Retail luxury sector in Saudi Arabia is fast evolving, says Harrods MD 

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Michael Ward said that Harrods is privileged to have the loyalty of some customers who have shopped with them for their whole lifetime, and who may even be second or third generation patrons. (Supplied)
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At Harrods, rewards members gain exclusive access to an array of benefits and earn points as they spend. (Supplied)
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Updated 26 March 2023

Retail luxury sector in Saudi Arabia is fast evolving, says Harrods MD 

  • Michael Ward: Nurturing loyalty has always been at the heart of our customer acquisition and retention strategy

RIYADH: When it comes to retail luxury, very few people in the world can match the understanding that Michael Ward, the managing director of Harrods, has of this exclusive market segment.

As the head of the iconic British luxury department store, which attracts 15 million shoppers each year, he undoubtedly occupies one of the most influential and exciting roles in luxury retail.

Since joining the business, Ward has embarked on a program of significant development, enabling Harrods to become the extremely successful retail model it is today.

HIGHLIGHT

he integration of digital experiences with physical stores in Saudi malls was a key theme at the Retail Leaders Circle MENA Summit and with a number of next-generation mall developments currently underway in the Kingdom, international retail will no doubt in the future be learning from how these have incorporated digital technologies and immersive experiences.

He was recently in Saudi Arabia and shared his wealth of knowledge at the 9th edition of Retail Leaders Circle Middle East and North Africa Summit held in Riyadh earlier this month.

The two-day annual event brought together all industry players in the retail sector from international brands to local franchise partners under one roof. In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Ward said the retail sector in Saudi Arabia was fast evolving. 

“The integration of digital experiences with physical stores in Saudi malls was a key theme at the Retail Leaders Circle MENA Summit and with a number of next-generation mall developments currently underway in the Kingdom, international retail will no doubt in the future be learning from how these have incorporated digital technologies and immersive experiences,” he said.




Michael Ward, the managing director of Harrods. (Supplied)

Asked how existing malls in Saudi Arabia can keep pace with the hyper-competitive landscape, Ward replied: “The future of brick-and-mortar retail is experiential – whether that is providing dining or wellness services or the more creative and immersive experiences, all retailers need to be challenging themselves on how they delight and reward the customer in order to remain competitive.

“Innovative collaborations should be considered as they can play an important role in creating first-class experiential retail.”

Personalization is key

Ward went on to say that luxury retailers in the Kingdom who are keen to personalize shopping experiences for individual customers can take a lesson or two from Harrods, which is renowned for the service it offers to its customers, whether that is provided by a member of its team on the shop floor or through its personal and private shopping services. 

“What we are now challenging ourselves on is how do we provide that digitally, whether that is harrods.com or virtual personal shopping services,” he explained. “Our objective is that however they shop, customers always experience the same exemplary and personalized service that they expect of Harrods. This ability to personalize the shopping experience beyond face-to-face interactions is a key challenge for the luxury industry today.”

Reflecting on how the luxury retail sector in the Kingdom can improve the premium shopping experience, Ward said truly understanding customers is essential.

“At Harrods we have invested significantly in the last two years in our Single View of Customer,” he revealed.

 “This allows us to understand a customer’s buying journey from thousands of available data points, allowing us to make strategic decisions and engage with our customers at the right moment, through the most relevant channels and with the most engaging and valuable content, expanding the customer journey and importantly improving the customer experience.”




At Harrods, rewards members gain exclusive access to an array of benefits and earn points as they spend. (Supplied)

With regard to building further value through experience and loyalty, Ward said that Harrods is privileged to have the loyalty of some customers who have shopped with them for their whole lifetime, and who may even be second or third generation patrons. 

“Nurturing loyalty has always been at the heart of our customer acquisition and retention strategy,” he explained. “Today our Harrods Rewards scheme, which has been in place since 2008, plays a big role in winning and keeping customer loyalty.” 

