分类： business

Shanghai’s prestigious Huaihai Road commercial district has inaugurated an ambitious cross-season fashion event designed to stimulate economic activity through immersive retail experiences. The Huaihai Fashion Season, officially launched Wednesday at Xintiandi, will continue through February 2026, offering residents and visitors an extended program of commercial and cultural attractions.

Under the guidance of Huangpu District Commerce Commission and organized by the Huaihai Road Economic Development Promotion Association, the initiative represents a coordinated effort among district retailers to create sustained consumer engagement. More than two dozen shopping complexes are participating in nearly 100 scheduled events featuring limited-edition product launches, thematic markets, cultural displays, and interactive art installations.

Li Zhenhui, Senior Commercial Director of Shui On Xintiandi, identified the recently upgraded Xintiandi Dongtaili complex as the festival’s central hub. The development has incorporated winter-themed attractions including simulated aurora displays, seasonal performances, and an artisanal market showcasing creative merchandise, gourmet foods, and designer toys. The programming strategically combines winter aesthetics with commercial offerings to create a multidimensional shopping experience.

The extended timeline, spanning multiple seasonal transitions, reflects Shanghai’s approach to creating sustained commercial vitality rather than limited-duration shopping events. By coordinating across multiple retail establishments, the district aims to establish Huaihai Road as a continuously evolving destination that merges commerce, culture, and entertainment.

The United Arab Emirates is witnessing a significant transformation in wealth management strategies as its burgeoning class of successful entrepreneurs increasingly adopt family office structures to navigate complex financial landscapes. This evolution represents a fundamental shift from traditional investment approaches toward comprehensive, multi-generational wealth preservation and growth frameworks.

With the rapid expansion of founder-led businesses across the Emirates, entrepreneurs face increasingly sophisticated financial decisions involving personal wealth management, business reinvestment strategies, global asset allocation, and long-term family priorities. Conventional investment channels—including venture capital and private banking services—typically address isolated aspects of this journey but fail to provide holistic solutions.

Family offices have emerged as the preferred mechanism for addressing these comprehensive needs. Originally developed for established business dynasties, these structures have been adapted by modern entrepreneurs seeking greater control, flexibility, and long-term perspective. The UAE’s stable regulatory environment, attractive tax policies, and maturing private-market ecosystem have accelerated this transition, positioning Dubai and Abu Dhabi as magnets for both regional and international family offices.

The appeal of family offices lies in their unique ability to provide long-term alignment with entrepreneurial objectives. Unlike traditional investors operating within fixed fund cycles, family offices invest with generational horizons, allowing entrepreneurs to pursue sustainable growth strategies, complex ventures, and market expansion without short-term exit pressures.

Beyond capital deployment, these institutions offer strategic depth through decades-old networks spanning real estate, technology, logistics, and healthcare sectors. For founders entering new geographic markets or industries, access to these relationships proves invaluable for establishing partnerships, distribution channels, talent acquisition, and regulatory navigation.

The comprehensive service spectrum of family offices—encompassing wealth planning, investment structuring, estate management, philanthropy, governance frameworks, and next-generation education—provides entrepreneurs with integrated support that reduces fragmentation in decision-making processes.

A distinctive trend has emerged with the rise of entrepreneur-led family offices, where founders transition from operating single companies to managing diversified investment portfolios. These dynamic structures typically demonstrate more hands-on approaches, greater innovation openness, and active engagement in opportunity identification—characteristics that align perfectly with the UAE’s expanding technology, advanced industries, and private markets.

The UAE’s distinctive combination of regulatory clarity and global connectivity—evidenced through DIFC and ADGM’s family-wealth frameworks, residency incentives, and streamlined investment structures—has established the nation as a premier hub for family offices seeking Middle Eastern footholds. This ecosystem fosters increasingly collaborative relationships between entrepreneurs and family offices, transforming them from mere investor-beneficiary arrangements into partnerships that shape long-term economic development.

As Emirati founders continue expanding across borders, diversifying assets, and planning generational transitions, family offices provide the structural foundation to support these ambitions. In a region characterized by growing innovation, capital concentration, and entrepreneurial energy, these institutions are quietly emerging as powerful drivers behind the next chapter of wealth creation and business development.

The United Arab Emirates is positioning itself as a global hub for next-generation industrial development, with technology and sustainability driving its economic transformation. According to Hareeish Kumar, CEO of Millenium, the nation’s business landscape is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, smart logistics, and green technology innovations that create unprecedented opportunities for growth-oriented enterprises.

In a comprehensive executive interview, Kumar revealed how the UAE’s unique ecosystem fosters entrepreneurial success through its culture of openness, ambition, and tolerance. The country’s pro-business environment and world-class infrastructure have enabled companies like Millenium to embrace innovation while maintaining ethical business practices and global-standard professionalism.

