Latest news with #retailoutlets
Zawya
23-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Sharjah Chamber launches smart app to boost audience engagement in Sharjah Summer Promotions 2025 raffle draws and activities
Sharjah: The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), represented by the Organising Committee of 'Sharjah Summer Promotions', has launched a new smart application giving users seamless entries into digital raffle draws held by the campaign. Designed to optimise user engagement, the app aims to elevate the overall customer experience by facilitating their participation in various promotional activities, events and raffles, offering an integrated interactive platform throughout Sharjah Summer Promotions 2025, which will run until September 1. Organised by SCCI and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), this year's edition features the participation of more than 1,000 retail outlets and entertainment destinations across all cities and regions of the emirate. The application serves as a dynamic engagement tool, allowing users to register purchase receipts from participating shopping centers and outlets to qualify for prize draws. Rewards include gold bars and numerous shopping vouchers. This strategic move aims to drive consumer spending, stimulate commercial activity, and boost tourism in Sharjah during the summer season. Equipped with an integrated database, the application provides users with up-to-date information related to Sharjah Summer Promotions' activities and events. This includes raffle draw conditions, timelines, locations, and winner announcements, supported by a live link to the official campaign website. Additionally, it highlights key promotional elements including the newly launched mascot character "Shamsa" and offers detailed insights into daily activities and participating venues throughout Sharjah. The application allows users to establish personalised accounts, ensuring seamless engagement in all year-round marketing and promotional activities organised by the Sharjah Chamber as part of the campaign. This feature enables real-time updates on all ongoing events. The app also includes a dedicated communication interface to facilitate direct user interaction, allowing for streamlined feedback and inquiries, thereby enhancing service quality and audience engagement. In his remarks, Jamal Bouzanjal, General Coordinator of Sharjah Shopping Promotions, said that the launch of the smart application reflects the Sharjah Chamber's commitment to advancing the digital infrastructure of the campaign. He noted that the app is designed to deliver a modern and user-centric shopping experience, marking a qualitative leap in audience engagement. It offers secure and convenient access to digital raffles and real-time information on event schedules, prizes, and partner outlets, ultimately supporting Sharjah's economic momentum and enhancing tourism flow throughout the summer season. For further information, please contact: - Ali Elgendy Misbar Communications ali@ Ahmad Aldwairi Misbar Communications
Arabian Business
20-07-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
UAE tax authority issues $872mn VAT refunds to nationals building new homes
The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has processed VAT refunds worth AED3.2 billion for UAE nationals constructing new residences, according to data released on Sunday covering the period up to June 2025. The authority approved approximately 38,000 applications for the residence refund scheme since its launch eight years ago. This represents growth from 31,000 approved applications valued at AED2.54 billion recorded by June 2024. UAE Federal Tax Authority approves 38,000 residence VAT refund applications worth AED3.2bn Between June 2024 and June 2025, the FTA approved more than 7,000 new applications worth AED653.1 million. In the first six months of 2025 alone, 3,097 applications received approval, generating refunds totalling AED284.77 million. The data shows a 22.74 per cent increase in application numbers and a 25.72 per cent rise in refund values over the past year. The digital tax refund system for tourists expanded to include 18,410 retail outlets by June 2025, compared with 17,720 outlets at the end of 2024 and approximately 17,080 outlets by June 2024. During the first half of 2025, 697 outlets connected to the system, representing a 29 per cent increase from the 540 outlets that joined during the same period in 2024. Over the past two years, including the first half of 2025, 3,390 outlets have joined the tourist refund system. The authority operates 96 self-service machines that process tourist tax refunds in approximately two minutes per transaction. These machines are located at shopping malls, hotels, and tourist departure points. 'The indicators reflect the ongoing development and upgrade of our digital systems in line with global best practices, and in alignment with the UAE's digital transformation strategy. The Authority's initiatives in this regard have positively impacted the overall quality and performance of its services, particularly the digital VAT refund systems for eligible categories,' Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the FTA said. Al Bustani highlighted the 'Maskan' smart application, which processes VAT refunds for UAE nationals through paperless procedures with fully digitised operations. The FTA launched the world's first e-commerce purchases VAT refund system for tourists in December 2024. The system allows tourists to claim refunds on online purchases made during their stay in the UAE. 'As part of its efforts to develop digital services, FTA launched last December the world's first e-commerce purchases VAT refund system for tourists during their stay in the UAE, supporting the UAE's leadership in all sectors, including the tourism sector and the e-commerce sector,' he added. The digital platform enables tourists to scan passports, share transactions as digital invoices, check invoices through a shopper portal, and receive refundable tax credits through fully digitalised procedures. Al Bustani confirmed the authority would continue implementing digital transformation projects in the tax sector to support the government's strategy for reducing bureaucracy and maintaining customer satisfaction levels.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Fraudsters impersonating businesses going bankrupt: BBB
The Better Business Bureau says scammers are taking advantage of businesses in financial turmoil in an attempt to steal personal information. (Pexels/Ekaterina Belinskaya) Scammers are trying another new ploy by using recent bankruptcies and 'going out of business' sales to steal personal data from victims. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says as some high profile and even lesser known retail outlets have recently closed, scammers are also paying attention to the proceedings and crafting fake websites to trick consumers. Officials say the websites use 'advertising that spoofs legitimate businesses' while also creating entirely new and fraudulent businesses to steal from victims. 'Their entire motivation is to steal your credit card and personal information to commit fraud,' said Mary O'Sullivan-Andersen, president and CEO of BBB serving Alberta and East Kootenay. The BBB says the scam usually begins with a post on social media about a business closing its doors. When users click the ad, they are taken to the fake website that looks identical to the original website, but the merchandise is listed at deep, too-good-to-be-true discounts. When items are 'purchased', scammers now have access to the victim's personal information. 'The other variation of this scam are ads and websites being created about completely fictitious businesses,' said O'Sullivan-Andersen. 'The end result is the same - credit card information is entered and money stolen.' To protect against these scams, the BBB offers the following advice: Confirm the website's URL; Instead of clicking on links, go to the business' real website; Use credit cards for online purchases as they possess fraud protection debit cards don't; and Be aware of what information is being requested, especially when that data is not used for sales, such as social insurance numbers. More consumer safety tips can be found online on the BBB website.