Ward added: “Rewards members gain exclusive access to an array of benefits and earn points as they spend. And three quarters of our trade in 2022 came from Harrods Rewards customers. What this provides is a vast quantity of customer insights allowing us to ultimately provide better experiences for our customers.”  

Key luxury retail trends

Moving forward, what are the key global trends in retail that Saudi Arabia should be ready to embrace? “Looking at luxury retail specifically, we see two trends shaping the industry,” Ward responded. “Firstly, a demand for unique experiences that delight the customer and secondly, a demand for rarity and exclusivity.”

“At Harrods, we have fortunately been well positioned to capitalize on both these trends,” he continued. “Our ever more creative pop-ups and unique brand collaborations mean every visit to the store can still feel like a new experience and secondly, we are able to bring together the rarest items under one roof with sought-after products that are exclusive to Harrods.”

With regard to innovations that could help change the retail landscape in the Kingdom, Ward explained that what machine learning and artificial intelligence can do for retail is a key question being asked by the industry globally, and it will no doubt bring changes in every country.

“At Harrods, we are using machine learning currently as part of our SVC to help analyze immense quantities of data and there will undoubtedly be more and more use cases in the future,” he said.

Talking of shopping habits of Saudi customers at the Harrods store, Ward said most luxury fabrics are extremely popular with their customers from the Kingdom. “We see the rarity and exclusivity of products also act as an important factor in their shopping choices,” he added.

Harrods, which has a longstanding relationship with Middle East customers, continues to shape a vision of modern luxury for generations to come. By all accounts, there is much to learn from this iconic department store as Saudi Arabia sets new benchmarks in luxury retail in the region.


Respite for oil market amid rate hike worries

Updated 01 June 2023

Respite for oil market amid rate hike worries

  • Oil markets may have been oversold in the last two trading days, says analyst

RIYADH: Oil steadied on Thursday as a potential pause in US interest rate hikes and the passing of a crucial vote on the US debt ceiling bill were offset by a report of rising inventories in the world’s biggest oil consumer.

US Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday suggested interest rates could be kept on hold this month and the US House of Representatives passed a bill suspending the government’s debt ceiling, improving the chance of averting a disastrous default.

Brent crude futures fell 10 cents, or 0.14 percent, to $72.50 a barrel by 1339 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $68.16. Both benchmarks fell on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Oil markets may have been oversold in the last two trading days,” said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. “Sentiment rebounded amid the debt bill’s passage in the House and (the) Fed’s rate hike pause signal.”

HIGHLIGHTS

Market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday said that US crude inventories rose by about 5.2 million barrels last week.

• Brent crude futures fell 10 cents, or 0.14 percent, to $72.50 a barrel by 1339 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $68.16.

Mixed demand indications from China, the world’s biggest oil importer, have nonetheless weighed on the market, as has industry data showing a rise in US crude inventories.

Market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday said that US crude inventories rose by about 5.2 million barrels last week.

“The current mood is one of pessimism,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. “Investors have been pragmatic and risk averse of late.”

Also in focus is the June 4 meeting of the OPEC+ producer group, in which the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia will discuss whether or not to cut oil production further.

Barclays forecast

British multinational bank Barclays has slashed the average price of its Brent crude forecast for this year from $92 to $87 a barrel. The bank also slashed its price forecast of Brent for 2024 as it cut the average projected price to $87 a barrel from $97. 

Chinese company in Brazil 

China’s CNOOC Ltd. has begun production at the Buzios5 well off the coast of Brazil, the company said in a statement on Thursday. 

The well is the fifth phase of the Buzios oil field off Brazil’s southeast coast. At an average water depth of 1,900 meters to 2,200 meters, the field is the world’s largest deep-water pre-salt oil field, with daily production of 600,000 barrels, the company said. 

