Julien Pascual launched EmiratesAvenue.com, an online tech shop a year ago. The company's founder and chief executive talks about how Facebook helped trigger his entrepreneurial side:
How did you first venture into the online space?
The wife of a guy I was working for was in Harvard and showed us a website. It was called Thefacebook back then. We bought another company that was doing the same thing. We launched in France then sold it three years ago when I saw that Facebook was opening everywhere.
Why launch a site to sell electronics in the Emirates?
I came here on holiday because my wife moved here. I was looking online for e-commerce stuff and I was seeing nothing two years ago. If there was something, it was so hard to find. I decided to set up the business. Basically, I took everything that was great in e-commerce in North America and Europe, and I tried to put it here.
Like what?
We have live chat help with an operator. We try to explain returns, delivery, who we are on our site. That's part of what I saw that was great in Europe and the US.
Some business owners have complained about the lengthy set-up process here. What was your experience like?
It took me around one year to set up everything. In France, it's quite a pain because administration is terrible. Here it was much better. What took a long time was to find reliable suppliers.
Has that been your biggest challenge?
Yes. I met 50 people in total. You have a great contact then the guy never calls you back. For me, it can't work like that. We must have tried 10 different suppliers. Now, we work with four.
But those suppliers aren't always the authorised dealers for manufacturers. Won't a warranty on, say, the iPad be null in this so-called grey market?
Grey market is a way to make it seem sensational. We tell customers "when you get your iPad keep the box because the warranty is under that and you will activate it when you sign in the first time on iTunes". [Other competitors that aren't authorised dealers] are selling the iPad, iPhone, too. Some people think "if I at least buy from them the warranty will be safe and all", but they ship it to Apple when it's broken. That's the same thing we do because they can't fix it themselves.
You offer free delivery, but isn't that a dangerous way of eating into your margins?
Yeah, it is. Definitely. But, see, that's why we made it free delivery up to 3kg, which is 90 per cent of what we have except TVs. We ship in the UAE now and we start shipping internationally in May to seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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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.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
MO
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How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)