It would be fair to say Mohammad Baker has learnt the tricks of the trade the hard way. The 24-year-old is slowly following in the footsteps of his illustrious father, Mr Abdul Aziz, and taking control of distribution and retailing giants Gulf Marketing Group.
Mohammad developed a passion for his father’s business early in his life, and remembers with fondness how he worked in the company stores and lugged around the boxes on his shoulders as a 10-year-old. Or, the time when he spent a few months as cashier in one of their stores.
As Mohammad grew up, spending time pursuing his higher education in the US, his father grew the business from strength to strength.
What started as a one-shop business selling Nikes in the late 1970s, has now developed into 106 Sun and Sand Sports shops across the six GCC countries.
And Sun & Sand Sports is only one part of the GMG business, which also includes Supercare Pharmacy, Farm Fresh and Nutrition Centre among others.
Today, he is vice-chairman of the group, which includes Sun and Sand Sports, exclusive distributors and biggest retailers of Nike and several other sporting goods and apparel companies in the Middle East. Deputy Editor Joy Chakravarty spoke to him recently. Excerpts from the interview:
What is the key to Sun and Sand Sports’ success?
I think the key to our success has been the fact that we have constantly tried to innovate and bring in change. The new Nike concept stores are great examples.
We want to keep our customers interested in us. We have this new system to personalise Nike products in the stores. It is never going to make us tons of money, but what it does is make our customers happy.
That, and the one thing which my father keeps telling me: there is no substitute for quality.
You have recently opened two new Nike stores. Another two are about to be opened in Festival City and Ibn Batuta Mall in a couple of weeks. What’s next for your company?
Well, the next big thing would be the opening of the biggest Sun and Sand Sports store in the GCC, which will be sometime next year in Saudi Arabia. We have decided on this, and we are now looking at a space.
We will be putting all our cards on the table with this store as far as Saudi is concerned. It is a huge market, but it has its own peculiarities – it needs to be looked after well…handled better.
Given our affiliation to the region, we have a better understanding and hopefully, this store will be a huge success.
Anything planned for the UAE?
We are in the process of opening a Sun and Sand Sports Kids in November in Spinney’s Umm Suqeim. That’s going to be a kids only store featuring all our big sporting and fitness brands.
From our interaction with the customers, we realised there was a huge demand for such a store. I came up with the idea some six months ago.
Kids stores are an interesting concept because parents may think several times before buying something for themselves, but when it comes to their kids, they only want the best.
It’s a normal human nature – you want your kids to enjoy a better life than your own. I have seen this with my father, and I have seen this with every parent.
Speaking of parents, your father has been a huge influence on you. Tell us something about him? Also, tell us how he started the business?
My father is a remarkable man. I always say he is a never-ending book from which I can learn something everyday of my life. He is a visionary and he is successful in business because he understands people.
He was working with the National Bank of Dubai in the late 1970s when he visited USA and chanced upon a pair of Nikes. The company had re-branded itself from ‘Blue Ribbon’ to Nike, and the brand awareness was hardly there. My father was actually as impressed with the simplicity of their ‘whoosh’ logo, as he was with the product itself.
He realised how big the sport and fitness business was going to be and took up the Nike distributorship for Middle East during that trip itself.
Once back in Dubai, he started selling from a small shop in Jumeirah. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, we are the second oldest distributors of Nike in the whole world. Of the 80-odd brands we have under Sun and Sand Sports, my father is most attached to Nike. In fact, he keeps saying that Nike is in his DNA.
Just to give you an idea of how his relationship with Nike is, there were no contracts signed between us and them till a couple of years ago. It was all based on gentlemen’s words to each other.
Growing up, where you always interested in your father’s business?
Very interested. In fact, I started working in the shop when I was 10 years old. I worked in the storage area of our Jumeirah store that summer, packing and unpacking boxes. The next summer, I worked with the sales guys, and then I did the cashier’s duty for one whole summer. It was a great learning experience.
When I returned from the US after completing my Bachelors degree, I wanted to join a corporate house so that I could learn the intricacies of the business. And then I realised I had a business school in my own house. I joined Gulf Marketing Group and the first six months were incredible. I learned something new every second.
What are your sporting interests and who is your sporting idol?
I have always been interested in boxing. When I was in the US, I became very interested in health and fitness. I was a regular at the gym, and I loved to cycle. Of course, I have completely given that up after coming back to Dubai. I’ve got to admit it is my fault completely, but the last few months have been extremely busy for us.
As for sporting idol, it would be Muhammad Ali. He was just amazing… I float like a butterfly, I sting like a bee. He was so inspirational. Him and Joe Frazier. What I like about boxers is that they mostly come from very underprivileged backgrounds and fight against all odds to rise to the top.
And going back to gyms, I am also involved in what I consider my dream project – the construction of a gym like no other in the Middle East.
Tell us something about the gym.
It’s going to be a world-class gym. It will be almost like the one that I used in the US. We have identified space in Jumeirah area and work is going on right now.
One of the things that I don’t like about gyms in Dubai is that either they are in malls, or in hotels. That really puts off people. What I have in mind will attract people to the gyms. We are in the business of sports and fitness, so we are expecting a lot of support from our partners, but equipment is just one part of the business.
I was recently in Germany for a health and fitness exhibition and I picked up an amazing system of working out there. It’s developed by a small company, and it helps you do all kinds of exercise, without actually using any equipment! It’s something that will be absolutely new for the region. You are basically using your own body weight to do the various exercises.
Just to give you an example of what you can expect at our gym – the reason we are not able to meet our proposed October deadline is because we are re-doing the air-conditioning. Our quest for perfection is delaying us. One thing people have complained about gyms here is how cold the air-conditioner becomes. I wanted to go for natural air flow system and that installation is taking some time. Hopefully, we will be open for business by February next year.
I can assure you we have not compromised on quality. Quality will come at an extra price, but it will show the results in future.
Organised apparel industry faces a huge problem globally because of fakes/duplicates. Is that a worry for you here in the Middle East?
I won’t say that fakes and duplicates do not exist here, but it’s not something that is giving us sleepless nights. Firstly, the Dubai government is doing a fantastic job in curbing it. Secondly, I believe fake products have their own niche market. But if you want good quality and value for money, you will buy the genuine product.
What is your vision for Sun and Sand Sports?
Of course, I would like the company to grow and grow every year. But I want that to happen because we could satisfy each and every customer of ours. I will be the happiest if I can have 100 per cent of my customers satisfied that they got quality products and quality service from Sun and Sand Sports.
