Kilos, and Kilos of Gold to be won at the Dubai Shopping Festival 2004

The Gold and Jewellery Group Dubai, has announced details of an innovative new gold product which has been specially created for Dubai gold and jewellery shoppers. The World Family commemorative gold coin will be launched during the ninth Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and is expected to be extremely popular among the millions of shoppers who are forecast to visit Dubai during the one-month festival starting mid January.

The gold coin has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Dubai Shopping Festival Committee and hailed as an innovative and complimentary product. The creators of the World Family gold coin took their inspiration from the theme of the globally renowned festival and have depicted the Dubai Shopping Festival family on the face of the 10-gram pure gold memento. Priced at AED 535*, the coin will be on sale at over 350 participating jewellery outlets citywide.

"The World Family commemorative gold coin is a truly innovative product and it will provide shoppers with a unique opportunity to either win or buy a unique memento of Dubai - the City of Gold. It is clear that a considerable amount of thought and planning has gone into this product, and we wish the Gold and Jewellery Group Dubai every success with their DSF 2004 promotion and also with the year-round sale of this exciting new product," said Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO, Dubai Shopping Festival.

"The coin supports the Dubai Shopping Festival theme - One World, One Family, One Festival. Depicting our DSF world family, the World Family gold coin gives a sense of community - it is a reward for those who come here to shop, and of course it is a token that effectively represents the quality and luxury that Dubai offers all shoppers that visit the city," he concluded.

In addition to this, the Gold & Jewellery Group will continue to run its longstanding annual mega gold promotion. A total of 47 kg of gold will be distributed to lucky winners during the month-long promotion, and festival prizes of one kilo of gold will be distributed in the form of 100 World Family commemorative gold coins each day. Shoppers also have a chance to Scratch & Win thousands gold coins and 'Win Back Half your purchase' during DSF 2004. The grand prize of 10 kilograms of gold coins will be presented to one lucky winner at a grand draw on the last day of the month-long festival. To participate in the promotion, customers will have to purchase gold or jewellery worth AED500 from any participating outlet. Each AED500 purchase will entitle shoppers to one coupon.

"We decided to create this coin to provide visitors with a precious memento of their stay here in the City of Gold. We are delighted that the concept for our World Family commemorative gold coin has been so well received by our partners at Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing. It is worth keeping in mind that coin promotes Dubai year round and we fully expect to promote this coin on an ongoing basis and not just during festival time." said Tawhid Abdullah, Chairman, Gold and Jewellery Group Dubai.

Mr Abdullah continued by saying that the group has extensively researched the concept of a commemorative coin for some time now and that they are confident that the World Family coin is a strong product concept. An indication of the coin's projected success is also that many of the group's retailers citywide have already voiced excitement about the prospect of bringing this product to market, with advance orders for the coin proving to be a lot higher than expected.

Commenting on the group's support of the Dubai Shopping Festival, Mr. Moaz Barakat, Managing Director of the Middle East, Turkey, and Pakistan for the World Gold Council said: "The World Gold Council congratulates the Dubai Shopping Festival on its continuous success. The Dubai Shopping Festival was not only conceived as a pure retail event, but has also done much to boost tourism in the Emirates and across the UAE. The World Gold Council is delighted that Dubai's international positioning as the City of Gold has effectively promoted the city as the ideal destination for regional and international gold and jewellery shoppers."

"The World Gold Council is proud to support the Gold and Jewellery Group's promotional activities for DSF 2004. The World Gold Council is looking forward to this year's new promotional campaign presented by the group, and strongly endorse the World Family commemorative coin which will be on sale all year round, further promoting Dubai as the City of Gold," he concluded.

The World Family commemorative gold coin can be pre-booked from today - January 5, 2004 at almost 500 gold and jewellery retailers citywide.

*Subject to change based on the international gold rate.