• Group announces membership to WHO’s Global Diabetes Compact Forum, as the only corporate firm in the UAE & GCC championing diabetes awareness

Dubai, UAE: The Landmark Group, the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, held its 12th Beat Diabetes event on Friday, 26 November, at Zabeel Park in Dubai, to enable widespread awareness amongst UAE’s communities about the prevention and management of the disease.

This year’s event was led by Renuka Jagtiani, Chairwoman and CEO, Landmark Group along with long-standing partners Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Sports Council, Emirates Diabetes & Endocrine Society, along with over 30 private and public sectors partners.

The event, which convened more than 10,000 participants, included a walking trail that sought to encourage residents to increase their daily physical activity. The Group also partnered with STEPPI to measure the cumulative number of steps completed by participants at the event and supporters across GCC successfully completed a 50 Million step challenge in an effort to raise awareness for diabetes.

The Group also announced that it is now part of The Global Diabetes Compact Forum created by World Health Organization (WHO), with the mission to create a world where the risk of diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2) is reduced and where all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.

The retail conglomerate joined WHO’s first Global Diabetes Compact Forum that took place virtually on 10th and 11th November,2021, and was the only corporate business from the UAE and GCC countries to be on the members list. The forum saw ideas, information and views exchanged on access to insulin, associated health technologies, research and innovation and health literacy, between the WHO and members, as well as between members, who will from now on work towards the vision of the Global Diabetes Compact.

This is yet another step taken by Landmark Group’s to show its unwavering commitment to raise awareness of diabetes, which it has been championing since 2009.

The key highlight of this year’s event was the symbolic human formation of the Diabetes Circle to raise awareness. Dubai Health Authority also set up free blood sugar levels & BMI measuring kiosks. The full day event also had a packed schedule for the entire family filled with activities for kids and adults, including Zumba, Yoga, and foot stalls, a SuperKidz arena, among others to reiterate the campaign pillars of Eat healthy, Stay active and take the test.

Also this year, the Group has attempted to measure the carbon emissions from its day-long event & is currently exploring offset opportunities with carbon trading platforms, making the Beat Diabetes event a carbon neutral gathering in alignment with UAE’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions.

All the money raised through this charity event is in support of Al Jalila Foundation, a UAE-based not-for-profit organisation established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. You can continue to contribute to the cause until 15th December by donating at Landmark Group brands online and in stores. All proceeds from the fund-raising drive will contribute towards diabetes research and treatment.

About the Landmark Group:

Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group has successfully grown into one of the largest and most successful retail and hospitality organizations in the Middle East and India. An international, diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate that encourages entrepreneurship to consistently deliver exceptional value, the Group operates over 2,200 outlets encompassing over 30 million square feet across the Middle East, North Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

The Landmark Group has a strong workforce of over 42,000 employees and provides a value-driven product range for the family through its retail concepts: Centrepoint, Babyshop, Splash, Shoemart, Lifestyle, Max, Shoexpress, Home Centre, Home Box, Emax, UAE’s first grocery discounter, VIVA and Styli, the Group’s first online-only fashion offering.

The Group is committed to being an employer of choice and has been recognised over the years, recently being named among the top five of Asia’s and the Middle East’s Best Workplaces in 2021 by Great Place to Work®. The Group were also recipients of the prestigious Brandon Hall’s Human Capital Excellence Awards 2021.

The Group brands ensure the delivery of a seamless shopping experience to customers through a keen focus on their e-commerce and omni-channel capabilities.

The conglomerate’s portfolio encompasses food and hospitality with Landmark Leisure, Citymax Hotels, Fitness First and Foodmark, the restaurant division, which operates the Group’s own and franchise food outlets.

As a high-volume retailer, the Landmark Group operates the MENA region’s largest privately owned logistics and distribution hub. The company has now advanced to offer 3PL logistics services with the launch of its fully automated Mega Distribution Centre at JAFZA, Dubai under the brand name of Omega Logistics.