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Bahrain City Centre is going to play a bigger role as a centre of attraction for the community it serves and supports, according to the Bahraini now in charge of its operations.
Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi took over the hot seat from Ray Scott, a popular Canadian who retired back to his home country, after its Dubai-based owners and operators Majid Al Futtaim Properties decided to appoint some ‘home talent’.
Since opening in September 2008, Bahrain City Centre has been an overwhelming success and was booming until last year’s unrest had a catastrophic effect on the kingdom’s tourism sector.
However, slowly but surely, the all-important big-spending Saudi visitors are returning alongside local and expat shoppers and Mr Al Rumaihi, who boasts extensive shopping centre experience alongside other senior business roles, is confident he can bring the mall further success.
He said: “Bahrain City Centre is a favourite landmark in the community and I’m proud to be a part of this important retail, leisure and entertainment destination. I am looking forward to drawing upon my own unique professional experiences.
“As a Bahraini, with the mall being such a key destination for the community, there is an immense sense of pride that comes with leading such a key project.”
The 39-year-old from West Riffa, who has two children aged 11 and eight, has knowledgeable first-hand experience of the complex as a customer, so is well aware of its strengths and weaknesses and is determined to make a difference as senior mall manager.
“Personally, I have always enjoyed my time at the mall with my family and now I can put forward my passion in continuing to provide an excellent visitor experience in this role,” he explained.
“Looking ahead for the remainder of 2012, I am looking forward to reinforcing Bahrain City Centre’s reputation as a premium lifestyle destination with a strong family and community outreach programme.
“Corporate social responsibility will continue to be a growing focus for the mall and we are continually aligning with local organisations and charities to create meaningful campaigns including our Think Pink Walkathon, which we are planning to host again this year for cancer awareness.”
“There are some successful initiatives that we have launched this year including our monthly Taste of Fashion event in partnership with the Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre which has been met with great positivity and success.
“This summer, we will be hosting an exciting six-week summer campaign offering visitors to the mall the chance to beat the heat, while enjoying a fun and interactive line-up of ‘aqua-centric’ events and activities.
“Bahrain City Centre already presents an excellent retail mix, dining options and family entertainment. My aim is to create lasting experiences for visitors through the continual enhancement of the retail mix, exciting promotions, events and meaningful campaigns.”
Before joining the mall team, Mr Al Rumaihi was the chief business development officer for Silah Gulf, an award-winning contact centre and business process outsourcing company, and was responsible for overseeing the strategic expansion and development of its customer management solutions and services.
His experience with shopping mall management dates back to 1999 and he has more than15 years experience under his belt across a diverse range of disciplines and industries including general management, real estate, leasing, consultancy, marketing, public relations, advertising, sales and client servicing.
Mr Al Rumaihi has held many positions in various companies and one of his most notable was associate director at DTZ Bahrain and general manager at Seef Properties. He has also served on the board for the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres – the governing body for the retail industry in the region – and the International Council of Shopping Centres for two consecutive terms since 2000.
Additionally, for six years, from 2002 to 2008, he worked on the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Tourism Committee as deputy chairman.
His extensive resume and vast expertise helped make him an ideal candidate for his new role, according to industry sources, which has also made his transition back into mall management an enjoyable one.
He said: “Personally and professionally, I am proud to be a part of Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Bahrain City Centre. Their reputation for shopping centre excellence spans worldwide and I look forward to leading and learning from this experience.
“I view all challenges as positive, learning opportunities and as a constantly evolving mall, things are always changing and this is where people must be adaptive to the situation.
“As senior mall manager, one of my primary goals is to first establish solid working relationships with each of our 340-plus retailers, our third party contractors and service providers to ensure we continue to work together to make the mall a success.”
Mr Al Rumaihi also revealed that the customer footfall in 2011 was close to 9.7 million, despite the civil unrest, and management is cautiously optimistic that numbers will continue to grow in 2012.
He added: “Visitation from Saudis has been consistently improving steadily and this is reflected in the positive growth in our footfall and sales, feedback from customer services and the observance of a greater number of Saudi license plates in our car parks.
“We are confident that our Saudi visitation will continue to grow in numbers as the current climate in Bahrain remains calm and positive.
“Security and stability is a major factor for the growth of any economy and we look forward to Bahrain restoring its stability so that the economy can prosper again.”
One of the biggest challenges the new man must master is the car parking issue, particularly as the mall’s popularity grows and he admits it is a work in progress. He said: “The challenge is to find a balance of practicality, safety and customer satisfaction and we take all factors into consideration.
“There are a number of proposals related to parking and access on the table that are being considered, however no decision has been made yet. For the convenience of our discerning visitors, we do offer valet parking at two entrances – Gate 4 and the Saks 5th Avenue exterior entrance.”
But it’s a challenge he is determined to solve as he entices more shoppers to escape the summer heat and visit Bahrain City Centre which he describes as ‘a one-stop destination to shop, dine, play and stay’.
