20th Dubai shopping festival comes to a golden finish

Final mega draw of the gold & jewellery campaign held yesterday, with winners taking away 40kg gold and 8ct diamonds
Biggest ever gold and jewellery promotion to offer upto AED 15 million in prizes to celebrate milestone 20th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival

Dubai, February 8, 2015

After a month long celebration, the shoppers at the special edition of Dubai Shopping Festival saw the culmination of the biggest gold promotion, yesterday. Due to the huge response and high level of interest amongst the shoppers, Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group declared an extension to the shop and win gold promotion which ended on February 7. The closing ceremony had the announcement of the mega raffle draw winners who won gold worth 40kg and 8 ct diamonds. With an aim to change lives of many, the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG), in association with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) gave out prizes worth AED 15 million.

With the support of Jewellery retail partners, DSF 2015 also saw Dubai accomplishing another Guinness World record, this time for the longest handmade gold chain in the world, aptly called the 'Dubai Celebration Chain'. The marvel made its entry into the coveted records at 5.522km in length and a weight of approximately 256 kilos. The chain, which features more than 4 million links, was manually crafted by 100 craftsmen over 45 days for 10 hours each day.

Commenting on the successful completion of the campaign, Mr. Tawhid Abdullah, Chairman of Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group said, "Celebrating 20 years of the Dubai Shopping Festival, we planned to organise an extraordinary experience for our customers and retailers and with the support of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), we were able to do exactly that. This DSF we not only launched the biggest gold and diamond promotion but we also set another world record to mark the 20 years of collaboration with DFRE. This campaign was a true testimony of our commitment to the people of Dubai and the rulers, and will also stand for the efforts to bring out ground breaking initiatives that are synonyms to this futuristic city. Backed on such grand promotions, the group saw tremendous increase in footfall within all jewellery retail partners, reporting a 25-30% increase in gold sales within UAE. We hope next year we come with something bigger and better for the shoppers and retailers."

Having inspired numerous residents and visitors from around the world, Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, spoke to various winners to find out how this DSF transformed them and their families.

Saif Husain Abdul, a Yemeni national was the fortunate winner of 1 kilo gold in the daily draws hosted by the Group. Falling short of words to express his excitement, Abdul said, "I was going through a tough time and this prize has really lifted my spirits. I intend to pay a part of my debt with the winning prize and share the rest with my family back home."

Maglov Drazen, a Croatian resident, who runs a small family run business utility store back home, was one of the lucky winners to win the weekly raffle of 5 kilo gold. In a statement to the media, Drazen couldn't contain his excitement as he described how he felt, "The New Year has started very well for me. I am overjoyed and I intend to invest in growing our family business in Croatia."

Ms. Ann, an Indian design engineer based in Dubai was the fortunate winner of Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group grand prize of the 20 kilo gold. Falling short of words to express her immense excitement, she said, "I have been sleepless from the time I received the call. This has been the first time I have won something so big. My two year experience in Dubai has truly been blessed."

"This prize definitely gives me the opportunity to do things to my heart's content. I plan to go on a shopping spree followed by a mini vacation. But the first thing that I would like to utilize this money for is to buy my father his dream car."

Numerous residents and visitors of various ages and nationalities had the opportunity to experience the landmark edition through a calendar packed with more than 150 citywide events, mega attractions, and numerous shopping and winning opportunities across the length of the festival. Dubai Shopping Festival has become a global attraction today and a distinguished landmark in the global festivals industry, offering the best in shopping, winning and family entertainment. Having inspired numerous residents and visitors from around the world to help position Dubai as an exciting family tourism destination, the 20th edition of DSF catered to all local, regional and international audiences with something to attract people from all walks of life.

-Ends-

About Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group
Formed with the support of the Dubai Department of Economic Development in 1996, The Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG) is a non- profit trade group for the Dubai jewellery industry with around 600 members representing all sectors of the trade, including bullion, manufacturing, wholesale & retail. The Group has since then evolved into a prestigious trade body committed to developing and sustaining Dubai's status as the 'City of Gold' and 'The Jewellery Destination of the World'.

DGJG works closely with Dubai Municipality to ensure that Dubai maintains its standards of providing quality jewellery to its consumers. Internationally, the Group gives its members an opportunity to exhibit their products through the 'Dubai Pavilion' which is hosted in leading international jewellery exhibitions. It also organizes the City of Gold Conference which has brought international attention on Dubai's positioning as the City of Gold. DGJG further represents the interests of the trade through liaising with government organizations. Its Board of Directors includes representations from Dubai Central Labs (Dubai Municipality), Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment which is part of the Department of Economic Development.

For media enquiries, interviews and images:
BUZ Public Relations
Ankita Arora | Tahira Mehmood
E: ankita@ibuz.ae | tahira@ibuz.ae
T: +9714 3589789