Doha News

Doha Festival City, home of Qatar’s newly-opened IKEA, officially broke ground on its second phase of development this week.

But the completion of the $1.6 billion (QR6 billion) project, which will host the country’s largest mall and include hotels and a convention center, is not expected until 2016, some two years after its original target.

DFC’s general manager told Doha News of the postponement last December. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Kareem Shamma, CEO of Bawabat Al-Shamal Real Estate Co. WLL (BASREC), the joint venture representing DFC’s Qatari and Emirati shareholders, offered more detail:

“We are setting a realistic time frame target that is in line with a delivery schedule designed to meet the expectations of tenants who have already committed their presence at Doha Festival City.”

Also this week, DFC announced tie-ups with two major retail groups, the Kuwait-based M H Alshaya Company and Lebanon-based Azadea Group, which will help bring in some of the development’s 500 anticipated shops.

Retail therapy

Alshaya said it plans to open some 50 different stores, cafes and restaurants within DFC, including Qatar’s first Pottery Barn and Bath & Body Works, as well as H&M, Debenhams, Mothercare, Topshop, Starbucks, Shake Shack and Pinkberry.

Azadea, which said it will open 27 new outlets at DFC, did not go into specifics about which stores residents would see. But the group currently manages Gymboree, Virgin Megastores, Zara, Paul, Promod and Bershka, among others, in Qatar.

DFC is located along Al Shamal Road some 15km north of Doha. Announced in 2010, the project broke ground in October 2011 and saw the completion of its first phase when IKEA opened last month.

Other features to be included in the development, according to remarks previously made by DFC officials, are Harvey Nichols, Toys R Us, Marks & Spencer, and VOX Cinemas, a UAE movie theater chain that has been eyeing Qatar as part of its regional expansion plans.

Thoughts?

Credit: Renderings courtesy of Doha Festival City on Facebook

Note: This article previously incorrectly stated that Azadea manages Mango stores in Qatar. It only manages them in other GCC countries.

Both Qatar Foundation (QF) and the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee (Q22) this week have announced the adoption of workers’ charters that, if enforced, could go a long way in ensuring the health and safety of expats employed in the nation’s construction and service industries.

The news comes at a time when Qatar is embarking upon numerous mega-projects in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, such that more than half a million more expats will come here to work on these jobs.

The announcements were also made as criticism of Qatar’s labor record is reaching a fever pitch, with an international trade union calling on FIFA to revoke the country’s hosting rights for the Cup.

Charter details

Both charters appear to go above and beyond Qatari law by incorporating international best practices to ensure workers are not exploited during the recruitment process, while on the job, or when they’re heading home.

QF’s charter includes fire safety precautions, diagrams of appropriate accommodation layouts, nutrition and food safety guidelines and rules about paid overtime.

In a statement, QF said:

Among the many unfair employment practices that Qatar Foundation is determined to curb are overcrowded living conditions, and unethical recruitment processes.

For Q22, the charter requires that workers engaged directly or indirectly on World Cup projects enjoy health safety, equality in terms of rights irrespective of belief, nationality ethnicity and religion, access to accurate information regarding workers’ rights, and safer living conditions, Dario Cadavid, assurance and integration senior manager of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, said while speaking at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Middle East Conference in Qatar this week.

Questions

How effectively the two organizations will be able to enforce their respective charters remains to be seen.

QF is setting up a special regulatory body, the Workers’ Welfare Department, to regularly screen and assess contractors. And officials from both groups have said they will terminate contracts with companies found flouting the laws.

Qatar is also fielding some criticism from residents who ask why only certain projects will see labor improvements, while employees of other companies continue to suffer. One commentator on Doha News called the strategy “an appeasement to the outside world.”

But officials have said the charters are a step in the right direction and that change will come to Qatar, but not overnight.

Saad Al Muhannadi, Vice President of QF’s Capital Projects and Facilities Management, said:

“We are mindful of the challenges that lie ahead as the nation undergoes constant change. Implementation, and the elimination of unfair practices, will not be achieved overnight. This is a process that will take time. The commitment and collaboration of all involved, however, will help us to achieve the success we are working towards.”

Here’s a copy of the Qatar Foundation Mandatory Standards of Migrant Workers’ Welfare.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Bob R.

Almost 3,000 private companies in Qatar have little to no regard for the country’s labor laws, according to a new government survey, the Peninsula reports.

Those findings and more will soon be published on the Ministry of Labor’s website, allowing prospective employees to check the performance of any company that has made them an offer.

So far, some 56,000 private companies have been classified into A, B and C categories, with A being the most desirable to work for, and C the least.