CNOOC’s Brazilian subsidiary owns 7.34 percent of the Buzios shared reservoir, which is 88.99 percent owned by Brazilian state-owned oil and gas company Petrobras.  CNOOC paid $1.9 billion to Petrobras last year to secure a 5 percent stake in a production sharing agreement at the field. 


UAE’s in-country value projects driving billions to local firms

Updated 02 June 2023

UAE’s in-country value projects driving billions to local firms

ABU DHABI: More than $27.23 billion has been redirected to the local economy since the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and ADNOC launched major in-country value programs to support domestic industries.

Speaking at the Make in the Emirates Forum, Abdulla Al-Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary of MoIAT, said more than $14.43 billion of investment was redirected to the local economy last year alone, an increase of 25 percent year-on-year.

“The National In-Country Value Program is a nationwide program that speaks one language across many different sectors,” Al-Shamsi said. “It’s one methodology and this is something we’re very proud of because it benefits the private sector and when the private sector sees this it helps them prepare, invest, and spend.”

The forum heard how the National ICV Program is “functionating well and accelerating.”

The forum also heard how industrial zones are playing a critical role in the in the country’s sustainable industrial development and broader economic prospects. Local industrial leaders described how they are utilizing alternative energy resources such as solar and hydrogen to reduce their carbon footprint.

The second edition of the Make it in the Emirates Forum concluded on Thursday with the UAE showcasing its unique value proposition to international investors.

Investors were invited to explore opportunities and competitive advantages, with panel discussions focusing on the National In-Country Value (ICV) Program, the role of industrial zones, competitive financing as a key enabler and local talent in the private sector.

The UAE’s industrial exports reached $47.6 billion in 2022, growing 49 on 2021. The industrial sector's contribution to GDP rose to $49.5 billion in 2022, a 38 percent increase on 2020.

The Make it in the Emirates Forum is organized by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in partnership the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and ADNOC.

On the first day of the forum, the UAE government announced $2.7 billion in industrial offtake agreements, building on the $29.9 billion of offtake agreements announced at the 2022 edition of the forum.

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Pakistan posts record inflation for second consecutive month

Updated 01 June 2023

Pakistan posts record inflation for second consecutive month

  • Inflation of 37.97% in May set national record, adding to problems of balance of payment and risk of sovereign default
  • In April, the bureau said Pakistan's CPI at 36.5% was the highest recorded as well as the highest in South Asia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's annual inflation rate rose to 37.97% in May, the statistics bureau said on Thursday, setting a national record for the second month in a row, adding to its problems of a balance of payment crisis and the risk of a sovereign default.

Already in April, the bureau said Pakistan's CPI at 36.5% was the highest recorded, as well as the highest in South Asia, ahead of Sri Lanka, which posted annual inflation of 25.2% in May.

Pakistan's month-on-month rise in May was 1.58%, the bureau said in a statement, adding vegetables, pulses, wheat, wheat flour, rice, eggs and chicken in food items and fuel and gas prices caused the increase.

Inflation has been on an upward trend since early this year after the government took painful measures as part of fiscal adjustments demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock stalled funding.

The IMF demands include the withdrawal of subsidies, a hike in energy prices, a market-based exchange rate and new taxation to generate extra revenue in a supplementary budget.

Islamabad says it has met the demands, but the IMF has yet to release the $1.1 billion funding stalled since November as part of the $6.5 billion Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019.

The funding is critical for Pakistan to unlock other bilateral and multilateral financing.


Pakistan’s national currency makes historic recovery against USD in open market — currency dealers

Updated 01 June 2023

Pakistan’s national currency makes historic recovery against USD in open market — currency dealers

  • Appreciation follows central bank’s decision to allow banks to buy dollars from interbank market for credit and debit card payment settlements
  • Rupee was trading at Rs290 in open market during afternoon trading session as compared to Rs315 in the previous day’s trading

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national currency posted historic gains against the United State dollar in the open market on Thursday, following the central bank’s decision to allow banks to buy dollars from the interbank market for credit and debit card payment settlements, currency dealers said.

