| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Conglomerate |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Key people | Joe Tabet (chairman) |
| Services |
|
| Revenue |  US$ 650 million(2011) [1] |
Number of employees | 700 (2011) [1] |
| Website | www |
Pragma Group is a UAE holding company, founded in 2003, with interest in diverse businesses, including technology and telecommunications, marketing, hospitality, entertainment and venture capital. [2] [1]
Pragma Group was launched in 2003 by a group of professionals, [1] and with Joseph Tabet as the chairman and chief executive officer of the group. [3]
Since its inception, the group has managed to launch several International concepts [4] in the Middle East, as well as develop myriad start-ups in the Lifestyle and Technology arena. Working with International partners such as Roberto Cavalli, the group has managed to expand while creating a structured foundation of a family of companies.
The company has rapidly grown since launching its business. With a turnover of over US$650 million per annum, [1] the group today consists of brands ranging from the homegrown to the well-known, including Cavalli Club, Restaurant & Lounge, Cirque le Soir, Billionaire Mansion, The400 Nightclub, Epicure Catering, The Health Factory, the Bo House Cafe, etc.
The group is currently pursuing regional and international expansion drive, by building partnerships with well-known and successful brands. [5]
In 2003, Pragma Group took PLUTO GAMES FZCO, a young, gaming start-up, under its wings and transformed it into the leading distributor and marketer of digital gaming software and related products in the Middle East and North Africa. [6] Today Pluto DG is the singular distribution partner for Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console in the Middle East and representing games publishers like Konami, THQ & Ubisoft. [7]
After the group's success with Pluto DG, the team expanded their support to another IT start-up – Lateral Systems (LS2), [8] a technology integrator, a re-export hub for GSM products based in Dubai and covering mainly the Levant, Central Africa and Near East regions. [9]
In 2009, Pragma Group in collaboration with International fashion designer, Roberto Cavalli, launched a new lifestyle club concept in Dubai. Cavalli Club Dubai opened to the media and the public, on 7 May at the Fairmont Hotel, located on Sheikh Zayed Road. [10] This first step took Pragma Group from a Middle Eastern company to an International entity. In 2010, Roberto Cavalli Group announced their partnership with Pragma Group in developing and launching the Cavalli Club and Cavalli Cafe Brands worldwide. [11] In 2017, Cavalli Club, Restaurant, and Lounge were recommended by CNN in 2017 as the best party venue in The Middle East. [12]
Ryan Bish, the owner of Cirque Le Soir in London in cooperation with Pragma Group, in 2014 opened Cirque Le Soir Dubai- outrageous shows and quirky humor, which become one of the most interesting nightspots in the city. The venue boasts a forever changing mix of performers, whose freaky skills will shock and surprise even the most experienced party-goer. [13]
In 2015 former F1 boss Flavio Briatore launching the Billionaire Mansion in partnership with Pragma Group and Indian family the Nandas, who own the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. [14]
In 2005 the group also added a local catering service and an international nightclub. Epicure Catering, [15] one of the corporate and event caterers in Dubai and The400 Nightclub. [1]
Next, the group branched into a lifestyle. The chairman and CEO, Joe Tabet, teamed up with veterans in the culinary industry, to launch Le Talleyrand, in May 2005, a French cuisine restaurant, in Beirut, Lebanon. [16]
Pragma Group took the lifestyle concept a step further with the launch of Health Factory in 2007. A health and nutrition concept, that aims to flog meal programs and life coaching. [17]
In November 2010, the group continued with its lifestyle expansion with the launch of a bohemian styled new age restaurant, Bo House cafe at Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) Walk, a waterfront community located in Dubai Marina. [18]
Dubai International Airport is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East, the second-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements, and the airport with the highest average number of passengers per flight. In 2023, the airport handled 87 million passengers and 1.81 million tonnes of cargo and registered 416,405 aircraft movements.
Zouk is a Singaporean nightclub located in the Clarke Quay district. Opened in 1991, the brand has since expanded to various cities around Asia and North America. One of the country's most prominent nightclubs, it has won the Singapore Tourism Board's "Best Nightspot Experience" award 6 times, between 1996 and 2007. Zouk was ranked number 10 on DJ Magazine's list of Top 100 clubs in the world in 2006, 2007 and 2010. In 2017, Zouk Singapore earned its highest ranking yet at number 3, the top entry for clubs across Asia. In 2021, Zouk Singapore was ranked number 11 while Zouk KL was ranked 33 on the DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs list in the world.
Flavio Briatore is an Italian businessman. He started his career as a restaurant manager and insurance salesman in Italy. Briatore was convicted in Italy on several fraud charges in the 1980s, receiving two prison sentences, though the convictions were later extinguished by an amnesty. Briatore set up a number of successful Benetton franchises as a fugitive in the Virgin Islands and the United States. In 1990, he was promoted by Luciano Benetton to manage the Benetton Formula One racing team, which became Renault F1 in 2002. From 2007 to 2011, he was part-owner and chairman of London's Queens Park Rangers In September 2009, Briatore was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team due to his involvement in race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. After the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) conducted its own investigation, Briatore was banned indefinitely from any events sanctioned by the FIA, although this ban was later overturned by a French Tribunal de Grande Instance.
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is a special economic zone in Dubai covering 110 ha, established in 2004 as a financial hub for companies operating throughout the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) markets.
Falcon City of Wonders (FCW) is a Dubai-based real-estate project was founded in 2005. The project include international-themed villas, spacious apartments, shopping malls, hotels, business offices, fine-dining restaurants, health clubs, spas, nurseries, schools and parks. When viewed from above, the development resembles a falcon, the national bird of the UAE, with the Falcon Mall forming the head of the falcon. As of 2022, the project has only completed the Left Wing of the city, with major portions still on hold. It is located in Wadi Al Safa 2, a short distance from the Global Village and the Arabian Ranches.
