To celebrate the opening of its 10,000th store Vindico has launched ‘Opening Opportunity’, a business-for-good campaign that gives the opportunity of education for every brand opened.
The opening of Waitrose & Partners at The Galleria Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi is the 10,000th time Vindico has coordinated the people and processes that need to come together to open a retail brand’s store inside a new shopping centre project.
In celebration, Vindico has given 10,000 days of schooling to children in India to launch ‘Opening Opportunity’, an initiative that gives the opportunity of education for every shop or restaurant that Vindico helps open.
Members of the Vindico Team celebrating the opening of Vindico’s 10,00th store and the launch of ‘Opening Opportunity’, a business-for-good- initiative that has given 10,000 days of schooling to children in India.
Hitting this milestone reflects Vindico’s track record and passion for working with retail property developers and the businesses-behind-the-brands that create a new shopping centre’s retail experience, a role growing in importance as retail property reinvents itself to meet the expectations of digital age customers.
Peter Row, Vindico Co-Founder explains:
“As entrepreneurs, we understand the role business can and should play in making a positive impact and as we have expanded internationally, we have always sought to be gracious guests in the countries we operate in. ‘Opening Opportunity’ puts these two values into action by becoming a business for good that gives back to the communities that host us.”
“The next 10,000 brands we open will be very different – who they are, their physical formats and evolving commercial models. We see most of these being delivered in emerging markets such as India, where we will be launching in 2020, which as they open will also give many more children something we value greatly – the opportunities that come from education.”
L-R: Thom Sandham – Vindico Head of Retail Delivery, Liam Collins – Gulf Related Senior Project Manager, Maria Gamboa – Gulf Related Senior Retail Delivery Manager and Richard Kim – Vindico CEO & Managing Director celebrating the opening of Waitrose & Partners at The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Vindico’s 10,000th store opening.
About the ‘Opening Opportunity’ launch event, Morne Fourie, General Manager for Marketing at Waitrose UAE said, “Vindico representing our Landlord partner, Gulf Related, made it easy for our team to focus on the design and fitout of our new store by managing the complexity that comes with opening in a large shopping centre project. We are happy we could celebrate our collective effort in our new Waitrose Al Maryah.”
Liam Collins, Senior Project Manager at Gulf Related, commented:
“I have worked with Vindico on a number of retail projects both in the UK and the UAE. It is reassuring to have Vindico as a partner as their experience and expertise is crucial to providing a positive outcome for the mall opening, as evidenced at The Galleria Al Maryah Island. We are happy that their 10,000th store opened at The Galleria Al Maryah Island and congratulate them on launching ‘Opening Opportunity’. “
Vindico became part of the B1G1 community after Peter Row learned of the social enterprise’s model for connecting small and medium sized businesses with projects linked to the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Having workshopped the idea of using the opening of shops and restaurants to create ‘giving events’ with B1G1 Chairman, Paul Dunn, the concept became a reality when Peter and Vindico Chief Operating Officer, Paul Mathews were in Mumbai a few weeks later.
“We had a busy day meeting clients and visiting the Maker Maxity project,” recalls Mathews, “and Peter had used the long taxi rides across Mumbai to explain B1G1 and the concept of ‘Opening Opportunity’ to me.”
“Stuck in traffic on the way back to our hotel, a young boy, perhaps twelve years old, came up to the taxi, begging. It was confronting but serendipitous – we gave him some money but realised that if he had an opportunity to be in school, we may not have met him. We resolved to make ‘Opening Opportunity’ happen right there and then, in the back of that taxi.”
L-R Paul Matthews – Vindico Chief Operating Officer with Syed Ali – Umdasch Business Development Manager at the launch event for “opening Opportunity’ in celebration of Vindico opening 10,000 shops and restaurants in 65 properties across three continents.
For more information, or to contact Peter, Richard, Paul or Thom, please get in touch.
