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middle east news inbrief

PICKL BECOMES FIRST UAE

RESTAURANT TO ENTER METAVERSE NEW HUAWEI SITES TO OPEN
Huawei Consumer Business Group, the iconic
global technology brand announces the opening
Pickl is paving the way for the local F&B of two more Experience stores in the UAE.
industry as the first UAE-based restaurant The new stores will open doors for Ramadan
to enter the Metaverse. shoppers this weekend in The Galleria Mall
A “simulating digital environment made Al Maryah Island and City Center Al Zahia,
up of augmented reality (AR), virtual marking the first sites in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
reality (VR), and blockchain, the Metaverse
promises to create a space with a rich user
experience, while impersonating the real TIM HORTONS TO DOUBLE UP
world,” the firm said in a statement. AG Café, the master franchisee of the Tim
Pickl fans exploring the Metaverse will Hortons brand in the Middle East, plans to
be able to participate in exclusive brand- expand the coffee chain in Saudi Arabia to more
themed games, purchase virtual apparel, and than 200 outlets by 2024. The company added
pick up Pickl-inspired NFTs, which can be that it plans to further expand its presence in
redeemed for physical items or be used as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
virtual apparel to customise their avatar.
In addition, Pickl - which was chosen
as the best burger restaurant in 2022 by RADO MAKES IT SIX IN THE UAE
TimeOutDubai - has plans to launch its very Swiss watch brand RADO has opened its sixth
first virtual restaurant later this year. boutique store in the UAE on Al Fahidi Street in
EXPO 2020 DUBAI ORGANISERS Meena Bazaar. The location for the launch of this
new boutique was chosen for its legacy of being
PREPARING FOR POST-EVENT ERA known as the most-frequented shopping district by
both residents as well as tourists.
The immense interest in the Scale2Dubai programme Scale2Dubai will welcome
programme is highlighted in the 3,200+ its first cohort of 85 start-ups and small PAPA JOHN’S SET TO EXPAND
applications it has attracted from 129 businesses before the end of this year, joining Pizza giant Papa John’s set to expand across the
countries, illustrating the status of Dubai as the diverse organisations living and working UAE in new ENOC deal. The master franchisee
the preferred location for start-ups looking in the post-Expo 2020 Dubai community. for Papa John’s signs agreement for seven new
to expand their global footprint. This marks a significant milestone in the restaurants within ENOC service stations.
The doors to the Expo 2020 site are now realisation of the future plans for the Expo Papa John’s now operates 5,500 locations in 49
closed – marking the end of the World Expo 2020 site and the lasting impacts it aims countries around the world.
– and the work to re-purpose 4.38 square to have.
kilometre site will begin. The human-centric District 2020 city will
Close to 80 per cent of Expo-built advance the ambitions of Expo 2020 to bring TRAVELEX ADDS A NEW SITE
structures will be re-imagined and re- diverse thinkers together to collaborate The market leading foreign exchange
worked to create a mixed-use, flexible and devise solutions for a smarter, more brand has launched its 29th location at the
environment where people can live, work, sustainable future. world’s busiest international airport, Dubai
and explore. The post-Expo District 2020 Part of this will be the innovative International in the latest indication of
site aims to become a hub for global tech ecosystem and community it seeks to create, the UAE’s tourism industry’s strong post-
innovation, with the first business tenants encompassing government, Fortune 500 pandemic rebound. Travelex plans to open its
set to take up their places from the fourth firms, academic institutions, accelerators, 30th site at the airport this month.
quarter of 2022. incubators, labs, VCs, small and medium-
District 2020’s global entrepreneurship sized enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups.

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