Monday, December 28th, 2009
In 2008 I made 10 trips to Dubai and worked on two projects. In doing so, I met many wonderful people and saw a good deal of projects that were beyond belief. A good deal of these projects were completed and many more will never be built. In general, I found the Emiratis to be gracious host and the hired help to be less than forth coming. Outlined below are my observations.
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Tags: development, Dubai, Dubailand, UAE, Wafi
Posted in Culture, Real Estate, Real Estate Development, Retail, Shopping Centers | No Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
It seems like everywhere you look, retailers are closing shop and filing bankruptcies, and empty storefronts are lining the streets. Last year we saw the closing of retail giants, Circuit City and Linens N’ Things, and luxury retailers such as Versace also closed stores around the world. So why is it that Legoland Discovery Center, an attraction centered on the LEGO building blocks, is opening stores in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta?
I believe Legoland sees an opportunity in the recession because consumers are looking for free or affordable cost entertainment in their malls. This trend also corresponds to a consumer who expects their news to be free on the web. Consequently, we see malls across the globe add entertainment and amusement venues to draw consumers who have relegated shopping to obligatory time, which is something close to work. These consumers are bored with the same stores in every mall and with higher gas prices, lost home values and depressed 401K accounts they do not have the funds for a shopping spree.
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Tags: bahrain, Disney Store, Dubai, entertainment, lego, Legoland, mall of emirates, malls, shopping center, shopping mall, ski dubai, wahoo water park
Posted in Culture, Real Estate, Retail, Shopping Centers | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Reprinted from Ameinfo.com
With events such as The Formula One Grand Prix on the docket, Abu Dhabi is rapidly emerging as a world-class tourism destination and is threatening to overtake Dubai as the top tourism hot spot in the UAE.
The capital of the UAE has long taken a back seat to Dubai on the tourist map, preferring to take a more low-key approach and focusing on business tourism rather than the leisure market. (more…)
Tags: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, tourism, UAE
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »