A decade of delivering retail with Aldar in Abu Dhabi

Vindico Retail and Aldar Properties PJSC have renewed a portfolio retail delivery appointment, ten years after the working relationship began.

The appointment covers twenty-one of Aldar's twenty-six retail properties, from local community centres to Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi's largest super-prime retail destination, where Vindico has provided content, design, management and on-site services since it opened in 2014. It includes The Souk at World Trade Centre Abu Dhabi, where the relationship started in 2008.

Peter Row, Founding Director, recalls Aldar as a foundation client when the firm expanded to the Middle East in 2007, and The Souk as formative on several fronts — a steep local learning curve on a challenging project in a recessionary market.

Richard Kim, Managing Director, describes the service and fee model as the product of a couple of years' work with the Aldar team: a blended monthly and variable fee, set against workload forecasts, that aligns activity to Aldar's business model and risk profile and is focused on outcomes achieved rather than hours worked.

Paul Wagner, Head of Retail Delivery for Abu Dhabi and portfolio lead since 2015, says the move from a project to an operational mindset has been a journey for everyone. The process of opening a shop or restaurant is the same, but the focus on opening individual units in less time, rather than many units on time, creates different challenges and a different energy.

The most recent brand to open in Aldar's portfolio is the local food and beverage operator Churros Land, at Yas Mall.

All of us in the Churros Land team, and our contractor, are sincerely thankful for the continuous support and guidance during the project. Aldar has appointed a strong company to manage retail delivery at Yas Mall, and we had the right manager for this difficult responsibility. It has been a pleasure working with everyone involved.
Asma Al Shanqiti, Managing Director, Churros Land Cafe

Divya Ramdas, Retail Delivery Manager, took the brand through the process, and notes that while the standardised structure keeps the design, management and on-site teams connected, every tenant, brand and team is a different journey.

Vindico's role covers integrated retail delivery design, management and on-site services across the portfolio. Each shop and restaurant is fitted out by its brand and their contractors.