Curiouser and curiouser

Curiouser and curiouser

As companies look for a new place and function in people’s lives, Kipp hopes they don’t ever come out of the changing rabbit hole that is consumerism.

March 22, 2011 2:59 by Precious de Leon

Beyond a straightforward store size reduction, however, other companies are looking at other ways to extend their customer reach.

In Germany, the BMW Group and Sixt AG have equal stake in a newly created premium car sharing venture called Drive Now. From April, the world’s first car sharing concept will provide premium BMW and MINI models for Drive Now members to drive around Munich and later in Berlin.

Of course, the project is supposed to help reduce traffic and eliminate costs that come with owning your own car. Kipp does think, however, that this is pretty slick avenue for marketing BMW products, having access to a lot more targeted potential car buyers.

In the end, it may not matter as much anyore that Abu Dhabi is set to surpass Dubai’s per capita retail concentration by 2015 as it doubles to 1.8 million sqm, except that there will be a lot of indoor space for Kipp to cool down in the coming summer heat.

Beyond coming to grips that the region’s magnanimous days are over, Kipp thinks it’s about time for businesses to count their losses and work with what they’ve got left. Hopefully, companies in the region don’t go the way of Alice, who shrank and grew so many times, it was impossible to tell which size was just right.

All Kipp is saying is to let the hard times lead to some real innovation…and let any kind of growth by organic, slow and measured.

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Tags: Abu Dhabi, Alice, Alice in Wonderland, automotive, brands, consumer, consumerism, Dubai, Middle East, rabbit hole, Retail, UAE, Wonderland, world