The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many sectors around the world, including the global commercial property market.
Long periods of movement restrictions over the past two years have meant that more businesses have moved operations online, leading them to depend on their digital storefronts rather than physical properties.
With the shift to digital, the closure of many physical retail stores and scaling down of offices as millions of employees continue to work from home, empty store fronts and commercial space present a challenge to landlords.
We still don’t know if people will prefer an e-commerce experience to a physical shopping experience in the long run, while many business leaders have found a way to save on rent by allowing employees to work from home.
This leaves us with one question to consider: could permanent pop-up experiences be the answer to empty storefronts and office buildings?
Pop-up experiences have long been associated with special events and certain seasons of the year. Retailers often provide pop-up experiences to promote a product or service around the holiday season, or to drive traffic to a new destination.
One of the UAE's popular pop-up events is Miami Vibes – a food festival held across different locations during the cooler months.
Similarly, event planners such as Waad Events provide pop-up fashion exhibitions for luxury online retailers in the UAE and wider GCC region. Customers from different GCC countries flock to the pop-ups to shop at their favourite social media-based fashion brands.
But what if pop-up shops became a permanent shopping experience? What if it became the way for e-commerce businesses to bring their retail experiences to life and connect with customers?
For that to happen, landlords could look at utilising empty space for pop-up purposes.
While the uncertainty from the pandemic continues for many sectors, landlords could utilise the opportunity to build exciting pop-up experiences that could cater to a diverse range of clients throughout the year
Manar Al Hinai
Instead of solely relying on long-term leases, landlords could switch their model to cater to e-commerce businesses and experiences.
For instance, a shopping mall can be built entirely on a pop-up model. Stores can be leased for periods of three months, for example, and each season of the year could be allocated a theme.
Winter, for instance, could be themed around food and beverage restaurants, and the entire mall experience would be designed to introduce people to new F&B businesses.
Similarly, different areas of the mall could be used to offer customers a variety of experiences. Empty parking lots on the roof could be leased by a cinema chain to provide an outdoor movie experience during the cooler months. Not only would that drive traffic to the mall, but it could also be a good money generator for an empty space.
Empty floors in office complexes could be designed as co-working spaces and themed accordingly. There could be a co-working space designed only for freelance artists or filmmakers, providing them with all the facilities they need to work.
Shopping malls could also explore the option of redesigning large shops as co-working spaces to drive footfall to the mall and bring in customers to other outlets operating there.
Large corporations that find themselves with extra space in the properties they own could repurpose offices as co-working spaces for students, entrepreneurs or researchers as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments.
Similarly, large empty spaces – whether they are in shopping malls or office buildings – can be leased out for events.
While the uncertainty from the pandemic continues, landlords could utilise the opportunity to build exciting pop-up experiences that could cater to a diverse range of clients throughout the year.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi. Twitter: @manar_alhinai
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
GRAN%20TURISMO
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
Understand What Black Is
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
LEADERBOARD
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Tori Amos
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Decca
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
