Emaar Retail, a premium provider of leisure and entertainment, has recorded a 25 per cent annual growth in the number of partners showcased across its diverse attractions, building a strong partnership network to over 100 leading global and local brands in 2012. 

 

Emaar Retail’s leisure assets are key attractions in the iconic Dubai Mall which welcomes over 60 million visitors a year, and Dubai Marina Mall, the must-visit retail and leisure destination in New Dubai, said a statement from the Dubai group.

 

In 2012, an impressive 5.2 million visitors were welcomed to Emaar Retail’s attractions, representing an increase of almost half a million visitors compared to 2011. 

 

CEO Arif Amiri said Emaar Retail has created new benchmarks in the retail sector through innovative entertainment offerings, which has provided brand partners truly extensive platforms for exposure to a global audience. 

 

“Forward thinking companies are constantly looking for innovative ways to showcase their brand offering within the increasingly competitive retail arena. Our growing partner network underlines the increasing popularity of Emaar Retail’s leisure attractions as preferred brand building platforms for international and local corporations where the focus is on long-term customer engagement," he remarked.

 

Leading entities such as Swatch Group have renewed partnerships with Emaar Retail in 2012, and the Group also counts several leading international brands such as Emirates Airline, Samsung, Coca Cola and Emirates NBD within its partnership network. 

 

Vikram Krishna, the head of Group Marketing & Customer Experience, Emirates NBD said, "With millions of visitors flocking each year to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, it presented an ideal platform to showcase our brand to a regional and global audience."

 

"The resultant visibility generated through leveraging branding opportunities at strategic locations in and around the aquarium, also ensured long-term front-of-mind recall for the Emirates NBD brand," he added. 

 

Last year, drawing on the world-class prestige of Emaar Retail’s leisure attractions, partnerships were forged with the UAE National Olympics Committee and Swatch Group for an array of promotions and show stopping events rolled out for visitors to the most popular attractions in the city including Dubai Ice Rink, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania.

 

Marc A. Hayek from Swatch Group’s leading brand Blancpain, says: "Our Blancpain divers watch was brought to life in the unique setting of the Dubai Aquarium, one of the world’s largest aquariums, captivating the eyes of thousands each day.” 

 

Young Soo Kim, President of Samsung Electronics, another brand partner, said: "By partnering with Emaar Retail we were able to promote the launch of our Smart TVs, Olympic sponsorship activation at the Dubai Ice Rink and the official unveiling of the Galaxy S3 at Dubai Aquarium.” 

 

Emaar Retail’s strong partnership network also lent to the stellar success of the Downtown Dubai New Year’s Eve Gala, organised by Emaar Properties, with support harnessed from various private sector entities including Emirates Airline, Etisalat, Samsung Electronics, Mercedes Benz and Omega.-TradeArabia News Service