Dubai Economy honours 17 retailers

Dubai Economy honoured 17 retail outlets in the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES), for their efforts and achievements in improving customer service quality as well as commitment to ethical business practices during 2016 cycle of assessment.

The winners were selected from more than 2,000 members enrolled in DSES and Dubai Economy honoured them as part of its efforts to enhance competitiveness, diversity and quality of services offered to customers in the emirate’s retail sector and to promote excellence across vital sectors.

The 17 winners came from varied retail segments including optics, fashion, retail, money exchange, restaurants, cafés, jewellery, automobile, footwear, furniture, electronics, pharmacies, banking and travel services.

The winners who received the Best Service Performance Outlet Award from Sami Al Qamzi, director general, Dubai Economy, were Arabian Automobiles Company – Nissan Deira Showroom (automobile showroom category); Coldstone Creamery – City Centre Fujairah (café); Carters – Arabian Centre (clothing); Axiom – Ibn Battuta (electronics); TOMS – Marina Mall (footwear); Marina Home Interiors – JBR (furniture); THEFACESHOP – Bawabat Al Sharq Abu Dhabi (general retail); Damas – Madinat Zayed 2 Gold Centre (jewellery); VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates (leisure & entertainment); UAE Exchange – RAK Umm Al Quwain Road (money exchange services); Al Jaber Optical – The Walk JBR (opticals); ASTER Warqa 2 Pharmacy (pharmacy); India Palace – Dalma Mall (restaurant); aafaq Islamic Finance – Dubai Economy Al Barsha Mall branch, Dubai (services); HRG – Dubai Internet City branch  (travel services); Dubai Islamic Bank – The Dubai Mall branch (banking services); and Union Co-operative Society – Al Twar (hypermarket).

“The Dubai Service Excellence Scheme is a reflection of our determination to continue the process of development and in a spirit of initiative and innovation, and to be the most outstanding of all our workplaces,” says Al Qamzi. “Dubai Economy is proud to be the first government entity that sought to spread the culture of quality and excellence among private institutions and businesses to match the working environment in Dubai to the best in the world.”

Al Qamzi pointed out that the Dubai Economy has adopted the Global Star Rating System for commercial establishments in the emirate. A pioneering initiative launched by the government under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, the system serves as a model to improve services and achieve customer happiness.

Al Qamzi also called on the private sector to participate in the first phase of the Emirates Business Rating Scheme to enhance their competitiveness and raise service quality. “Dubai Economy is constantly striving to attain a level of excellence and leadership that will increase the emirate’s competitiveness globally. Our objective is to spread the culture of happiness and support the government in creating a model for happiness and positivity.”

The Emirates Business Rating Scheme (EBRS) introduces new standards for certain categories of businesses for the first time in the region and perhaps internationally. It’s designed as a set of criteria to classify the level of services provided across specific business categories such as hospitality and entertainment (such as cafés, restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, cinemas), retail specialised stores (such as electronics, furniture, clothing , general retail), hypermarkets, shopping centres and services sector (such as money exchange , financial services, driving institutes). The goal is to evaluate the competitiveness of service providers in their respective fields and enable the private sector to enhance service quality.

Evaluation and classification in the Rating Scheme are based on three axes – self-classification based on data recorded in the commercial register in Dubai Economy which focuses on business activity, sustainability and commercial compliance (20%), Dubai Service Excellence Scheme Evaluation which will include mystery shopping and customer satisfaction (50%) and the Global Star Rating assessment (30%).

Evaluation results from EBRS will be adopted in several forms including star panel in commercial establishments according to the categories mentioned above.

Al Qamzi congratulated the DSES winners for their efforts in developing their services and upgrading them to a level worthy of the status and prestige of Dubai, which he said is no less than any other destination in the world. He also called for innovations in business development and customer service as well as for adopting best practices in the retail and services sectors in Dubai and the UAE.

A unique initiative in the region to gain customer confidence and make shopping in Dubai a pleasant experience for the buyer, DSES seeks to maintain Dubai’s leadership in applying best business practices through the commitment of DSES members to a code of ethics that ensures customer confidence.