Page 13 - March 2023 #179

NEWS INBRIEF

MALL OF MUSCAT ADDS UNITS
GEOX RENEWS PARTNERSHIP TO From coffee chains to premium fragrances and
jewellery, several brands including Costa Coffee,
EXPAND STORE NETWORK Amouage, Pure Gold as well as budget concept
Family Outlet Store opened in Oman’s Mall of
Italian fashion & footwear brand Geox is Muscat. Moving forward, more F&B brands and
expanding its presence in the GCC through entertainment concepts are scheduled to open in
a strengthened strategic partnership with the mall.
Beside Group, a distributor of international
fashion brands in the Middle East. NEW HOTEL TO OPEN NEXT YEAR
Beside has been the exclusive Geox Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world’s
retailer and distributor in the region since leading luxury hospitality company is expanding its
2020 and has collaborated with the Italian presence in the Middle East alongside Saudi-based
brand to develop a robust business plan. investment firm Midad Real Estate. Together, they
Currently, Geox has 13 mono-brand stores will introduce Four Seasons Hotel and Private
located across key malls in the UAE, Saudi Residences Jeddah at the Corniche, a new-build
Arabia and Qatar. coastal retreat scheduled to open next year.
Encouraged by the success of their
existing stores – as Geox generated
€10M worth of revenue in the region – JOE & THE JUICE SET TO GROW
the partners have decided to renew the Danish healthy-eating lifestyle brand Joe & The Juice
agreement and extend it for another 10 with more than 300 locations in 16 countries has
years during which they plan to expand the revealed its growth strategy for the UAE. Operated
store network to 25 by 2027. by Lavoya Restaurant Group in the region, Joe & The
SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCES WORLD’S Juice is set to open new stores, coupled with the
launch of its delivery app. The brand launched in the
LARGEST EVER DOWNTOWN IN RIYADH region back in September 2022.

Saudi Arabia will soon be home to the sources of income for the Saudi economy. FLAGSHIP LAUNCHES IN DUBAI
world’s largest modern downtown in The project is expected to add $48bn to The world-renowned franchise Kenny Rogers
Riyadh, titled New Murabba, the Kingdom’s non-oil GDP and create 334,000 direct and Roasters recently marked its brand presence
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin indirect jobs by 2030. in Dubai. The company, which is known for its
Abdulaziz, Prime Minister has announced New Murabba will feature eco-friendly rotisserie-roasted chicken, Kenny Rogers Roasters
The project is scheduled to be completed zones, walking and cycling paths and over 80 is a casual dining restaurant that opened its doors
by 2030 and will add on to the kingdom’s entertainment and culture venues. Spread to its first flagship restuarant in the UAE with an
roster of 15 upcoming megaprojects, set to across an area of 19sq km at the intersection outlet in Deira.
transform the nation. The launch of the New of King Salman and King Khalid roads, the
Murabba Development Company (NMDC) development will boast 104,000 residential
aims to develop the world’s largest modern units, 9,000 hotel rooms and 980,000sq m NOON.COM ACQUIRES NAMSHI
downtown in Riyadh, which will contribute of retail space. In addition, the development Regional e-commerce titan noon.com has
to the city’s future development in line with will include more than 1.4 million square completed the acquisition of the online fashion
Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Press Agency metres of office space, 620,000sq m of platform Namshi. With this purchase, Namshi is
(SPA) reported. leisure assets and 1.8 million square metres now a part of noon’s digital ecosystem and the
The launch of NMDC is part of PIF’s of community facilities. latter will continue to support Namshi’s growth as
strategy to increase local content, enable Residents can expect a 15-minute walking an independent entity within the company. Namshi
the private sector and contribute to the radius and an internal transport system for has been operating since 2011.
development of real estate projects and easy access to the various amenities and it
the local infrastructure, while diversifying is is just a 20-minute drive to the airport.

MARCH 2023 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 13