After a month of celebrating and showcasing the best that Qatar has to offer in retail, fashion and entertainment, the curtain was drawn on the second edition of Shop Qatar.

The Festival’s grand finale held at Doha Festival City saw a series of live entertainment shows crowned with a special performance by Lebanese artist Ramy Ayach. The events wrapped up with the fourth and final raffle draw, announcing the last 15 of 60 winners to claim their share of the festival’s eight BMW cars and cash prizes worth QAR 4 million.

Organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) from 7 January to 7 February, Shop Qatar recorded a 21.7% increase in tickets entered in the raffle draws compared to last year’s inaugural edition. The 2018 edition was a celebration of the country’s diverse retail offerings, against a backdrop of colourful cultural activities from across the globe.

Held under the slogan ‘A Brand New Tradition’, Shop Qatar 2018 offered something for all residents and visitors, including shopping promotions, live performances, beauty and fashion-forward events, as well as concerts.

Mashal Shahbik, Director of Tourism Events and Festivals at QTA said they were very pleased to see the collaborative spirit shown by various private and public sector partners who continue to work together to keep this brand new tradition exciting and enriched with authentic Qatari experiences.

Shop Qatar 2018 is the first of many festivals lined up this year, and we look forward to build on the momentum with the ninth edition of the Qatar International Food Festival for which plans are already well underway.’

With 13 participating malls, covering nearly 1,000,000 square metres of retail space, the festival shed a spotlight on the new and enticing additions to Qatar’s burgeoning retail scene. Participating malls include Al Khor Mall, City Centre, Doha Festival City, Gulf Mall, Hyatt Plaza, Lagoona Mall, Landmark Mall, Mall of Qatar, Tawar Mall, The Gate Mall, Villaggio, Ezdan Mall and Dar Al Salam Mall.

Raffle Draw Winners

The winners of the QAR 10,000 cash prizes in the fourth and final Shop Qatar raffle draw are Jermelyn Ograba (302538), Abdul Manaf (089222), Shafi Nelladath Padinhara Thil (306871) and Iskender Shabdanaou (003997). Winners in the QAR20,000 and QAR30,000 prize category are Rollie Olana (347142) and Muna Rashid AlKuwari (157488), respectively. Melognia Abufog (395982), Tarek Hussein Nassar (006310), Zakariya Abdel Aziz Salim (177910) and Imad Saifan (305073) each won the QAR 40,000 cash prize. The QAR 50,000 cash prize went to Abdulaziz Al Jaber (238514), and both James F Tamon (281093) and Raza Akbar (345663) won the QAR 100,000 prizes. The BMW 520i prize went to Yousuf Ali Karunechi (146616) and the winner of the grand prize, a BMW 730 Li, was Mohammad Hozam Tabet (173528).

Supporting Local Businesses and Institutions

In support of local entrepreneurs, Shop Qatar erected 30 pop-up shops in Mall of Qatar where small businesses benefited from the high footfall generated by the Festival, all while providing the mall’s visitors with an authentic Qatari experience.

In total, 75 different local businesses had an opportunity to showcase their products at the pop-up shops. Through the Festival’s partnership with Qatar Development Bank, 32 SME incubated and supported by the bank were afforded an opportunity to take part in the Festival. And, in the last weekend of the festival, Shop Qatar collaborated with Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar (VCUQ) to hold an exclusive Trunk Show at DFC which saw nine students, alumni and faculty showcasing their latest ready-to-wear creations, abayas and accessories..

The festival concerts, fashion shows, workshops and makeup classes were all presented by Qatar-based private companies Talent Resources and The Social Studio.

Rahat Mansour, Director of Events at Talent Resources Qatar were grateful to QTA for their trust with and the opportunity to showcase their capabilities on such a large scale.

Partnering with QTA has empowered us as a private company to participate in the national efforts to promote Qatar as an attractive destination and home for world-class events.’

Hamzeh Zahr, Managing Director of The Social Studio said they were also very pleased to have entertained more than 7,000 music fans through the sold out concerts they organised during Shop Qatar.

The success we have seen was possible only thanks to QTA’s support.’

A Tour Around the Globe

In line with Qatar’s message of welcoming the world, Shop Qatar 2018 was a colourful celebration of the world’s diverse cultures. In each of its differently themed weeks, the Festival invited Qatar’s residents and visitors on a tour around the globe to discover something new.

The festival attracted singing sensations from Lebanon (Yara and Joseph Attiyeh), India (Sonu Nigam) and the United States (the Chainsmokers). A variety of fashion shows brought a dazzling display by celebrity designers from East and West, including Fouad Sarkis, Yousef AlJasmi, Alejandro Resta and Vikram Phlankis, whose fashion show witnessed the participation of Bollywood superstar Karina Kapoor. Make-up artists Hanan Al Najada from Kuwait and Hollywood’s very own Joyce Bonelli shared tips for perfecting the 2018 look.

QTA introduced the annual shopping festival in 2017 following the notable growth of Qatar’s retail sector, matched by its strong contribution to tourism spending. According to the draft Tourism Satellite Account, shopping generates a bigger portion of tourism spending – from both local and foreign tourists – than hotel bookings or food and beverage.

For more information about Shop Qatar, visit the QTA website at visitqatar.qa or check out the links below. 

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