When the going gets tough, Matalan gets busy growing



Dubai may be known for its luxurious tastes, but the UK budget fashion brand Matalan is banking on its pocket-friendly styles luring local shoppers in tougher economic times. The UK-based department store chain officially opened its second outlet in Dubai yesterday, one of its four stores across the Middle East. But Matalan did fluff up its appearance for the regional crowd. The company worked with a UK interior designer to make its regional store look more upmarket than in its home country, said Hasit Kakkad, the retail manager for Business Trading Company (BTC), which has the regional franchise.

"We've improved the presentation because we know the local Emirati customer wants a more luxurious environment," Mr Kakkad said. Retail sales in the UAE fell last year after the onset of the economic downturn, as people became more careful with their cash. Consumer confidence in the Emirates fell steeply last year due to worries over job security and anxiety over personal finances, data from Nielsen showed.

That confidence is recovering but is not back to the peaks of 2008, the latest Nielsen reading, taken in March, shows. Shoppers would continue to be cautious with their buying, the company said, but may spend on luxuries such as travel that they had been holding out on. Matalan is expecting consumers in the region to remain price-sensitive, and with BTC, plans to open 30 stores across the region in the next five years, Mr Kakkad said.

"We know from America and from Europe the recession was only going to be more and more global," he said. "And as we realised that customers became more value-conscious, we then grew out our expansion plans." Globally, Matalan has about 120 stores, mainly in the UK. In addition to the 31,000 square foot store it opened in Lamcy Plaza yesterday, the retailer already has a 19,000 sq ft store in Arabian Centre in the Mirdif area of Dubai. It plans to open at least two more within the next 18 months, said Mr Kakkad.

Matalan also has a store in Abu Dhabi's Dalma Mall in Musaffah, and plans to add three or four more outlets in the capital, he said. The group's first store in the region opened in Jordan in June last year. aligaya@thenational.ae

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

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