Argaam
26-06-2025
- Business
- Argaam
POS transactions reach SAR 10.9B last week: SAMA
The point-of-sale (POS) transactions in Saudi Arabia reached nearly SAR 10.9 billion in the week ended June 21, compared to about SAR 11.1 billion a week earlier. The number of POS transactions reached about 202.5 million last week, compared to nearly 203.8 million in the previous week, according to data issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). POS transactions represent consumer expenditure through debit and credit cards at major shopping centers, retail outlets, pharmacies, and others. The data indicated that the value of sales via POS increases in the weeks that coincide with the disbursement of salaries to government employees (the 27th of each month), in addition to the weeks that coincide with school vacations and the weeks preceding Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. On the other hand, the value of sales decreases in the weeks preceding salary disbursement and those coinciding with the start of the back-to-school season. The moving average value of POS transactions stood at about SAR 13.13 billion in 2025. Adopting the four-week moving average, the value of POS transactions soared during 2024 compared to 2023 and 2022. The average value of sales ranged between SAR 11 billion and SAR 14 billion in 2024, compared to SAR 10 billion to SAR 13 billion in 2023 and SAR 9 billion to SAR 12 billion in 2022. For the week ended on June 21, consumer spending was focused on the food and beverage (F&B) sector, representing 14.6% (SAR 1.60 billion) of last week's total POS transactions, followed by the restaurants and cafes sector at 14.1% (SAR 1.54 billion). Riyadh led in terms of POS transaction value by region, with approximately SAR 3.91 billion, representing 35.7% of the total. Jeddah followed with SAR 1.60 billion (14.6%). According to the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), e-payments in the retail (individuals) sector reached 79% of total payments carried out by individuals in the Kingdom during 2024. This achieved the target ratio in the Financial Sector Development Program, one of Vision 2030's programs, which aims to reach an e-payment ratio of 70% by 2025. Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed remarkable progress and rapid growth in e-payment adoption, thanks to the myriad strategic efforts and initiatives launched by SAMA, in cooperation with the financial sector, to support the growth of the payments sector and stimulate the use of various e-payment methods in the Kingdom.
Japan Times
21-06-2025
- General
- Japan Times
How to bring back the mojo in ‘old old old rice'
You'd have noticed in your local supermarket or heard from the news that rice prices have nearly doubled year-on-year. To combat this, the government is releasing bichikumai or stockpiled rice to select retail outlets across the country . By law, rice that is produced between Nov. 1 of the previous year and Oct. 31 of the current year is known as shinmai (new rice), while rice that was produced the year before is komai — the kanji character for "ko" means 'old' while "mai" means 'rice'; bichikumai is also generally known as komai. Each older batch of rice is simply tagged with an additional 'ko' to its name, for example, kokomai (old old rice). Kokokomai (old old old rice) or the 2021 crop, along with older rice, is now available on the market, a rare offering that has prompted concerns over its quality from some locals. When cooked, Japanese rice is prized for its moistness, slight stickiness and a subtle sweetness — qualities that shinmai has in abundance. But the older the rice gets, the drier it becomes, losing a little of its sweetness and umami. Stay updated on Japan's rice crisis. Quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Help us get the story right. For a limited time, we're offering a discounted subscription plan. Unlimited access US$30 US$18 /mo FOREVER subscribe NOW Is kokokomai bad? Whether you'll discern a difference or not depends on your palate — and how the rice is cooked. You'll notice it as plain rice, but, just to give two examples, if it is served as takikomi gohan (rice mixed and cooked with other ingredients), or sprinkled with furikake (Japanese seasoning of sesame seeds, seaweed and dried fish), chances are you won't find much of a difference. You can also offset the loss of moisture by adding more water or other liquids when you cook the rice. Adding a little sake to it may also improve its taste, while a little oil will make the grains shiny like shinmai. Some dishes like fried rice require rice that's drier than shinmai, in which case kokokomai may actually be more suitable. For my takikomi gohan recipe below, I give it a boost of umami by adding shirodashi (concentrated dashi base) and cooking it in a pot to produce delicious okoge (burnt or browned bits). Adding more water to "kokokomai" (old old old rice) will help offset some of its lost moisture. | GETTY IMAGES Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes (does not include rice-soaking time) Ingredients: 400 grams kokokomai 6 thin asparagus shoots 150 grams boneless skinless chicken thigh 600 milliliters water 2 tablespoons shirodashi 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake Salted butter to taste Coarsely ground black pepper to taste Directions: 1. Measure the rice and rinse it in four to five rounds of water. Then soak the grains in water for 30 minutes to an hour. 2. While the rice is soaking, cut the asparagus into 2-centimeter-long pieces, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. 3. Transfer the drained and soaked rice to a heavy cooking pot and add 600 milliliters of water, shirodashi, soy sauce, sake, asparagus and chicken. Start cooking the rice over high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Put on a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for another 13 minutes. 4. Raise the heat to high and cook until you hear crackling sounds from the pot. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 15 to 20 minutes. 5. Fluff up the rice to distribute the asparagus and chicken evenly. Serve the rice topped with coarsely ground black pepper and a pat of butter.
