Dubai Festival City supports Summer Surprises 2003

Dubai Festival City, the ‘city-within-a-city’ project being developed along the banks of Dubai Creek, has affirmed its support of Dubai Summer Surprises 2003 with the announcement that it will be a main sponsor for the forthcoming event.

"Through this sponsorship we are looking to support the community that Dubai Festival City will serve and to ensure the development is front of mind when people think of innovative retailing concepts for the future," remarked  Omar Al-Futtaim, Chief Executive Officer of the Al-Futtaim Group, developer of the Dubai Festival City project.

"Dubai Festival City will also be one of the region's leading family edutainment centres and our association with Dubai Summer Surprises, which is packed with entertainment activities, will aid us in correctly positioning ourselves in the market."

Dubai Festival City, the Middle East’s largest mixed-use development project, is intended to be a world-class, waterfront shopping destination for local residents and tourists from within the GCC and further afield.

"Dubai Festival City will have a wide-breadth of retail choices," explained Mr. Al-Futtaim. "People will be able to browse in boutiques, shop in hypermarkets and even buy a car from one of the several showrooms being built in our automotive community. This one-of-a-kind destination will lift the shopping experience of the Middle East to whole new heights."

Though Dubai Festival City will actually sponsor Dubai Summer Surprises, the programme's benefits will be passed to the various retail divisions within the Al-Futtaim Group, the developer of Dubai Festival City.

The Al-Futtaim Group is an active member of the local trading community and is committed to delivering to Dubai residents and visitors a whole summer of fun and festivity.

One of the UAE's leading enterprises, the Al-Futtaim Group has many franchises including well-known international names in electronics, automobiles, fashion, computers, watches, jewellery, toys, furniture and D.I.Y. Throughout Dubai Summer Surprises, the retail companies of Al-Futtaim will offer residents and visitors special deals on a variety of products and services.

"Enhancing customer relationships and loyalty is a key part of our retail strategy and, as a Group, we wanted to leverage our leading role in DSS," said Jim McCallum, Group Director of Al-Futtaim’s retail division, which incorporates Marks and Spencer, Toys-R-Us, IKEA and ACE.

"Our main objectives are to demonstrate Al-Futtaim’s professionalism with an activity mix that generates customer value opportunities, increases sales, and builds awareness of our wide consumer offerings while at the same time helping to cement Dubai's reputation as the Middle East’s premier shopping destination."

Leading global brands under Al-Futtaim-Electronics, including Plug-ins, National, Panasonic, Sanyo, Alcatel, Toshiba, Aftron and Afcomp will also participate in Dubai Summer Surprises.

"Dubai is a world-class shopping hub which attracts buyers from within the region and from Africa, the Sub-Continent and the CIS," explained McCallum. "Major retail events such as DSS help further build the emirate's standing as a leading shopping destination."