Definitions

Only 6,410 firms have made the “A” list, which is considered to be the elite tier of companies who treat their employees very well. Some 1,440 of these companies have fewer than six workers. 

About 83 percent of firms surveyed (46,655) have been classed as “B.” This group were found to have committed only “minor” violations of the law.

And 2,950 companies have been ranked C. These companies have histories of missing or late salary payments, abusing workers’ rights and “are blacklisted for their flagrant violation of the labor law,” the Peninsula reports. About 108 of these companies have more than 500 employees. 

The specific violations of the law made by the companies have not been identified.

The ministry said that it hopes displaying the lists online will encourage companies to clean up their acts, and by doing so, improve their ratings:

“We will be updating the classification every six months based on our field surveys and close interaction with the companies,” Mohamed Al Mir, assistant director of Labor Inspection Department, told journalists at a press conference. This is an incentive we are offering these companies. This would create healthy competition in the private sector and more and more companies would like to emulate the A-grade ones and climb up to the elite list.”

Last year, Qatar also began producing report cards for manpower firms, the vast majority of which are still subpar, but showing signs of improvement.

Under the MOL’s new system, some 27,000 private companies have yet to be classified, and no date for the online publication of the data has been set. 

Thoughts on this?

Credit: Photograph by The Italian Voice

Shop and Ship service Aramex is testing a new feature that would allow Qatar residents to bypass queues by paying for their packages online and then picking them up at store locations.

The company has been contacting select customers to try out eBox, which requires users to input a PIN number that is sent to their phones or email addresses.

According to Qatar resident Brian Candy, an Aramex representative contacted him on the phone to ask him to test the service, which is free of charge. Another employee told him that payment for the packages should be made online before they reach Qatar.

Aramex confirmed to Doha News that it is testing out eBox in Qatar, but declined to give more details until the service goes live.

Frustrating service

The logistics of picking up a package from Aramex have been a longstanding complaint among Qatar residents.

In addition to long lines, finding Aramex proved to be a challenge last year, after the company moved its headquarters from Abu Hamour to an office near Wholesale Market. It also shifted its Qatar Foundation branch and shuttered its Landmark Mall kiosk.

To serve the customers affected by that closure, a new West Bay location is expected to open sometime this year.

Meanwhile, the company fueled discontent among residents by announcing in January that it was raising its prices for the third time in five years.

Would this new service make you more likely to use Aramex?

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Brian Candy

The strong alliance between the UK and Qatar will continue to grow in the form of future investments, including the introduction of new British universities here, London Mayor Boris Johnson has told Doha News.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday during a three-day visit here as part of a trade mission to the Gulf, Johnson said:

“My own feeling is that there’s a lot of momentum behind the relationship, much more than there was, say, four or five years ago. I think Doha is an extraordinary story of a vision to get something done.

He added:

“Our Universities Minister was here a few weeks ago with 12 university vice-chancellors. We can’t say who yet, but I personally think that Oxford and Cambridge should be here. And dozens of British schools are also considering link-ups.”

As yet, only one UK-based university, University College London, has a presence at Education City. And elite British private school Sherborne established a Qatar campus for primary and secondary education in 2009.

No complaints

As Qatar’s business interests in the UK grow, complaints about its involvement there have also risen. But when asked, Johnson said he “genuinely does not remember” any negative feeling about Qatar’s ownership of the Shard, Europe’s tallest building.

“When it was opened, it was a great event. People were queuing outside, waiting to go up it, very proud. And I don’t think anybody sensible remotely resents overseas investment in London. It’s a sign of confidence in the city.”

His comments conflict with some critical articles and interviews given at the time of the opening, including an op-ed in the New Statesman, and the opinion of some local residents. 

Referring to another major Qatar-funded project in London, the stalled re-development of the Chelsea Barracks site, Johnson said that he had received “assurances” from Qatar’s Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, that the project would go ahead as planned.

Advice with humility

Following London’s successful hosting of the Olympics, Johnson said that his city might be able to offer some advice to Qatar as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup.

“How to get the public and private sector to work together to deliver on time, and on budget. And how to get a long term future out of it, a legacy. But we approach this in a spirit of humility. I am sure Qatar will do a brilliant job.”

Johnson confirmed that Qatar has so far invested an estimated $30.5 billion in the UK, most of it in London. “But let’s not forget that the UK is a massive investor in Qatar too,” he added. “$22bn via Shell alone - so this is a two-way street.”

The mayor also appeared to use the press conference to ask for Qatari backing for one of his pet projects, a potential new airport for London in the Thames estuary.

