The devil in the discount

The first five weeks of this year’s DSS have generated $74m in revenues. Visitor numbers are up and the organizers expect a record outcome for all involved.

All of which is excellent news. Maintaining forward momentum for a 10-year-old product in a city as changeable as Dubai is no mean feat. The organizers have to contend with the twin threats of local ambivalence and international competition. The figures seem expected; they’re not, every penny and visitor could have gone elsewhere this summer.

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Veiled opportunity

Arabian Business this morning picks up a story from Reuters on the difficulties faced by niqab-wearing women job seekers in the Gulf. It says applicants are regularly rejected from customer-facing positions, and highlights the retail and banking sectors.

"No one takes women with niqab in the retail sector," says 22-year-old Aysha Obeid, a UAE national, who unsuccessfully applied for jobs at two retail outlets. She is now looking for back office administrative jobs where she believes she may have more chance of being employed.

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