Derek takes centre stage

Young, dynamic and new to Bahrain, Derek Rossel is the new general manager of Bahrain City Centre (BCC).

He is the driving force that is propelling the project to completion and facing up to the challenges that come with managing a mega project like BCC.

The iconic mall that has wooed shoppers with its size, design and innumerable retail offerings opened partially in September with the grand opening due in December when all 350 outlets will be open to public.

Two hotels, 20-screen cineplex and an indoor water park will follow in 2009. Still evasive about the precise date of the grand opening, Mr Rossel, 34, is in overdrive as he sits in his unpretentious site office dominated with a huge white board that charts the project's progress.

"We will have a major event marking our grand opening - an international class act - details of which are still being worked out. But the time leading up to the grand opening is fraught with challenges that normally come with a mega project like BCC - finding the right people for the right roles, delivering things on time and keeping standards high," he said.

"BCC was planned as a phased construction and before September we'd had to reprogramme the project to remain flexible with situations like shortages of some building materials that were in heavy demand."

Mr Rossel is no stranger to the retail industry having worked with Westfield Group, the world's largest listed retail property group by equity market capitalisation - in Australia and in effect has learnt the nuts and bolts of the industry during his six years with them.

He joined Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group, which owns BCC, in July 2008 and arrived in Bahrain to take over his responsibilities. Although he is still green to the demands and behaviour of the local culture and market, he is on a steadily rising learning curve absorbing everything around him.

He said: "Bahrain is changing rapidly and is part of a the region in the world that is quite exceptional in terms of its prosperity and growth profile. Its retail industry is expanding and its neighbours are becoming increasingly affluent, discerning and sophisticated.

"MAF recognises the economic strength of Bahrain and with the upcoming Qatar-Bahrain Bridge, the island will be a hub for visitors.

"A development such as BCC is very important for Bahrain in order to enhance its growing status as a tourist destination of choice. To this end the government has been very supportive and BCC fits in well with the government's vision of developing world-class facilities on the island," added Mr Rossel, obviously enthused about being part of a project that is expected to be significant in terms of development of the retail and entertainment sector on the island.

According to the mall's management of the mall the footfall has been overwhelming and the customer traffic flow increases weekly. Other mall managements on the island must be anxiously looking over their shoulders.

"We are not in the business of putting other people out of business but rather leading and developing the overall retail market," Mr Rossel emphasised. "We developed a mega mall the size and scope of BCC because the return and size of the project is directly correlated to the demand from retailers and customers and our research indicated that Bahrain was ready for a project of this scale and pedigree.

"Even after a complete sell-out of our retail space we have highly reputable international retailers contacting us who want to have a greater presence in the market. In our assessment the entire retail market in Bahrain continues to grow sustainably."

Despite Mr Rossel's strong background in retail, his true litmus test will be when the mall and its accompanying facilities are fully functioning, keeping business robust in times when most people are tightening their belts.

"In my experience of managing malls you need to create a compelling retail offer and experience that the customer wants," he said. "This offer needs to be strong enough to encourage customers to come back again and again.

"There are several elements to a successful mall and the really critical thing is to have the right retail brands that customers want to see in the right locations and understand customer needs.

"Retail industry is a specialised discipline. I'm very focused on the customer and the one thing I want to implement as general manager of BCC is total customer focus - that includes shoppers and tenants - and apply outstanding management practices."

New standards in design, easy accessibility within the mall, 5,500 indoor car parking spaces and a number of retail offerings new to Bahrain are some of the hallmarks of the mighty mall. "Despite being number one on the island we won't rest on our laurels and I'm sure in due time it will rate as the most successful mall in the region and will be the envy of any huge retail project in the industry," Mr Rossel confidently predicts.