Retail Middle East, the region's first fully exclusive and dedicated trade event for the retail industry, will make its debut at Expo Centre Sharjah on April 18, 2005.
According to WAM, the three-day event, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will feature everything related to the retail industry including Retail Concepts, Shop Fitting & Store equipment, Visual merchandising, Signages, Store design, Retail technology & equipment, Logistics, and Security systems.
It is being organised by Expo Centre Sharjah in association with National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM), USA, and Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), USA, and with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), according to a press statement.
Retail Middle East is making its debut at a time when the retail sector in the region is experiencing unprecedented growth due to the booming GCC economies - the result of rising crude oil prices.
As per a recent survey of shopping centres carried out by the UK-based Retail International in the GCC region, some 3.8 million sq. m. of retail space has already been completed with 2.2 million sq. m. under development.
Going by the boom that the region's retail industry is currently experiencing, it is estimated that by 2010 the market will be worth over US$ 500 billion.
Retail Middle East will aim to help regional retailers cope with this accelerated growth not only by introducing them to a wide range of new products, concepts and technologies, but also through the impart of knowledge about the latest developments in the field. It is with this motive that the Middle East Retail conference will be held concurrently with the exhibition.
