Al Khayyat Investments redefines retail with Dell Technologies

Al Khayyat Investments (AKI), a UAE-based conglomerate, has chosen Dell Technologies to help it achieve its ambitious growth goals and accelerate its digital transformation efforts, a press release said.

AKI’s customer-focused services, according to the statement, continue to make a difference in the region’s retail sector in today’s hyper-connected retail arena, as customers seek to brands to give excellent service. The firm intends to capitalise on its success by adding digital-led solutions to change the consumer experience across all retail contact points.

Customers today demand a second-to-none, seamless experience between a brand’s in-store and online retail channels, therefore this offering has become increasingly important. Furthermore, although customer data may assist organisations in creating an omnichannel experience that allows customers to interact across all channels and devices, it also means that the amount of data collected by businesses continues to expand at an alarming rate. As a result, it is critical to ensure that all data is used efficiently and does not contribute to a data silo problem.

For AKI, this required finding a technological solution that could handle the massive volume of data while also ensuring that it benefited rather than overwhelmed the organisation. AKI has been able to address their growing retail business needs while ensuring their operations remained highly available, reliable, and agile by utilising Dell Technologies’ hyperconverged best-of-breed solutions such as Dell EMC VxRail, Integrated Data Protection Appliances, and integrated software applications from Dell Boomi.

AKI also used Dell’s ‘PC as a service’ solution for configured laptops and desktops, and they now have a modernised employee experience while depending on a single source to handle all of their IT needs.

“Today customers have access to a gamut of information and demand a highly personalized, seamless experience across every channel. We needed a technology partner who understood this changing market dynamics and had the expertise and solutions to take us to the next level, from the store to the data center to the cloud. Working with Dell Technologies allowed us to become more efficient throughout the retail value chain from collecting and analyzing data to improving margins, decreasing costs, and reducing security risks. We are on a transformation journey with an ambitious growth vision and having the right partner offers us a competitive advantage in a fast-paced marketplace,” says Sajid Lokhandwala, CIO, Al Khayyat Investments.

Walid Yehia, General Manager – UAE, Dell Technologies said: “The retail industry has been the regional economy’s driving force and today stands at a tipping point fueled by new market opportunities and massive digital transformation drives. With strong business confidence placed on the retail sector, technology has a key role in ensuring these expectations are met. Our solutions help the retail industry to innovate and modernize their IT Infrastructure and stand out in a highly competitive market. Dell Technologies’ tailored multi-cloud, data protection and as a service solutions will not only allow AKI to keep their customers at the centre of their operations but will also help them advance their digital transformation journey.”

AKI, a family-owned corporation started in 1982, now has earnings in excess of US $1 billion (excluding strategic investments) and employs over 5000 people. AKI’s eight independent business activities span medicines, consumer, retail, hotel, fitness, landscaping, environmental services, automotive, and strategic investments, with over 40 years of regional knowledge.