The food and beverage operators have been picked for Abu Dhabi airport’s upcoming Midfield Terminal.
The four winners were whittled down from an 80-strong field of bidders who submitted a total of 250 brands for consideration to fill the 11,300 square metres of dining space in the building.
The operator Abu Dhabi Airports did not disclose which brands will be in the terminal, but said the concessionaire contracts went to the Emirates Group subsidiary Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR), the airport and motorway dining specialist HMSHost International, the duty free retailer Lagardère Capital and the British caterer SSP.
“Bearing in mind the wide demographic that we will be catering to, we are thrilled with the pioneering, avant-garde approaches that we have been able to gather together under one roof,” said Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Airports.
“We challenged bidders to capture the essence of Arabian hospitality. The winning concessionaires were those that had demonstrated their ability to deliver on the vision behind it all – providing spectacular ideas that will translate into sensational experiences, exceeding the expectations of our business partners and customers alike.”
HMSHost, which recently opened an urban garden at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, said that it would operate 11 outlets in the terminal including a Jones the Grocer, Lebanese casual restaurant Comptoir Libanais and an Outback Steakhouse.
London’s SSP told Moodiereport.com that the building will include a “food park” inspired by the capital’s Umm Al Emarat park.
Lagardère Capital, a joint venture between the investment company Abu Dhabi Capital Group and the French travel retailer Lagardère Travel Retail, was also picked in December to operate the duty free tobacco and confectionery outlets.
The Midfield Terminal is set to open on National Day 2017 and will take Abu Dhabi International Airport’s overall capacity to 45 million passengers a year. The airport handled 23.3 million passengers last year.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
