AG Café debuts its first exquisite Tim Hortons Coffee House at Dubai Hills Mall
AG Café, the master franchisee of Tim Hortons brand in the Middle East, opened its first ever Coffee House in the UAE and its second in the Middle East at Dubai Hills Mall, which comes as part of the trademark’s expansion strategy in the country where it has around 190 restaurants so far, to achieve its vision to offer innovation services and a unique experience for all coffee lovers in the emirates.
The opening event was attended by Thiago Santelmo, Regional President of EMEA at RBI, executives from AG Café, partners from the private and government sectors, and the media, as the new coffee house introduced the distinctive and innovative experience it offers to Tim Hortons lovers, starting with its design that is inspired by nature, its elegant yet comfy interior, pleasant lightning suitable for everyone, and carefully selected selection of furniture that offers guests the option of enjoying a home-brewed cup of coffee or some delicious foods.
The coffee house offers a number of unique features such as specialised coffee, new machines for brewing a wide variety of coffee beans, in-house coffee grinding and freshly baked donuts, in addition to a new food menu.
The opening of this new Tim Hortons coffee house along with two other locations at the same mall, reinforces AG Café’s mission to provide an unforgettable experience to its guests, and sustains its concept of always offering freshly brewed coffee and bakeries to maintain its tagline “Always Fresh, Always Delicious”.
Through this new coffee house, AG Café aims to offer distinguished and premium coffee, as it allows its guests to fully interact with the brand and create a unique community bonded by the love of specialized high-quality coffee.
Thiago Santelmo, Regional President of EMEA at RBI, Tim Hortons principal, said: “We are thrilled to open our first Coffee House in UAE. We trust that the elevated Coffee House concept will be well received by our guests. Inspired by our Canadian heritage, this concept focuses on creating an atmosphere that makes you feel authentically welcomed and at ease from the moment you walk in. A place to come back to again and again to disconnect, while enjoying a moment of delicious indulgence or just reenergise for the day ahead.”
Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of AG Café, the master franchisee of Tim Hortons brand in the Middle East, stated that: “Dubai’s advanced infrastructure, government facilities, and easy investment policies have encouraged us to believe in the success of our expansion, and we were motivated to open this new coffee house at Dubai Hills Mall. We seek to further expand throughout the whole UAE, and expect this new café to attract guests who are looking for a nice and quiet place to relax or meet others while enjoying the most delicious foods and beverages.”
Almekkawi pointed out that they are delighted to reinforce this successful partnership with Emaar Properties, the development and managing company of Dubai Hills Mall, and added that Dubai Hills Mall is a vibrant centre that greatly contributes to the development of Dubai Hills Estate, providing services to the local community and visitors from around the UAE. We are pleased to be part of this exclusive venture in Dubai, and look forward to welcoming our guests at the new coffee house that offers them a unique and exceptional experience that makes Tim Hortons “everyone’s café of choice”.
The iconic Canadian brand Tim Hortons® is renowned for its unique premium coffee, variety of inspired donuts, high-quality fresh products, and the personal experience it offers to its guests and communities. With over 50 years of experience, Tim Hortons® has managed to capture the hearts and tastes buds of the Canadians and guests from all over the world.
Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons leading chain of Cafés in Canada and across the world offers guests its iconic Original Blend coffee, Double-Double™ coffees, donuts and Timbits® since that year. Tim Hortons has more than 5,100 restaurants in Canada, the United States, and around the world, and was introduced for the first time in the GCC in 2011.
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Meet the artists creating magic at the World Art Dubai
World Art Dubai is now in full swing with the region’s largest affordable retail art fair welcoming local and international visitors to its eighth edition at Dubai World Trade Centre.
With a 90 per cent increase in artists and 60 per cent increase in galleries exhibiting since last year, 2022’s World Art Dubai is its biggest yet and has witnessed an increase in footfall from those looking to buy art for both corporate and personal usage.
With strong sales seen in the first few hours of the show, Samishka Jawale, the Dubai-based Indian artist from Creative Cubes, the gallery for creative minds welcomed the first sale of the day within just 30 minutes of show opening with their ‘Her Freedom 3’ piece.
“We have been participating in World Art Dubai since 2017 and are very excited to have sold the very first piece at this year’s show – it’s definitely our strongest start yet,” said Jawale. “The piece I sold was all about freedom for women, an important topic which fascinated our buyer.”
Additional artists driving traction to their stands during day one of the show include MSS Arts & Design who are displaying their art pieces complete with Swarovski crystals. “While we do international showcases as well, our concept is so well received in Dubai as we have a really strong, receptive audience, hence we always try to exhibit at World Art Dubai,” said Sarah Moravvej, Artist and Founder – MSS Arts & Design. “We are hopeful for this year’s edition as we are already very pleased with the amount of interest we’ve seen on the first day.”
International galleries making waves include New York based gallery, Tresorie Gallery, and Italian heavyweights TV2 Gallery.
“We’re exhibiting at World Art Dubai for the first time, marking our first visit to Dubai, bringing with us experience from many international art fairs around the world,” said Heba Elbanna, Gallerist – Tresorie Gallery. “Reaction from visitors so far has been positive, people are very friendly and interacting with us about our work. We’re looking forward to meeting even more people over the next few days.”
“This is our second year participating with World Art Dubai, giving eight Italian artists the chance to come and exhibit in Dubai for the first time,” said Sanuj Nair, Deputy Director – TV2. “World Art Dubai is one of the greatest platforms for artists in the Middle East because it’s affordable and really focused on helping artists sell their products across both emerging and established artists to create their own space in the market.”
