VIS Exhibitions & Conferences, Dubai, announces the first edition of Smart Store Expo 2017 to be held from January 23 to 25, 2017 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The new show is the Middle East region’s first event of its kind and will showcase smart solutions for the retail industry. The Smart Stores Expo 2017 is designed in a way that it will provide the latest ‘smart’ products, services, design, equipment and innovations to existing and new investors in the market. The retail sector in the country is growing fast and smart. The Retail Operations Index by the construction consultancy Arcadis found that the UAE was the eighth most popular global location among international retailers – the highest in the Middle East. Dubai might be the world’s most visited retail destination by it’s not the only GCC city investing in the retail industry: In Abu Dhabi, eight new mega shopping centres are to be constructed over the next three years; in Doha, a QAR 1.65 billion contract was awarded in 2014 for the construction of the mega Doha Festival City development; and in Jeddah, Al Futtaim Group will partner with Kayannat Real Estate Company to build and operate the SAR 6 billion Mall of Arabia. There has also been a surge of high-end retail malls that has also attracted retailers, which makes the region one of the most lucrative markets for foreign investors. With retail sales expected to reach US$ 284.5 billion by 2018, the need to meet the growing demand for consumer goods has led to a boom in planned shopping mall developments in the Middle East. (ank)