Opening in the second half of 2025, the launch of Jawharat Riyadh and Jawharat Jeddah will be a watershed moment as Cenomi Centers pushes ahead with its ambitious growth pipeline to develop next-generation retail and lifestyle destinations in Saudi Arabia. Jawharat Riyadh and Jawharat Jeddah will deliver first to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) retailers and will redefine the experiences of retail and leisure in the capital and nationwide. Jawharat Al Khobar is also expected to open in 2027, completing the trio of iconic new developments the Jawharat Centers will further cement Cenomi Cente ..read more

In an era where the lines between digital convenience and the tactile allure of brick-and-mortar stores increasingly blur, Pathfinder’s latest innovation, RetailGPT, emerges as a beacon for the future of retail. This cutting-edge digital platform, equipped with GenAI technology, is poised to transform the retail landscape by seamlessly integrating the digital and physical realms of shopping on a collaborative platform. Introducing RetailGPT: A Personalized Shopping Revolution RetailGPT introduces a revolutionary concept: a personal digital avatar that simplifies the shopping process through c ..read more

Investment in new Point of Delivery built on Microsoft Azure will benefit retailers operating across the Middle East Cegid, a European leader in cloud management solutions for professionals in the Finance (treasury, tax, ERP), Human Resources (payroll, talent management), Accountancy, Retail and Entrepreneurship sectors, is to launch a new Point of Delivery (PoD) in Dubai for retailers based in the Middle East. Cegid is strategically extending its global footprint by investing in the Middle East—a move that not only underscores its commitment but also positions the company as an industry pione ..read more

In 2020, global health & beauty retailer A.S. Watson Group signed its first franchise agreement, in its almost 200 years of history, with regional retail conglomerate Al-Futtaim. Cut to the present, there are 18 Watsons stores in the GCC – 12 in the UAE, 4 in Saudi Arabia and 2 in Qatar, along with an online store.   Alongside being voted as the #1 brand in Asia by customers for 13 consecutive years, Watsons is seeing success in the Middle East as well. The brand grew 53% in year-on-year sales in 2023 and is preparing for an even stronger 2024. Watsons also plans to open 20 new stores ..read more

“As a Korean myself, I want more people to enjoy K-trends and importantly, get to know more about our culture” – Kate Wooyeon Park, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Lamise Beauty Park is doing exactly that through her brand Lamise Beauty, which has earned the reputation of a one-stop shop for K-beauty lovers. The brand has bridged the gap between Korea and the Middle East by offering a diverse range of Korean cosmetic products carefully curated to suit the needs of women in the region. But what inspired Park to set up Lamise when K-beauty wasn’t as popular as it is today? “It really star ..read more

During a panel discussion at the Internet Commerce Summit (ICS) MENA 2024, moderators Ian Hooper, Partner Payments Leader, Global Banking Expert, PwC and Luis Jardim, Senior Manager, Payments, PwC Middle East opened the conversation around digital transactions of tomorrow by highlighting how the power of e-commerce and digital channels are opening up avenues of growth for financial and insurance companies. It is no more about reinventing e-commerce keeping in line with the rising and evolving customer expectations but all about creating something new, inventing a new paradigm, pointed out Jave ..read more

Shahid Ali – Principal, Consumer Industries and Retail Practice – Kearney took to stage at the Internet Commerce Summit (ICS) MENA 2024 to stir a conversation around marketing, customer acquisition tools, data, new-age marketing technology and much more with Rami Zahran, Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Saudi German Health; Miche Whitehouse, Head of Brand and Digital, LUSH Cosmetics; Nisham Chhabra, Vice President – Middle East & Africa, Netcore Cloud; and Wasim Ben Khadra, Executive Director, Regional Head of Communications, Africa and Middle East, Standard Chartered Ba ..read more

In the ever-evolving realm of digital commerce, the path to success is both intricate and dynamic. To navigate this landscape effectively, one can draw invaluable insights from those who have not only trodden the path but have also excelled in it. At an exclusive session on the ‘Digital Commerce Megaverse’ at the Internet Commerce Summit (ICS) MENA 2024 we brought together distinguished brand leaders who have mastered the art of managing e-commerce businesses to achieve exponential growth to discuss the dynamics of doing business in this new era. The conversation was stirred by: Karl Nader ..read more

During a fireside chat by Moengage at the Internet Commerce Summit (ICS) MENA 2024, Kunal Badiani, Regional VP – Growth & Strategy for MoEngage was in conversation with Syed Zeeshan Ali, Regional Technology Lead – Middle East, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa and Germany (MEP and TAG), Yum! Brands and Vivek Gupta, Director of Digital, MENA, Pak, CIS, Turk, Yum! Brands. The question that Badiani posed to Ali and Gupta was how they keep abreast with their omnichannel strategies in the face of rising customer expectations. That’s when both agreed that whether it is KFC or Pizza Hut, the idea of QSR i ..read more

Akshay Jayaprakasan, Associate partner, REDSEER in his research presentation at the Internet Commerce Summit (ICS) MENA 2024 highlighted how the regional e-commerce market is one that showcases resilience and power, standing tall in the face of adversities. Delving into the distinctiveness of the MENA e-commerce landscape, Jayaprakasan shared pointers to cast a gaze into the future of retail. He highlighted that the market in the UAE is unique and presents a very significant and distinct opportunity as compared to the global space. “Incidentally, when it comes to e-commerce, the global market ..read more