Landmark Group expands its solar ambition
Landmark Group, a leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, signs a solar agreement with Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments.
- Fully automated OMEGA DC Warehouse in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) will be equipped with 2.6 megawatts of solar rooftop power
- Over 6,000 solar panels will be installed to generate 4,200 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 1,700 tonnes or removing 380 cars from the road
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Landmark Group, a leading retail and hospitality conglomerate in the Middle East and India, has signed a 2.6 megawatt-peak solar agreement with Yellow Door Energy, a UAE-based sustainable energy provider, and AMANA Investments, a renowned design-build construction company.
As the first joint venture between Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments, the solar agreement will bring clean energy to Landmark Group’s state-of-the-art, fully automated 1-billion-dirham OMEGA DC Warehouse in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in Dubai, UAE.
Over 6,000 solar panels will be installed to generate 4,200 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 1,700 tonnes or removing 380 cars from the road. Construction is expected to start in late 2020 and the solar plant is expected to be completed by the spring of 2021.
Rajesh Garg, Group CFO of Landmark Group, said: “Sustainability and innovation are at the core of our business. We strongly believe that what is good for the environment is good for the business too. This solar agreement with Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments enables us to switch to clean energy, and expand our solar ambition, which in turn helps us become more cost-competitive and innovative as a business.”
Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Landmark Group, said, “We continue on our path of solar expansion with this agreement and it reaffirms our commitment towards sustainability. This solar installation will be very befitting to our fully automated OMEGA DC, which is already a certified ‘Green’ distribution center and through this partnership we will advance the energy efficiency to benefit not only our own business but also the customers to whom we are offering third party logistics services.
Jeremy Crane, CEO and Co-Founder of Yellow Door Energy, said: “We congratulate Landmark Group on this solar agreement that will help it achieve its sustainable energy goals. As a developer with over 110 megawatts of solar projects in the region, Yellow Door Energy is proud to include Landmark Group in our growing list of premier customers. Working with AMANA Investments, we encourage businesses in JAFZA to consider solar as a viable option to reduce costs and save the environment. As a UAE-based company, Yellow Door Energy is honored to contribute to DEWA’s Shams Dubai Program and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050.”
Riad Bsaibes, President & CEO of AMANA Investments, said: “Our relationship with the Landmark Group over the years has been one that we are especially proud of, resulting in the construction of numerous facilities for the Group across the region. Today, we are proud to extend, in cooperation with Yellow Door Energy, another service to Landmark enabling the Group to reduce its cost of power in the same facility that we constructed 2 years ago. We look forward to working with Landmark to further reduce their energy costs and consumption in this facility and others across the region.”
Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments are responsible for investing in, designing, building, commissioning, operating and maintaining the solar plant for the duration of the agreement. Solar developments are gaining popularity among industrial building owners who want to reduce energy costs. This can be done without any upfront investment or operational risk, while maintaining the focus on their core business and enjoying the benefits of clean energy.
ABOUT LANDMARK GROUP
Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, today the Landmark Group has successfully grown to become the largest non-food retail group in the Middle East and India, with a growing presence across South East Asia. The retailer currently operates over 2,200 outlets in 24 countries encompassing over 30 million square feet.
At the heart of its business is a strong workforce of over 55,000 employees from over 88 nationalities. The company has an unwavering commitment to add value to the lives of its people, partners, customers and the community. Landmark Group has been recognized among the Top 4 Retail Workplaces by Great Place to Work Middle East and also ranked within the Top 25 Best Workplaces in Asia.
The Group offers a diverse value-driven product range catered to families through its own retail concepts: Centrepoint, Babyshop, Splash, SHOEMART, Lifestyle, Max, Shoexpress, Home Centre, Home Box, Emax and UAE’s first food discounter, VIVA. In addition to the brands developed in-house, the company also operates franchises of some of the world’s leading fashion and footwear brands in select countries.
Landmark Group has also diversified in the leisure, food and hospitality segment with Landmark Leisure, Citymax Hotels, Fitness First and Foodmark, the restaurant division which operates the company’s own and franchise food outlets.
Through omni-channel innovations, the Group continues to deliver a seamless shopping experience to all its customers both online and in-store.
As one of the high-volume retailers, Landmark Group operates the MENA region’s largest privately owned logistics and distribution hub. The retailer has now advanced to offer 3PL Logistics services with the launch its fully-automated Mega Distribution Centre at JAFZA, Dubai under the brand name of Omega Logistics.
Source : zawya