YO! Sushi is a chain of kiosks and conveyor belt sushi restaurants, principally in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Australia.
The Emirates Group is a state-owned Dubai-based international aviation holding company headquartered in Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, near Dubai International Airport. The Emirates Group comprises dnata, an aviation services company providing ground handling services at 126 airports, and Emirates Airline, the largest airline in the Middle East. Emirates Airlines flies to over 150 destinations across 6 continents, operating a fleet of over 250 wide-bodied aircraft. The airline has 170 aircraft on order worth US$58 billion. The Emirates Group has a turnover of approximately US$28.3 billion and employs over 105,000 employees across all its business units and associated firms, making it one of the biggest employers in the Middle East. The company is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai directly under the Investment Corporation of Dubai and as part of Dubai Inc.
Conrad Gallagher is an Irish-born chef/restaurateur from Letterkenny, County Donegal, based in Dubai since 2016. He was the youngest chef ever awarded a Michelin star at the time, for Peacock Alley in Dublin, at the age of 26 in 1998. In a career that has attracted both accolades and controversy, Gallagher has owned restaurants in Dublin, New York, London, Las Vegas and Cape Town, and has featured in two reality television cooking series. He opened restaurant consultancy Food Concepts 360 in 2018. Gallagher also owns chef recruitment agency The Chefs Connection and opened The Chefs Playground in Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 2020 as a culinary training centre and specialist shop for chefs’ apparel and equipment. In February 2021, Gallagher opened "Off the Menu Food Emporium", a delicatessen, coffee and wine shop serving tapas-style meals, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He also opened Bistro Vin de Boeuf, in St Francis Bay.
Indians in the United Arab Emirates constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the United Arab Emirates, with over 38% of the country's total population and the fourth highest number of overseas Indians in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.
Neon City Magazine is a Las Vegas Valley-based magazine that profiles entertainment, fashion, nightlife and the Las Vegas lifestyle. The magazine was founded by Michael J Giglia and Matthew J. Pawlak.
Yusuff Ali Musaliam Veettil Abdul Kader, popularly known as M. A. Yusuff Ali, is an Indian businessman and billionaire. He is the chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International, which owns the LuLu Hypermarket chain worldwide and LuLu International Shopping Mall. With an annual turnover of US$8.4 billion, LuLu Group International employs the largest number of Indian diaspora. According to Forbes Middle East, Yusuff Ali was ranked No. 1 in Top 100 Indian business owners in the Arab World 2018. As per Forbes billionaires list published in October 2023, he was ranked 27th richest Indian with net worth of US$6.9 billion.
Dar Al Arkan Real Estate (DAAR) (Arabic: دار الأركان) is a Saudi Arabian property development company. It is the largest developer by market value in Saudi Arabia. Dar Al Arkan is also involved in the acquisition, development, construction, maintenance, demolition, and restructuring of residential and commercial buildings. Based in Riyadh, it was established in 1994.
Andrew Jacques Sasson is a British-American entrepreneur, hotelier, and real estate developer. With Andy Masi, he is the co-founder of The Light Group, which owns several restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, mainly in the New York City and Las Vegas areas.
Studio One is a live daily English-language lifestyle television program that originated from United Arab Emirates and was broadcast on Dubai One to 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It aired from January 2011 to March 2014. Created by the same team that produced Dubai One's popular weekly television program Ask One, Studio One is known for its eclectic mix of lifestyle features and celebrity interviews, interactivity and is primarily aimed at women and families. Season One was hosted by Tom Urquhart and Saba Wahid. At the end of the first season Saba left the show and was replaced by former show reporter Aishwarya Ajit. Studio One has been described as Dubai One's flagship show.
PALME Middle East is Middle East’s longest-standing trade show for the professional sound, light, audiovisual, music, entertainment, and systems integration industries. The show has over 5000 visitors. The exhibition is for products and services including equipment, systems, and software for projects in the professional entertainment, event, construction, and installation sectors.
Dubai Dolphinarium is a fully air-conditioned indoor dolphinarium in the Middle East, providing habitat to dolphins and seals, allowing the public to watch and interact with them through live shows and photo sessions. It is located at Creek Park near the Children's City within the vicinity of Oud Metha and Bur Dubai. Dubai Dolphinarium was opened on May 21, 2008 in partnership with Dubai Municipality, and is sponsored and supported by Dubai government to provide the general public with entertainment and also educate them regarding dolphins, seals and other marine organisms. It was also reflected that interacting with such friendly mammals like dolphins will motivate young generation to protect marine life and the environment.
Thumbay Group is a UAE-based diversified international business conglomerate, headquartered in DIFC - Dubai, with operations across 20 sectors including education, healthcare, medical research, diagnostics, retail pharmacy, health communications, retail opticals, wellness, nutrition stores, hospitality, real estate, publishing, technology, media, events, medical tourism, trading and marketing, and distribution.
Hussain Sajwani is an Emirati billionaire businessman and the founder of the property development company, DAMAC Properties, and his private investment company, DAMAC Group.
Roberto Cavalli S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by the designer Roberto Cavalli in Osmannoro, Florence, during the 1970s. Known for animal prints on leather and textiles, the label manufactures and markets haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories, including handbags, eye wear, watches, shoes, perfumes and jewelry. The company is also involved in interior design projects for high-end buildings and hotels.
Chalhoub Group is a privately held luxury goods retailer and distributor, headquartered in Dubai, UAE.