The withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's biggest retailer from Dubai has caused chaos for malls across the emirate, as a number of stores have been left for months without any stock.
Retail Group Gulf (RGG), which is majority owned by the Fawaz Alhokair Group based in Riyadh, has sold four brands to Apparel Group based in Dubai and is in the process of closing the stores of its 14 other brands.
As brands have changed hands and RGG has run down stock, stores have been left with little to sell in Dubai Mall, Al Ghurair Centre, Ibn Battuta and Arabian Plaza.
Clothing brands Cortefiel and La Chateau in Ibn Battuta Mall have had very little stock for months. Sales staff have continued to be employed with little to do but explain the situation to customers.
"Cortefiel is now nearly out of stock. We were promised that there would be some stock coming by air freight but this did not happen," said Jassim Al Ali, the director of business and asset management at Retailcorp Malls, Ibn Battuta's operator. "From our side, we have now solved the problem, but I think they are still struggling in other malls."
Cortefiel and La Chateau have now been sold to Apparel Group, which is set to switch Aldo and Kenneth Cole for Cortefiel in the Ibn Battuta store. The current Aldo in the mall will be turned into a Tim Hortons, the second in Dubai, Mr Al Ali said. Apparel declined to comment.
Analysts say RGG is likely to have kept stores open with little stock until the end of their leases so it was not subject to contract breach penalties. RGG declined to comment on that, but said four stores now open would be closed soon.
"At the end of the day … if you are surrendering your lease before the end of the term, then there will be covenants in place," said Stuart Gissing, a director at property consultancy Colliers International.
RGG is one of the biggest retailers in the Middle East, with more than 1,000 stores, and runs brands such as Marks & Spencer, and Gap.
* additional reporting from Ben Flanagan
rjones@thenational.ae
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