The CEO outlined ambitious expansion plans into food ingredients, specialty chemicals, manufacturing, and logistics sectors, strategically aligning with national priorities including industrial transformation, sustainability initiatives, and supply-chain localization efforts. This direction supports the UAE’s broader economic diversification goals and its ‘Make it in the Emirates’ industrial strategy.

Addressing sustainability commitments, Kumar emphasized that environmental responsibility is integrated throughout operations—from responsible sourcing and waste reduction to product innovation and energy efficiency. The company collaborates with global partners to introduce sustainable ingredients and eco-friendly chemical solutions, supporting the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 vision.

Technological adoption has been crucial to growth, with supply-chain automation, digital operations, and data-driven insights enabling expansion. Future industrial trends will be defined by AI-enabled manufacturing, digital traceability systems, and advanced e-commerce infrastructure according to the executive.

Networking and strategic partnerships have proven vital in the UAE’s multicultural business environment, with transparent collaborations built on trust and shared value creation driving success. Kumar’s advice to emerging entrepreneurs emphasizes ethical foundations, investment in human capital, and leveraging the UAE’s innovation-friendly ecosystem to overcome inevitable challenges.

The executive’s insights highlight how the UAE’s strategic vision creates a platform where determined visionaries can achieve extraordinary success through resilience and adaptation to market dynamics.

BANGKOK – Central Group, Thailand’s premier retail conglomerate, is strategically expanding its socially-conscious brand Good Goods through an innovative approach to rural economic development. Executive Director Pichai Chirathivat draws inspiration from the ancient Chinese proverb about teaching fishing rather than giving fish, applying this philosophy to transform Thailand’s rural economies.

The initiative, launched eight years ago, serves as a sustainable marketplace connecting rural Thai producers with both domestic and international consumers. Good Goods has systematically developed supply networks across approximately 40 of Thailand’s 77 provinces, with 15 provinces now established as regional learning centers and tourism destinations alongside their production roles.

Pichai’s vision extends beyond traditional retail by positioning Good Goods at the intersection of cultural preservation and commercial innovation. The brand specifically focuses on products that embody Thailand’s cultural heritage while ensuring contemporary market relevance.

Looking toward international expansion, Pichai identifies China as a priority market. Rather than pursuing pure e-commerce, he envisions a comprehensive market entry strategy beginning with physical retail locations in major cities like Shanghai or Beijing, complemented by online sales channels to deliver a complete brand experience.

The product portfolio is also evolving, with plans to introduce furniture and home decor items that reflect Thai craftsmanship. This expansion represents both a business growth strategy and a mechanism to support additional artisan communities throughout Thailand.

Dubai’s property sector represents one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly evolving markets, continuously transformed by visionary policies, technological innovation, and strategic national planning. Manuel Gallo, Associate Director at AQUA Properties, has built his career on interpreting these changes since his first encounter with the emirate in 2005.

Gallo’s entrepreneurial journey began when he witnessed Dubai’s extraordinary transformation, recognizing that iconic projects like the Burj Khalifa symbolized much more than architectural achievements—they represented the nation’s future trajectory. This perspective has shaped his business philosophy: anticipating trends, adapting swiftly, and aligning with the UAE’s long-term vision.

The UAE’s business environment, characterized by transformative policies such as freehold ownership and 100% foreign business ownership, has fundamentally influenced Gallo’s approach. He describes these measures not merely as regulatory changes but as intentional signals of the nation’s direction. This has cultivated an operational style that is decisive, globally connected, and deeply attuned to the underlying narratives behind governmental decisions.

Addressing market challenges, Gallo emphasizes the necessity of synchronization with Dubai’s rapid evolution. He references Marshall McLuhan’s ‘extension effect’ concept, explaining how his business grows in harmony with the city rather than resisting change. Early recognition of transformations, he notes, often proves more valuable than perfect execution in response.

Sustainability and social responsibility form integral components of Gallo’s business model, reflecting Dubai’s regulatory framework where environmental consciousness is embedded in infrastructure and national strategy. His company prioritizes transparency, responsible growth, and solutions that actively contribute to the UAE’s ecological and social objectives.

Technology represents another critical dimension of Gallo’s strategy. He observes that technological integration has moved beyond accessory status to fundamentally reshape urban functionality. Emerging trends include AI-driven irrigation systems, climate-adaptive vegetation, smart shading solutions, and bio-engineered green corridors—all designed to create healthier, human-centric communities.

Gallo also identifies a significant shift toward ‘Made in Dubai’ and ‘Made in the UAE’ initiatives, indicating reduced import reliance and growing capabilities in manufacturing, sustainable materials, and advanced production. These developments are positioning Emirati products to compete with, and potentially surpass, traditional global standards.

Networking and partnerships have played architectural roles in Gallo’s journey, connecting diverse people, capital, and ideas within the UAE’s multicultural ecosystem. For emerging entrepreneurs, he offers decisive advice: build with intentionality, interpret the signals embedded in Dubai’s development, and align business strategies with the nation’s visionary trajectory for sustainable success.