Bargain-hunters in the Northern Emirates will soon have a wider choice of cut-price deals as the group buying websites step up their operations there.
Dubai-based Cobone, whose Sharjah service offers daily deals both in that emirate and other parts of the country, has recruited extra staff with a view to offering customers more daily deals specific to the emirate. Beyond that, it is considering expanding into Ras Al Khaimah.
Meanwhile local rival GoNabit is consolidating the service offered by its Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah website. Both companies also have sites covering Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The sites use group buying to give steep discounts, with each offer being confirmed only once a certain number of people have clicked on the "buy" button. Purchasers are then sent a voucher to redeem at the restaurant, spa or other supplier.
"We have recruited two Sharjah-based sales staff and they will generate more Sharjah-specific deals," said Warrick Godfrey, a spokesman for Cobone. "Right now we have quite a decent pipeline of Sharjah deals but we're going to spread them out over the next few weeks."
Yesterday (Wed) Cobone was offering customers in Sharjah a meal worth Dh25 at the Rahat al Madina Pakistani restaurant in the Majaz area for just Dh10.
"Probably Ras Al Khaimah will come up next, we're open to opening in RAK within the next six months," added Mr Godfrey. "There have been a lot of companies approaching us from RAK."
He said that in terms of the other Northern Emirates, the company was exploring the approach used by the US-based social buying giant Groupon, which offers deals that apply to the whole of the UAE.
This method is also used by GoNabit, whose chief executive, Dan Stuart, said: "We'll continue to run pan-UAE deals where it makes sense."
At the moment GoNabit has no plans to expand its line-up of sites to include the remaining Northern Emirates - but this could change.
"Right now, the deals we run for merchants in Umm Al Quwain or Fujairah tend to be tailored to visitors to these emirates - for example a deal for scuba diving in Fujairah ran on our Dubai site.
"If there is enough traction for local-to-local promotions, then we'll look at breaking these areas out into their own GoNabit sites."
csimpson@thenational.ae
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
EXPATS
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match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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