Y&R MENA launches Labstore, a global shopper and retail marketing leader, in the Middle East

 

• Labstore MENA set to become the first digitally and socially driven shopper marketing agency in the region

• Launch of regional operations marks Y&R MENA’s commitment to retail and shopper marketing expertise and the latest in Labstore’s global expansion plans

    Y&R MENA, the Middle East’s leading creative agency, today further strengthened its commitment to the region with the launch of Lab-store, a digitally led retail and shopper marketing network.Headquartered in Dubai, Lab-store MENA will service accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, offering an integrated approach to retail marketing as the first digitally and socially driven shopper marketing agency in the region. “Retail today is globalized, digitized, polarized and increasingly personalized – and the shopper is in control. The launch of Labstore MENA offers an exciting new opportunity to make an impact where it really counts. Labstore MENA sits at the perfect intersection of Y&R’s core brands, which ensures that it will be highly strategic, creative and digital, and perfectly attuned to the challenges of the local retail environment,” said Jon Bird, Global Managing Director, Lab store. “The launch of Lab-store is key for our clients. There has been a real shift in the last few years for brands to embrace shopper marketing as much as consumer marketing and now more than ever, Y&R has the capability to help clients with both disciplines. We are delighted to have the team on board to build this business,” said Nadine Ghossoub, Managing Director, Y&R Dubai. Business Director, Zaakesh Mulla, and Executive Creative Director, Joseph Bihag, will lead Labstore MENA. The retail subsidiary is already well established in the local market with current clients including Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Biddi.com, Chevron and Mall of the Emirates. The team also recently launched the #WishUponACoke campaign, which delighted travelers at Dubai International Airport with a personalized Coca-Cola bottle that doubled up as an excess baggage tag. This was followed by a nationwide promotion, including a “Wish Booth” activation that saw the wishes of people from India, Pakistan and Philippines being granted by Coca-Cola and Lab-store. Labstore MENA’s launch is the latest in a string of openings around the world since Y&R consolidated its 20 shopper and retail capabilities under the Lab-store banner in 2014. The retail arm, one of the largest networks of its kind, now has a presence in Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America and South Africa.