The rupee was trading at Rs290 in the open market during the afternoon trading session as compared to Rs315 in the previous day’s trading, showing an appreciation of 8 percent, according to dealers. 

“The rupee has appreciated more than Rs25 in the open market and this has happened for the first time in the history of Pakistan,” Malik Bostan, chairman of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP), told Arab News. 

The currency appreciated in the open market after the central bank on Wednesday allowed authorized dealers, that is banks, to “purchase dollar from the interbank for settlement of the card based cross border transactions with IPS (Instant Payment System),” a notification said.

Prior to the State Bank notification, commercial banks were buying around $15-20 million from the free market per day, putting an excessive burden on it, the key reason for the widening gap between the interbank and open market, according to Bostan. 

“The banks were buying dollars from the open market at Rs315 but they were selling to their customers for the settlement at Rs325,” Bostan said, adding that banks had been buying from the open market but selling to their credit card holders at higher rates which excessively burdened the free market.

“They, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Central bank, took the timely decision and allowed them to purchase from the interbank market instead of the exchange companies,” he added.

Bostan’s claims could not be independently verified.

The ECAP chief predicted that the central bank’s decision would lead to further appreciation of the rupee in the open market, to reach close to the interbank rate.

The rupee in the interbank was trading between Rs290 and Rs300 at the end of trading session on Thursday, according to Bostan.

Pakistani analysts said the central bank’s move had eased the pressure on the open market and would also narrow the gap between the open and interbank markets in line with the International Monetary Fund’s conditions.

“The demand for credit and debit card settlement is around $2 billion to $2.5 billion per annum and the central bank’s decision has eased off the pressure from the open market,” Tahir Abbas, Head of the research at Arif Habib Limited, said. “The IMF also wanted to reduce the gap between the exchange rates prevailing in the interbank and open markets.” 

The rupee in the interbank market closed at Rs285.47 against the greenback on Wednesday.


Amid decades-high inflation, Pakistan slashes petrol price by Rs8 per liter

Updated 31 May 2023

Amid decades-high inflation, Pakistan slashes petrol price by Rs8 per liter

  • After revision in prices, petrol will now be sold for Rs262 per liter, says finance minister
  • Pakistan slashes prices of high speed diesel, light diesel oil by Rs5 per liter respectively

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced the government’s decision to slash the price of petrol by Rs8 per liter on Wednesday, as Pakistan attempts to provide relief to the masses amid decades-high inflation. 

Inflation increased to a historic high of 36.4 percent in Pakistan in April 2023, the highest since 1964, after the South Asian country hiked fuel and energy prices to revive a $6.5 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

To reduce the burden of inflation from the masses, Pakistan slashed the price of petrol by Rs 12 per liter two weeks ago. The South Asian country revises prices of petroleum products fortnightly. 

In a brief video message on Wednesday, the finance minister said that prices of petroleum products had not reduced drastically over the past 15 days nor had the value of the rupee significantly improved against the US dollar. 

“The maximum that we could reduce the petrol price [a fortnight ago] was Rs12 per liter,” Dar said. “Today, by reducing an additional Rs8 per liter, the price of petrol will reduce by Rs20 per liter in total. So, its price will reduce from Rs270 per liter to Rs262 from June 1,” he added. 

Dar also announced a reduction in the price of high speed diesel by Rs5 per liter and light diesel oil by Rs5 per liter. The price of kerosene oil will remain unchanged, he added.  

The finance minister said after the latest price reduction, high speed diesel, kerosene, and light diesel oil would cost Rs253, Rs164.07, and Rs147.68 per liter respectively.

Pakistan also slashed its oil imports by almost half last month, reducing it by 48 percent to 1.07 million tons during April 2023 as compared to 2.05 million tons during April 2022, a research report by Pakistan’s largest securities brokerage company, Arif Habib Limited, said.