 2012 A survey of consumers' online shopping habits has revealed that as the UK economy slides back into recession a significant 61% of consumers buying premium products and services say they will not reduce their online spending in 2012. Conducted by online retail marketing agency Leapfrogg, the survey found that 30% of... Continue Reading →

JOHANNESBURG, MAY 29 - South Africa's second-largest listed clothing retailer, Foschini Group, on Tuesday reported a 24 percent rise in full-year profit and said it plans to open 140 new stores over the next year. All but 16 of the new stores it will open in the next year with be in South Africa. The... Continue Reading →

Jaguar Land Rover, the Indian-owned car manufacturer, has reported a 34% rise in profits after sales hit a record high. In 2011-2012 the group made pre-tax profits of £1.5bn, up from £1.12bn the year before. Retail sales were up 27% to 305,859 units, with parent, Tata Motors, attributing the significant increase to strong demand from... Continue Reading →

The pound approached a three-and-a- half-year high against the euro after Spain said it may need to sell bonds for a banking rescue, increasing demand for alternatives to the 17-nation shared currency. The pound extended its 4.3 percent advance against the euro this year as speculation that Greece may leave the currency bloc bolstered the... Continue Reading →

Growing fears of an economic crisis in Europe has had a significant impact on the sales of luxury goods. "The environment is getting more difficult," SpendingPulse vice president Michael McNamara said in a recent telephone interview. "It doesn't seem that the wealth effect is enough to hold the sector up against economic headwinds. MasterCard Advisors... Continue Reading →

Dubai's economy expanded by 3.4 percent in 2011, helped by strong trade flows and rising tourist numbers, Arif Obaid al-Muhairi, executive director of the Gulf Arab emirate's statistics office was quoted as saying on Tuesday. One of seven UAE saw its gross domestic product rise to AED306.2bn (US$83.4bn) last year from AED296.1bn in 2010, Muhairi... Continue Reading →

With China’s economic power continuing to swell it’s perhaps surprising that more Chinese retailers haven’t made their way to the UK. Menswear retailer Bosideng is gearing up to open its first store on South Molton Street in London, but this is the first Chinese name to make its mark on the British high street and... Continue Reading →

A convoy of self-driven cars has completed a 200km (125-mile) journey on a Spanish motorway, in the first public test of such vehicles. The cars were wirelessly linked to each other and "mimicked" a lead vehicle, driven by a professional driver. The so-called road train has been developed by Volvo. The firm is confident that... Continue Reading →

NAMA is funding the €13m extension of the Charlestown Shopping Centre in north Dublin, which is being undertaken by the Bailey brothers. About 200 people are expected to be employed in the construction of part of the project, a new UCI/Odeon cinema complex and leisureplex due for completion in November 2013. The funding also includes... Continue Reading →

Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke's pay was cut by 49% after he declined a bonus amid slumping earnings at the British retailer. The Irish Times reports the executive's total pay was €1.2 million in fiscal 2012, compared with €2.3 million a year earlier. Clarke declined a bonus payment of approximately £372,000, stating that "I wasn't... Continue Reading →

Aldi is suing rival Tesco Ireland over alleged infringement of its trademarks in an in-store campaign. According to The Irish Times, Aldi alleges Tesco has failed to compare like with like, misstated the prices and failed to compare the relevant quantity of the Tesco product with an equivalent Aldi product. The recent use of Aldi... Continue Reading →

CBI poll of its retailers finds that 43% reported an increase in sales on a year ago, but sales remain below average for May Retail sales improved in May, but remain below average for the time of year, according to a survey by the CBI. The business lobby group said a poll of its retailers... Continue Reading →

More than 200 new jobs are to be created across four companies in counties Dublin, Limerick and Carlow. Online retailer Amazon today announced plans to hire about 100 new staff to work at its development centre in Dublin. The company said it was seeking to recruit support engineers, systems engineers, network engineers, software developers and... Continue Reading →

Dubai-based retailer the Landmark Group is mulling a joint venture with French supermarket chain Auchan in India. The company, which already operates Dutch retail chain Spar in the sub-continent, said talks were still in the early stages. “[The deal] is very preliminary; there is a long way to go, we have only just started talking... Continue Reading →

Bahrain’s Diyar Al Muharraq has signed a deal with Chinamex to develop a 334,000 sq ft China-themed shopping mall in the Gulf state. Dragon City, slated for completion in September 2014, will have an initial capacity for up to 100 Chinese companies and businesses. The mall, located in the downtown area of the Diyar Al... Continue Reading →

Qatar's Al Meera Consumer Goods Company has signed an agreement to ensure its presence in key shopping mall projects in the Gulf state and abroad. The retail unit of Al Meera Holding Company said it has inked a deal with Qatar's Business Trading Company (BTC). BTC is the company behind real estate projects such as... Continue Reading →

They did it before and had their fingers burnt. Who can forget the ignominious retreat from France by Marks & Spencer, which 11 years ago had to lower the Union Jack on its European stores. But now British retailers are pushing overseas again and the Middle East is one of their priority markets. Faced with... Continue Reading →

The government's reputation has suffered a series of fresh blows as the chancellor, George Osborne, was forced to make two climbdowns over his budget, including scrapping the "pasty tax", and ministers prepared to make a series of new concessions over secrecy. Osborne is to reverse plans to charge VAT on food that is designed to... Continue Reading →

The Collection is set to open on Saadiyat Island in Q3. Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) on Monday announced that more than 75 percent of space at The Collection retail complex has been leased. Located within The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, The Collection will consist of a mix of 22 restaurants... Continue Reading →

New website Itsmygeneration.co.uk sells womenswear, menswear, accessories and childrenswear Online boutique itsmygeneration.co.uk launched earlier this month, selling a selection of womenswear, menswear, accessories and childrenswear. Itsmygeneration is crafted by emerging designers from across the UK. The website offers free insertion and low commission rates, to keep costs low for independent designers. “As an independent online... Continue Reading →

May 28 (Reuters) - The number of British retailers going bust jumped 38 percent to 670 in the first quarter of 2012, up from 486 in the fourth quarter, as the country slumped to a double dip recession, according to a survey from accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy. "Last year was bad but this year is... Continue Reading →

Qatar's interior ministry says that authorities are counting the casualties after a large fire broke out at a major shopping mall and entertainment complex in the capital Doha, but did not disclose any numbers. The ministry said on Monday that officials were assessing the number of casualties and damage caused by the blaze at the... Continue Reading →

Monsoon Accessorize is on the hunt for a new group chief executive as managing director Peter Ridler is set to leave the business. The new chief executive will help “breathe new life” into the Monsoon fascia and continue with the group’s international roll-out, particularly with the Accessorize brand. Ridler, who is group managing director, is... Continue Reading →

Bringing happy hour to Starbucks may be easier said than done. After experimenting with alcohol sales at six West Coast stores, the world’s largest coffee-shop chain said yesterday that it will sell beer and wine in as many as 25 locations by the end of the year. Starbucks, which has 10,700 US cafes, will also... Continue Reading →