DUBAI: The UAE retail sector is growing rapidly and playing a vital role in the country economic growth, it is revealed during the 10th anniversary of 

Chalhoub Retail Academy in the UAE.

Chalhoub Group opened the Chalhoub Retail Academy (CRA) in the UAE in 2007 with the mission to “Inspire Excellence in Retail”. It is a first internationally accredited retail academy in the Middle East which offers a wide spectrum of training programs to the Chalhoub Group front line employees both in Retail and Local Distribution teams.

The CRA conducts training programmes for new employees in Retail, Local Distribution and in Food & Beverage sector. The courses are designed and delivered by the CRA Diverse Training Team which consists of Learning & Development Professionals with extensive background in Retail Sector.

The Academy partners with Pearson in delivering the internationally recognized programs from the body’s Qualification Credit Framework (QCF). Along with accredited training, the Chalhoub Retail Academy emphasises on delivering programs that are unique to the Group’s business needs and ensures the highest standards of learning are maintained throughout.

In addition to the above, the CRA provides Leadership Training Programmes for Retail and Distribution Front Management, i.e. Level 1 and Level 2 Career Advancement Programmes, designed to upskill Senior Sales Executives and Store Managers to prepare them to be the future leaders of the stores.

Wassim Eid, Chief Human Resources Officer at Chalhoub Group highlighted the importance of taking the lead to satisfy customers’ needs: “With the growth in the retail sector across the region, we want to raise the bar when it comes to luxury retailing by offering our customers not only elegant environment, but also an unparalleled retail experience which begins by empowering our retail teams to offer service beyond our customers’ expectations, keeping the customer at heart in everything we do.”

The UAE Academy runs also a regular Retail Awareness Session to UAE Nationals in order to educate them on retail industry in the country and regions, encourage them and enhance their success opportunities when applying for roles in retail, aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Dubai Tourism in having UAE nationals present in retail and private sector industries.

In addition to the UAE Academy, the KSA Academy and team caters to the learning needs of employees across 3 different locations: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar. All programmes are offered in Arabic including the accredited programmes to support the teams and focus on Saudi Nationals.

In its commitment to continuous improvement and creating state-of-the-art learning experiences and in order to remain ahead of the market in providing the latest technologies in learning, the Academy adopted in 2018 advanced learning systems, software and tablets to create a complete digitalized and gamified learning experiences, catering to the learning styles and preferences of our millennials and wider audiences.

Since its opening in 2007, Key figures about Chalhoub Group Retail Academy :

1,155 Graduates from the internationally recognized Qualification QCF Level 2 in Retail Skills by Edexcel- Pearson

192 Graduates in Coach and Assessor Qualification: Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement

An average of 3,200 Learners are trained at the Academy every year

The Chalhoub Group is the leading partner for luxury across the Middle East since 1955. As an expert in retail, distribution and marketing services based in Dubai, the Group has become a major player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors regionally.

By blending its Middle East expertise and intimate knowledge of luxury, the Chalhoub Group is building brands in the region, by offering service excellence to all its partners and a unique experience to its customers.

With a growing workforce of more than 12,000 people, implemented in 14 countries, as well as operating over 650 retail stores, the Group’s success is attributed to its most valued asset: highly skilled and dedicated teams. Professionalism and passion are what fuel the Chalhoub Group’s competitive edge in today’s market.

By being committed to implementing sustainable practices into their business, the Chalhoub Group was awarded in 2016, for the fourth consecutive year, the CSR Label from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and has been accepted in 2014 as a new member of the United Nations Global Compact Community. The group is also signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP).