CEO’s tackle tomorrow

Steering a company through Dubai's current climate of growth is a daily challenge and here five CEOs from a diverse range of catering industry companies discuss topical issues, from rising rent prices to recruitment.

How is the food and beverage industry expanding and how is your company reacting to this growth phase?

Marvin Shaire: At Retailcorp we're involved with the fast end of the F&B industry dealing with outlets and brands that appeal to the eclectic, cultural mix of residence in the UAE and the Middle East. We not only promote the retail performance of recognisable F&B names but we also develop new exciting and dynamic F&B outlets, continually testing the boundaries of this fast growing market.

Justin Clarke: The days of opening a restaurant in Dubai and it becoming an instant cash cow are fast disappearing. There are now too many examples of poorly executed operations opened by companies that don't really understand F&B. Hotels are recognising that working in partnership with branded F&B operations is the way ahead. Many malls are badly planned and don't represent the needs of the customer when it comes to dining experiences. In terms of fresh roasted coffee we also have a long way to go with 98% of coffee imported from outside the GCC and 85% of that is instant! That is of course a huge opportunity.

Avinash Bal: The number of retail developments is expanding within the region. This has a knock on effect with companies like us as it gives us the opportunity to expand our business at an increased rate. This allows retailers to spot gaps in the market and development and bring in concepts to fit in with the required retail mix. This is very much how HBI has developed its brands and concepts.

Nidal Haddad: It is my feeling that the F&B industry in the UAE will only continue to grow at a very fast pace over the next few years. This is driven by the on-going investment in tourism development, including new hotels and restaurants and increased flights to the region, which leads to a greater influx of tourists. To meet this growth we will continue to develop more innovative packaging solutions and improve our infrastructure such as our new AED 15 million (US $4 million) 15,000m², state of the art logistics facility in Jafza, which opened this month. This is the first part of a two - phase AED 80 million ($21.7 million) expansion programme for Al Bayader.

What are the challenges of being a CEO in such a dynamic, changeable environment?

Suhail Gidwani: I could never list all of the challenges but my belief is to approach the job in hand with a good team that believes in the boss and his ideas and mostly come in to work everyday looking forward to another day of fun.

Shaire: Our company policy of ‘passionately challenging existing perimeters' is reflected in our staff attitude from head office all the way through to the staff who engage you on the shop floor. This makes my job one not of pushing and driving but rather of steering to reach our ever moving goals. I can therefore concentrate on expanding existing goals and setting new targets.

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