Debut artist grabbing public attention is Dubai-based photographer Jalal Abuthina, who achieved the highest sales on day one.
“This is my first time exhibiting at World Art Dubai and it’s been pleasantly surprising because I ended up selling nine prints, within three hours of show opening of the series I’m exhibiting,” said Abuthina. “The main reason I wanted to exhibit is because it’s more accessible than many other art fairs in the city and the art which is on sale is more diverse and is priced better for the general population’.
Among the brand-new features drawing interest from crowds is W.A.D Next, the NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) zone where visitors can learn all about the newest form of art collection, and hear first-hand predictions from the creators about the future of this new medium.
“Dubai is one of the upcoming hubs for NFT’s, so we’re really excited to be here at World Art Dubai for the first time,” said Liz Carvalho, Art Director – Saphira & Ventura Gallery. “We’ve brought a collection of 19 artists from different parts of the world, and we’re pleased to see lots of curious people keen to hear more about NFTs”
The refreshed Urban Art DXB area has also been wowing visitors with its exciting and visual displays and competitions. Led for the first time by Ahmed Al Rashid, the Kuwaiti street artist, the area has expanded beyond the graffiti focus of previous editions, and now incorporates make up faceoffs and vogue dance battles.
“As a person who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I wanted to expand people’s understanding of what urban culture really is – I aimed to bring something new and fresh,” said Ahmed al Rashid. “Urban Art DXB in 2022 is a total mash up of street style – dance, vogue, skating, hip hop, make up and more. Every day we also have four graffiti artists, which we consider to be the main genre of the space, creating artworks across eight hours at the show Fashion is also a huge part of street art and another element we have brought with us is a battle on white mannequins, where our artists aim to design the most creative looks. People have been really intrigued by our area and the reception so far has been incredible – we’re really excited for the rest of the show!”
World Art Dubai will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Halls 1-3 from 16-19 March 2022 between 1-9pm each day, except Saturday which runs until 8pm. Tickets cost AED 20 for adults, AED 10 for children, with family packages also available. Buy online to enjoy 20 per cent off ticket cost.
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Flamingo Room by tashas and Maison Ruinart present an exceptional culinary experience during Art Dubai
Flamingo Room by tashas is delighted to announce its exclusive partnership with Maison Ruinart, the oldest champagne house, for the 15th edition of the region’s leading art fair, Art Dubai. From Monday 7th to Sunday 13th March, diners can visit Flamingo Room to experience a set menu bringing together art and gastronomy, each course paired with a different vintage via a new form of encounter: FOOD FOR ART.
Expanding the art energy beyond the fair, Maison Ruinart is taking over Flamingo Room by tashas, located at the scenic Jumeirah Al Naseem, with artworks by British artist David Shrigley. The Food For Art menu reflects this artistic collaboration with a selection of classic starters, mains and desserts, each dish carefully selected to echo one of the artworks, accentuating a different vintage and creating exceptional flavor contrasts.
David Shrigley’s work will be exhibited at Flamingo Room for the duration of the art fair, showcasing his unique take on his vision of Maison Ruinart across an ensemble of ten artworks. The British creative is a witty artist processing the contemporary world through incomparable irony. His art allows aficionados to rediscover Ruinart with his quirky and uncompromising humour, shining a new light upon the vineyards, the heritage, and the savoir-faire of the Maison.
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Brazilian luxury bespoke furniture and interiors brand ‘Ornare’ opens flagship showroom in Dubai
Brazil headquartered international luxury bespoke design brand, Ornare, announced the opening of its Middle East flagship showroom in Dubai. Operating out of the iconic Opus Tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the brand’s expansion in the region will be led by the dynamic trio Carina Fontes, Maryam Al Nabooda, and Shalise Basso – businesswomen with deep experience in the design industry.
Commenting on how the opening aligns with the brand’s expansion strategy focused on growth markets like the UAE where the luxury retail market has seen double-digit growth over the past decade, Carina Fontes said, “The country is marked by economic prosperity and high demand in the luxury market from customers who give priority to quality. It is an audience that is willing to pay for sophistication and refinement. The UAE is therefore a very strategic market for Ornare and we have positive expectations for the new showroom”.
As a brand well established in the global interior design and architecture market, Ornare prides itself on providing complete customized solutions for the whole house – from kitchens to wardrobes, bathrooms, wall systems, accessories and more. Stressing on its authenticity as a 100% Brazilian product made in São Paulo, the brand’s Founding Partner Esther Schattan added, “We have grown year after year, and we are consolidating ourselves internationally as a Brazilian luxury company. In Brazil and the world over, consumers are spending more time in their homes, investing even more in their environments by increasing the comfort and beauty of their living spaces. This is the right time for us to introduce a taste of Brazilian luxury into homes in the UAE.”
Ornare specializes in offering a high degree of customization for discerning clients, allowing them the freedom to execute extremely sophisticated projects. As part of the service, the brand also uses state-of-the-art technology to enhance customer experience. Clients and business partners can view 3-D modelled designs of the project via Virtual Reality or video before it goes into production.
In addition to the new Dubai flagship and showrooms in Brazil, Ornare has eight others strategically located in the United States. The company has ambitious goals to grow the international business to account for 40% of total sales by 2024.
Photo credit: Marko Zirdum
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