78 November 2013 www.bahrainthismonth.com It’s become such a focal point within the Kingdom that Bahrain City Centre seems to have been around forever. businessspotlight Centre of Attraction BAHRAIN CITY CENTRE Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi, senior mall manager, Bahrain City Centre (BCC) reflects on the shopping destination’s fifth anniversary and the contribution it has made to the wider retail scene and the Kingdom. Bahrain This Month (BTM): How did you set about celebrating your fifth anniversary? Al Rumaihi: The mall hosted a month of family-fun activities, with raffle draws, competitions and exciting shows for kids. The initial celebrations kicked off with an official cake cutting ceremony, followed by daily prize draws for shoppers at the mall. A total of 185 prizes, including gift cards, iPhone 5 mobile devices and five Fiat 500 grand prizes, were awarded to shoppers throughout the month. As a leading family-friendly destination in the community, the mall also welcomed the Smurfs for live performances for children to enjoy. In addition, a special party for five-year-olds was hosted to celebrate the mall’s fifth birthday. The anniversary campaign was the mall’s way to thank loyal patrons and to highlight its commitment to the local community by bringing world-class entertainment and unbeatable shopping specials to the Kingdom. BTM: What achievements stand out over the past five years? Al Rumaihi: Since opening its doors five years ago, Bahrain City Centre has become a national landmark in Bahrain and a favoured meeting point for the community. We have won a number of industry awards from the International Council of Shopping Centres, most recently with the Gold Award last year for our Fall for Fashion campaign. The mall has been a platform for the entry of new, international brands in the Kingdom, for example iconic brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Carrefour, Pottery Barn and P.F. Chang’s. There have also been some memorable campaigns including ‘Fall for Fashion’, the Apple Campaign, and the ‘Taste of Fashion’, in partnership with the Kempinski Hotel Grand & Ixir Bahrain City Centre. Our Lewan Ramadan activities and unique ‘Winter Wonderland’ campaign have transformed our mall into a seasonal playground. BTM: What contributions does MAF Properties, through Bahrain City Centre, make to the community? Al Rumaihi: We contribute to the community in a healthy way through the extremely popular City Walkers programme, which has thousands of registered members. In 2011 we launched the ‘Kick Up Your Heels’ walkathon event, raising a significant amount for breast cancer awareness and Think Pink Bahrain. For the first time this year, we supported ‘Go Red for Women’, which raised the red flag on women’s heart disease. In a single weekend, we registered more than 500 ladies who came out to get heart health tested. In addition, Bahrain City Centre supports Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ annual ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’ campaign, which brings together members of the community to donate nonperishable items to those less fortunate. BTM: What can we expect from Bahrain City Centre in the future? Al Rumaihi: While there are no immediate announcements for now, however, we are always looking to enhance our offer, be it through retail, entertainment experiences or upgrading the mall itself. We will also continue to invest in strategic opportunities with the government and retail partners to ensure our position as a flagship mall for the nation and for the benefit of Bahrain’s community. Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi The Smurfs campaign Fifth anniversary grand prize winners
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