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SHARJAH/ WAM
The Sharjah Ramadan Festival 2024, which concluded its 34th edition last night, Saturday, recorded major success in revitalising the retail sector and commercial activity across the emirate’s markets.
The 37-day event delivered enthralling shopping experiences to Sharjah’s residents and visitors, encompassing a wide range of malls, commercial centres, and entertainment destinations across various cities and regions in the emirate.
The festival’s offers, promotions, and substantial discounts were complemented by a series of entertainment programmes and activities, spreading festive cheer and fun-filled ambience throughout the holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.
Organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), this year’s festival exceeded sales volume expectations, generating approximately AED 400 million and achieving a growth rate of 25 percent.
The Sharjah Ramadan Festival 2024 successfully drew visitors and families from within and outside the emirate, offering them massive discounts, that go up to 75 percent off, across a wide variety of products and merchandise presented by exhibitors, including both local and international brands.
The festival witnessed during Eid Al Fitr a strong momentum and a huge influx of visitors, who flocked to the major shopping centres and various participating destinations and were lured by the diverse entertainment programmes and festive shopping experiences.
Attendees eagerly engaged in raffle draws held throughout the festival’s pavilions, where they won valuable prizes and shopping vouchers, worth up to AED 1 million, presented by the Sharjah Chamber in collaboration with the participating shopping centres.
Furthermore, an extensive range of lucrative offers was showcased within the festival, encompassing destinations, hotels, and distinguished tourist attractions.
Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI, emphasised the Chamber’s commitment to helping the Sharjah Ramadan Festival achieve tremendous success. This success has further cemented the festival’s leading position as one of the foremost commercial and entertainment events in the region.
He underscored the SCCI’s sponsorship of shopping promotions as part of its strategy to stimulate and diversify the emirate’s economy, promote innovative branding practices, and bolster support for local businesses and entrepreneurs.
For his part, Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Business Sector at SCCI, noted that the robust visitor turnout and the satisfaction expressed by participating centers and retail outlets across the emirate indicate the tangible outcomes manifested in the record-breaking sales achieved by the festival. This achievement serves as a catalyst for the chamber’s intensified efforts to uphold the event’s stature and enrich its capacity and allure to attract Sharjah’s visitors and residents.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Rashid Al Jarwan, Director of Economic Relations and Marketing at SCCI, and General Coordinator of the Festival, attributed the festival’s tremendous success to the collaborative efforts and partnerships with strategic partners, major sponsors, governmental entities, and the private sector.
Crediting the efforts and contributions of participating businesses, local and international brands, as well as local productive families, in achieving fruitful outcomes, Al Jarwan asserted that such coordination efforts allowed shopping centres and markets to offer diverse and rich entertainment programs, including traditional heritage-inspired activities catering to various segments of visitors across diverse cities and regions of the emirate.
The Sharjah Ramadan Festival 2024, which ran from March 8th to April 13th, successfully drew a massive crowd from the emirate’s residents and visitors, who enjoyed the event’s engaging activities and its captivating surprises, including purchase vouchers and special offers in the world of shopping.
The festival committee and shopping centres allocated purchase vouchers totalling approximately AED 1 million, distributed in two installments.
The first installment, distributed during Ramadan, included a variety of prizes and purchase vouchers for the public and shoppers, amounting to around AED 350,000, sponsored by the Sharjah Chamber in collaboration with Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, whereas the second installment, distributed during the Eid Al Fitr, amounted to AED 650,000.
Under the festival umbrella, enticing offers attracted shoppers and facilitated the procurement of Ramadan and Eid essentials at competitive prices.
Notably, the ‘Ramadan Nights’ exhibition at Expo Centre Sharjah, a cornerstone event of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival, attracted a substantial audience of shoppers.
Similarly, the “Souq Al Freej”market, an integral component of the festival, showcased a diverse array of promotional offers on local products and brands, featuring the entrepreneurial endeavors of local producers alongside retail establishments, complemented by an array of entertainment and heritage activities.