A promising partnership

by Karl Nader, Ramy Sfeir & Karim Abdallah November 7, 2012

written by Karl Nader, Ramy Sfeir & Karim Abdallah November 7, 2012

There is no shortage of super-regional and regional malls in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Super-regional malls, such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Villagio in Qatar, are major destinations and are filled with well-known and sought-after high-end retailers. In some of these malls — which often attract thousands of visitors per day — you can shop, visit artificial ski slopes and travel on a replica gondola. In addition to their popular leisure offerings, these malls each comprise more than 200 shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Similarly, regional malls, such as Muscat Grand Mall in Oman and The Avenues Mall in Kuwait, provide residents with 100 to 200 shops, dining venues, and entertainment facilities that are multi-purpose in nature. The GCC retail boom of the past 10 to 15 years spawned these shopping centers along with developments in

Karl Nader

Karl Nader is the Managing Director of AlixPartners Middle East, leading the firm’s strategic presence and assisting clients through transformation and growth in volatile markets. He specializes in consumer goods, retail, and distribution. Previously, Karl was a Partner at Strategy& where he co-led the Consumer and Retail business in the Middle East and authored key reports on retail analytics and private labels. His earlier roles include Senior Consultant at Accenture and analyst at AEA Technology. Karl holds a B.Sc. from the University of Warwick and an M.Sc. from the University of Lancaster.

Ramy Sfeir

Ramy Sfeir is a Partner with Strategy& who leads the Family Business, Multi-sector Investments, Real Estate and Consumer Markets practices, as well as the Deals platform in the Middle East. He works mainly with family conglomerates, investment companies, sovereign wealth funds, and real estate developers, advising on topics related to corporate and investment strategy, corporate transformation, and governance, as well as M&A and post-merger integration.

Karim Abdallah

Karim Abdallah is a Partner with Strategy& and a member of the Family Business, Investments, and Real Estate practice in the Middle East. With over ten years of consulting experience and four years in industry, he leads the real estate platform in the region. Karim focuses on strategy, organization design, business planning, and feasibility studies for real estate developers and corporations. He has worked across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

A promising partnership

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