“I think we should learn from Qatar,” he said. “You need more airport space, so you’ve just built a new airport! That’s what we should do. And by the way, that would produce a long term return for any investors who’d like to get together with us on that.” 

Visa complaints

Finally, the mayor responded to recent criticism from some Qataris about the visa application process for the UK, which they assert takes too long, is too expensive and unfair.  

“You can count on me to continue arguing for the easing of restrictions” he said. “If there are particular problems, raise them with me. We want life to be easy for investors. Where there are difficulties, we need to iron them out.”

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Victoria Scott

US regulators have approved Boeing’s redesigned battery for the 787 Dreamliner, moving the company one step closer to getting its planes back in the air after being grounded in January.

By giving its green-light, the Federal Aviation Administration allows Boeing to make repairs to the 50 planes owned by some eight airlines, including Qatar Airways.

But Boeing has still not offered a timeline for when the aircrafts will return to the sky, only saying it expects to resume deliveries of its planes in the weeks ahead and complete 2013 deliveries by year-end. 

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, said earlier this month that he expects at least four of his Dreamliners to fly by the end of April. 

But whether that deadline can be met is uncertain.

More approvals needed

Before the Dreamliners can fly in Qatar, Japan and elsewhere outside of the US, additional approvals will have to be made by authorities in those countries.

The FAA said it will work with these officials to finalize their own acceptance procedures.

The 787s, which have been grounded for more than three months due to a problem with overheating lithium-ion batteries, will sport new containment and venting systems for the batteries.

In a statement, Boeing CEO Ray Conner said:

“This is a comprehensive and permanent solution with multiple layers of protection. The ultimate layer of protection is the new enclosure, which will ensure that even if a battery fails, there is no impact to the airplane and no possibility of fire. We have the right solution in hand, and we are ready to go.

Qatar Airways, which owns five Dreamliners, is expected to receive five more this year, and has ordered a total of 30 jets for some $207 million apiece.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Richard Deakin

The Pearl-Qatar has tied up with a new retail consultant to help the island reposition itself as a more “welcoming” and less high-end destination, developer United Development Company has announced.

The news comes as several restaurants there struggle with falling sales due to an ongoing alcohol ban, while other establishments have recently been found guilty of health violations. Complaints from residents about noise pollution have also been increasing.

According to a statement released by UDC, the UAE-based mSquared Shopping Centres will “address issues of retail planning and merchandising, market positioning, anchor strategy and tenant selection for the various retail components on the island.”

UDC CEO Ebrahim Al-Sulaiti added:

“This is a step towards creating a diversified shopping hub and repositioning the retail identity at The Pearl-Qatar from one that is perceived as being heavily upscale to the more comprehensive, welcoming, flexible and balanced shopping personality we’d like to have for the Island.”

Would you be more likely to frequent the Pearl if it opened stores that are not as high-end as the ones it has now?

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Brian Candy

Ooredoo will roll out its super-fast 4G mobile broadband network across Doha tomorrow, the company has announced.

The service, which is three to six times faster than the existing 3G internet, will allow users to stream high-definition videos and access their high-bandwidth content while on the move. But 4G is only guaranteed to work outdoors, won’t come cheap and doesn’t work on smartphones yet.

To get 4G, customers must first subscribe to Ooredoo’s Unlimited Mobile Broadband service for QR400 a month. Then, to access the 4G service an additional subscription to Ooredoo’s 4G Key is required, which costs QR60 monthly. Users will also have to buy either a QR599 USB stick or a 4G QR999 MiFi device that allows up to 10 devices to be connected at once. 

The best places to use 4G are: The Pearl, Katara, West Bay, the Corniche, Souq Waqif, Aspire Park and Sealine Resort. A map of coverage zones can be found here and full coverage of Qatar is expected to be achieved by the end of 2014. 

According to Ooredoo’s FAQs page:

Ooredoo’s 4G coverage is the strongest outdoors, the indoor coverage varies by construction materials, the design of the building, your position inside. Indoor coverage is our best effort but we cannot guarantee the same speeds as for outdoor coverage.

During this afternoon’s press conference, Oooredoo officials stressed that the rollout is in its preliminary stages. Smartphones will not be able to access the 4G network until at least September, and there is no timeline for offering Shahry and Hala packs, though those are also part of the plan.

Over the past seven months, a few hundred residents have been testing out the service. They will be able to use their Ooredoo-provided devices for free for the next weeks and hold on to them, officials said at a press conference this afternoon.

Do you plan to subscribe to this service?

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo courtesy of Shiva Singh on Twitter