LONDON BUSINESSES ARE TARGETING ARAB HIGH SPENDERS

Luxury businesses in London are focusing more and more on targeting Arab clients after the amount of money spent by them in the first quarter of the year, which revealed the size of their contribution to the overall turnover of retail, services and hospitality businesses.
The weak Sterling played a major role in increasing the numbers of International shoppers in London, especially the ones coming from the Middle East where shopping is an essential part of everyday life.
London has always been a favoured shopping destination for Arabs, and London businesses are used to cater to such valuable clients. During the economic downturn that mainly affected the luxury sector, and when the purchasing power of the local customer has been severely weakened, Arab clients became more valuable to the very survival of many big names in the West End of London. Numerous businesses are putting in place plans to maintain and increase the Arab footfall into their premises. A new market of specialised consultancy on how to attract Arabs is even emerging in London.
One new company spotted the gap in the training and consultancy market is now offering such services to London retail, entertainment and hospitality companies. UnderstandArabia Ltd provides a training seminar to retail and hospitality staff in which participants understand the mentality of the Arab customer and know how to close deals, offer better service and be familiar with the traditions and etiquette of the Arab society. In addition, UnderstandArabia offers marketing and advertising consultancy to businesses who wish to promote their products and services to Arabs and be on the top of their shopping list when visiting London.
Mr Said Chaarawi, Managing Director of UnderstandArabia Ltd, said “Arabs are spending more than any other international customers coming to London for shopping; this is due to the rising oil prices and the rate of Sterling which, in turn, strengthens their purchasing power.” He stated that “it is always a God-send to, for example, a retail to have a customer who purchases high end pieces in big quantities and not worrying about the price tag. On the other hand, Arabs are a very sensitive type of customers and sometimes one misunderstanding from the staff side to the Arab etiquette can result in losing the business. This is why businesses now are coming to us in order to make sure their staff members are well trained to handle such clients and to improve the kind of service they offer to them in order to build a stronger relationship and better loyalty towards their premises.” He added, “When we first started, we were surprised by the size of need to such kind of training and consultancy among staff members and marketing professionals alike.”