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On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

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Metrocentre has announced a “record-breaking” year as it saw a 9.2% year-on-year footfall increase in 2024. 

During the year, the destination welcomed 15.8 million visitors, a 10% increase on 2023. 

Sales performance also surpassed the previous year by 5.3%, with F&B, sports fashion, and health and beauty experiencing the biggest uplift – beauty alone increased by 8.2%. 

Metrocentre also reported that two million visitors came in December alone, up 2.9% compared to December 2023. Meanwhile, the final week’s footfall outperformed year-on-year by 30%. 

In 2024, the destination introduced 21 new brands, including Sephora, Mango and Reiss, alongside regional debuts for Sosandar and Go Outdoors. River Island, Primark, Victoria’s Secret and Clarks also showed commitment to the destination, as four of the 17 existing tenants that upsized or refurbished stores.

Ben Cox, director at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, asset managers of Metrocentre, said: “We are delighted to have driven some really positive trading results over the festive period following yet another busy year at Metrocentre, the benefits of what was accomplished already carrying into 2025. 

“We’ve introduced several top brands to the centre, ones we knew would build excitement amongst our visitors. We’ve been able to facilitate growth in more ways than one, whether that’s renewed leases, refurbished units, or continual investment in the centre itself. 

“Our performance shows that visitors want to come here; they have access to best-in-class retail, F&B, and leisure, and this is on track to continue as we kickstart 2025 with a healthy pipeline of new leasing activity.” 

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