Emile Sarkis, General Manager, Mall of Qatar • Interview
What have been the main highlights for Mall of Qatar since its opening, and how have you prepared for the reactivation of the economy post COVID-19?
Mall of Qatar opened in 2016 and has had great success both in the country and the region since then. It is the favorite destination for the residents and visitors due to the exceptional facilities and variety of options. In 1Q2020, we accomplished huge success, especially during the Shop Qatar festival. We hosted a concert for famous singers and bands on our Oasis stage, with hundreds of fans attending. The following two quarters were significantly impacted, and the Mall of Qatar’s strategy for 2020 consisted of a two-level process: supporting our tenants to tackle the unfortunate situation, and the second is related to customers. During the temporary closure, we were preparing for the upcoming phases and the reopening of the mall; we explored the best options to reactivate the business, which is why we implemented a well-designed plan for safety measures and marketing strategy. Our precautionary measures helped us gain visitors’ and tenants’ confidence to return to the Mall of Qatar and ensure an enjoyable shopping and dining experience. Our communication campaigns supported all those precautionary measures. During the fourth quarter, we organized the biggest Shop & Win festival, with 20 luxury cars until January 2021 by gifting a car every week to a lucky winner, one of the biggest shopping festivals ever done in Qatar. All these factors were crucial to reactivate the economic cycle, and we are planning for more in the coming months.
What is the Mall of Qatar’s unique value proposition taking into consideration the fierce competition in the sector?
The competition is increasing due to the opening of new malls, and this will only positively affect the customers and push us to improve our services and offerings. That’s why our strategy is built on two main pillars: world-class products and five-star services. We are a massive mall of around 500 stores and dining outlets that caters to everyone. Our 360-degree stage in the Oasis is exceptionally unique in Qatar, and no other mall has such a facility in which they are capable of hosting shows and events. We host international singers, artists, music shows while visitors dine in the surrounding restaurants or watch football matches on giant screens. Mall of Qatar is the first mall to be connected directly to Doha by metro. We have a 19 cinema screens, the largest in Qatar.