Employees in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Lebanon retrain to take on roles at Carrefour
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 24 March 2020: Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has activated an employee redeployment programme across the region, which sees more than one thousand leisure, entertainment and cinema employees being reskilled to join the company’s Carrefour business on a temporary basis to assist with online order fulfilment, food packing, stock replenishment and more.
The redeployment programme is designed to provide employees with an opportunity to retrain within the Majid Al Futtaim ecosystem. So far, 1,015 employees from VOX Cinemas, Magic Planet, Little Explorers and Ski Dubai in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Lebanon have been assigned to their new roles. The positions created will help Carrefour to cater to the increased demand at both its physical and online stores. In the first three weeks of March, Carrefour has seen an increase in customer demand across the region with daily online sales increasing by 50% compared to the same period in February.
Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim – Holding, said: “In times of uncertainty, our commitment to our community of customers, employees, tenants and suppliers only becomes stronger. While we are ensuring that our customers get what they need when they need it, we are working with all stakeholder groups to ensure that we come through these challenging times together. The employee redeployment programme is a fantastic opportunity for our leisure, entertainment and cinema employees to continue to learn and explore new experiences in other parts of our business during this time. I am extremely proud of each one of them as they have shown a relentless desire to support their colleagues across the company and ensure our customers continue to have access to essential items.
“While our redeployment efforts come during unprecedented times, a recent World Economic Forum report suggested that by 2022, 54% of the total workforce in an organisation will require significant reskilling and upskilling. The current situation has accelerated the need for employees to stay competitive and will require companies to relook at how they utilise their talent.”
The employees have been assigned to positions across the Carrefour business, including supermarkets, hypermarkets, darkstores, fulfilment centres, and distribution centres. Prior to starting their new roles, employees have completed on-the-job training as well as health and safety training, in line with additional precautions that have been put in place by Carrefour.
Nafie Hamed Ibrahim Ali, Customer Service Officer at VOX Cinemas said: “I have worked with Majid Al Futtaim for the past 9 years and I volunteered to join the programme, like many of my colleagues. It is a great opportunity for me, and I am proud that I can continue to be of service during such a challenging time. I am really looking forward to learning new skills, whilst supporting the wider business and catering to customers’ needs – I feel a part of something much bigger than myself.”
About Majid Al Futtaim
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure to ‘create great moments for everyone, every day’. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses spanning 16 international markets, employing more than 44,000 people, and obtaining the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the region.
Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 27 shopping malls, 13 hotels and four mixed-use communities, with further developments underway in the region. The shopping malls portfolio includes Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Egypt, City Centre malls, My City Centre neighbourhood centres, and four community malls which are in joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. The Company is the exclusive franchisee for Carrefour in a number of markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, operating a portfolio of more than 300 outlets.
Majid Al Futtaim operates more than 500 VOX Cinemas screens and 37 Magic Planet family entertainment centres across the region, in addition to iconic leisure and entertainment facilities such as Ski Dubai, iFly Dubai and Ski Egypt, among others. The Company is parent to the consumer finance company ‘Najm’, and a Fashion and Home retail business representing international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, AllSaints, lululemon athletica, Crate & Barrel and Maisons du Monde. In addition, Majid Al Futtaim operates Enova, a facility and energy management company, through a joint venture operation with Veolia, a global leader in optimised environment resource management. The Company also owns the rights to The LEGO Store and American Girl in the Middle East.