Bentley boom
Luxury car manufacturer Bentley is looking to capitalize on its success in the Middle East in 2011 by investing up to $9 million in the next six months on expanding operations, it announced at the Qatar International Motor Show. Bentley saw 3 percent growth last year to 566 cars sold in the Middle East — the second most successful year to date for Bentley in the region. The company now plans to open its largest workshop worldwide in Dubai, and new showrooms in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah. The Middle East remains one of the brand’s most important markets for the new Continental GT and the Bentley Mulsanne, and continued demand for these cars this year, together with the arrival of the new GTC, is expected to give Bentley double-digit growth in 2012, according to the company.
Art in the desert
Funding for the stalled $27 billion Saadiyat Cultural District project in Abu Dhabi has been approved, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council has announced. The project, which includes four new museums and a performance centre, has attracted some of the biggest names in art and design in the world. The scheduled openings include Jean Nouvel’s Louvre Abu Dhabi (in 2015), the Zayed National Museum designed by Lord Norman Foster (2016), and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi designed by Frank Gehry (2017). As yet unscheduled projects include a performing arts centre, designed by Zaha Hadid. The project is to be overseen by the Tourism Development and Investment Company, the state-owned company charged with turning Abu Dhabi into a global destination for arts and culture.
Bustling book fair
The Middle East’s largest annual literature festival will take place from March 8 to 12 at the Al Mamzar & InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature was founded in 2009 and is expected to attract over 30,000 visitors. More than 100 Arab and International authors are scheduled to participate, including David Nicholls, AC Grayling, Palestinian poet Hind Shoufani and Lebanese novelist Dania el-Kadi, whose first full-length novel “Summer Blast”, set in the 2006 war in Lebanon, was released in 2011. In other literary news, the 2011 edition of the Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, now in its sixth year, has been awarded to Khaled Mattawa for his translation of “Adonis: Selected Poems”, published by Yale University Press. The four judges — novelist Joan Smith, professor of American literature Sarah Churchwell, lecturer in Arabic literature and the media Christina Phillips and editor of Banipal magazine Samuel Shimon – were unanimous in their decision to award Mattawa the prize, which is worth £3,000 ($4,738). Runner up for the prize was Barbara Romaine for her translation of Radwa Ashour’s “Spectres”, and commended is Maia Tabet for her translation of “White Masks” by Elias Khoury.
Reviving retail
According to the 2012 Global Powers of Retailing report by Deloitte, retailers in the Middle East have shown the strongest growth worldwide in a year that saw the annual sales of the world’s largest retailers increase by more than 5 percent. Middle Eastern and African retailers also reported the highest compound annual growth rate of all regions over the 2005-2010 period. Of the 195 companies that disclosed their bottom-line results, 183 operated at a profit in 2010, with net profitability increasing overall. Despite this growth, the Eurozone crisis and tighter fiscal policy worldwide has led Deloitte to predict slower growth in 2012. But retailers are encouraged to look ahead to the long term. Ira Kalish, director of Consumer Business for Deloitte Research, said: “Even though the economic environment in 2012 will be difficult, the long-term outlook for the global economy remains good. China will continue to grow while other emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and parts of South America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East offer the possibility of stronger growth as well as new opportunities for the world’s leading retailers.”
Designs on Dbayeh
Launched on February 15, ABC Dbayeh has introduced a new ‘Lebanese designer corner’ to its third level. The 205 square meter space will promote the collections of 18 home-grown designers for three months. Inspired by the commercial success of the 75 limited edition gifts created by Lebanese designers for ABC’s 75th anniversary, ABC will also offer the designers their operational expertise and marketing support. The participating designers are Atelier Nanou, Atelier S/Z, Boho, Cocoa & Co, En Ville, Hirafouna/A4C, Joanna Dahdah, Jojoba, Madame Rêve, Mojo, Nada Talhame, Nada Zeineh, Oumnia, Sarah’s Bag, Syma Beydoun, Smartiz & Co, Sunflowers and Yasmeen Farah. The designs cover accessories, handbags, shoes, clothing and homecare.
Sushi splash downtown
This summer will see a high profile new partnership between the celebrated contemporary Japanese restaurant Zuma and Beirut’s famous boutique hotel Le Gray. Zuma has been in operation in Dubai for three years, and the opening in Beirut is part of a planned series of restaurants across Middle Eastern cities. It will be the first Asian restaurant to open at Le Gray and one of very few in the Downtown area, offering high-end sushi and modern interpretations of traditional dishes.
Cream of the cupcakes
Having first come to the world’s attention as one of the addictions of Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw, the New York-based Magnolia Bakery has announced that it has signed franchise deals to open in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar this year. The company’s first overseas outlet opened at Bloomingdales in Dubai in 2010. In Lebanon, they will be joining successful local enterprises like Sugar Daddy’s and The Cupcakery, who have tapped into a global craze for cupcakes and adapted it to the domestic market. According to an email statement from CEO and owner Steve Abrams, Magnolia Bakery will stick to its current classic American menu with a few specific items developed for the new locations.
Big boat boasts
The rankings of website superyachts.com have shown that of the top 10 largest yachts in the world, six are owned by Middle Eastern boat lovers. While the top spot was taken by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s 164-meter Eclipse, the number two yacht in the world for sheer size is Dubai, owned by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, at 162 meters long. It includes seven decks, a mosaic swimming pool and several Jacuzzis. Other top ranking Middle Eastern boats include the Emir of Qatar’s 133-meter Al Mirqab at number 10, Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz’s 139-meter Al Salamlah at number seven, and the Egyptian Presidential yacht, El Horriya, at 145.72 meters, owned by the Egyptian Navy.
Och aye!
According to a new report by the Scottish government, exports of food and drink from the country to the United Arab Emirates saw a 55 percent rise in the first two quarters of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, to a value of £50.1 million ($78.7 million). The Middle East is also now the largest market for smoked salmon outside the EU, with an increase of 48 per cent to a value of £2.5 million ($3.9 million). Whisky exports to the UAE also saw an increase of 29 percent. The importance of this market for Scotland is compared to a global increase of 29 percent in food and drink exports, from £1.81 billion ($2.84 billion) to £2.34 billion ($3.69 billion). UAE diners are showing a particular penchant for smoked salmon – while exports of fresh salmon to the Emirates have remained steady at just over 500 tons, the volume of the smoked variety has gone up from 174 tons to 257 tons, up 48 percent.
