‘DEAL 2015' to funnel the merger of ‘Retail and Entertainment' in the Middle East

The amalgamation of retail and family entertainment centre’s to witness a different level of retail entertainment in the UAE

Dubai, UAE, June 12, 2014: The biggest event in the entertainment industry – ‘Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure show (DEAL) will have a special focus on ‘Retail Entertainment’ in 2015. The dynamic bond between entertainment and retail is one of the major trends in malls today. These malls are using entertainment to clearly demarcate themselves from the competition. The concept of providing shoppers with a soothing experience delivers an opportunity to increase sales in the retail segment. DEAL 2015 will be held in April at the Dubai World Trade Centre. 

“Leisure is a versatile term and an important facet of malls as it draws the families with the kids together. The latest trend is towards ‘the new age retail entertainment’ where a large entity backs an entertainment outlet which not only includes rides but cinemas, redemption machines and other offerings among other forms of entertainment. Some years back it was possible for a retail mall to have its operations without an entertainment centre but not any longer. Family Entertainment Centres (FEC) are a must have feature for every mega mall in this region. Indoor theme parks are here to stay as you are more likely to go to the mall every week than an outdoor park due to climatic conditions. This is one key factor that will help grow indoor theme parks and FECs in the region at a remarkable rate in the near future,” said Mr. Sharif Rahman, CEO, IEC.

Indoor centres ideally house more than 25,000 square feet of space with elements that are bound to attract families together with their children to the retail outlets. These indoor centres encompass latest family entertainment centre equipments, video games, redemption games and other innovative offerings to attract the younger audience.

“Industry experts are of the view that shopping malls in the UAE are more focusing on enhancing their entertainment facilities as more and more visitors are increasingly stopping over retail malls for entertainment rather than shopping. Party of the area dedicated to entertainment, food and beverage at malls today is significantly bigger than the ones that were built some years ago. Malls are striving to bring in new leisure attractions but they should also understand that they should enhance their existing entertainment offerings rather than getting something new. Minority of the consumers would come for shopping at a retail mall whereas a majority of them would stroll in for diverse reasons such as family entertainment and sightseeing. Retailers on the other hand are leaving no stone unturned to turn shopping into an entertainment experience and thereby increasing sales,” added Mr.Rahman. 

“Consumer spending has significantly increased over the period of time as mall retailers have realised that the amusement and entertainment factor influences people’s decision as to where and how long to shop,” added Mr.Rahman.

The DEAL 2014 show which exhibited the largest display of the state-of-the-art family entertainment products attracted exhibitors from countries diverse as Belgium, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, UK, France, Turkey, and USA, apart from new countries which included Denmark, Singapore and Qatar. 

“Year 2015 seems to be promising for the retail and entertainment industry as operations in the leisure and amusement sector have registered an exponential growth in revenue in the current year. FECs are the main pillars that would be supporting the retail operations and developments within the Middle East. Although consumers can make their retail purchases through their smart devices they prefer to frequent malls just to experience entertainment at the next level. Malls with FECs have registered a considerable hike in earnings in the last few months which is mainly due to the influx of tourists from other regions. The retail and amusement industry is pegged to grow at a fast pace in 2015 and beyond. FECs form the crux of the retail industry on a wider scale as without the fusion of FECs within retail malls, the whole retail sector would have been just another brick and mortar retail sector.” concluded Mr. Rahman.