Kuuru
Client: Leylaty Group
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Date: March 2024
Cuisine: Nikkei
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Kuuru is a Japanese Peruvian concept that embodies an elevated casual atmosphere and is truly unique to the Saudi Arabian market. Kuuru’s aesthetics and the F&B offering have formed a unique and dynamic causal Nikkei concept that blends both cultures innovatively.
Beyond Maritime City
Location
Dubai, UAE
Industry
Waterfront Destinations
Client
Omniyat
Repositioning a waterfront masterplan around a new demand-driven use case using a lifestyle strategy
Within Dubai Maritime City, the Omniyat brand Beyond is developing a mixed-use destination combining residential, hospitality, and waterfront leisure. The scope covered market research, data analysis, masterplanninginput, and F&B strategy, with the objective of defining a cohesive experience across retail, dining, and wellness-led activations along the waterfront.
The challenge
A waterfront asset with structural limitations that constrained traditional beachfront positioning.
From the client’s perspective, the existing masterplan did not fully leverage its environmental conditions, including limited afternoon sun exposure and an orientation that reduced sunset visibility—typically a key driver for waterfront F&B. At the same time, the surrounding market in Dubai is highly competitive, with established expectations around beach clubs and sunset-driven destinations. The challenge was to reposition the development without relying on these conventions, while still creating a commercially viable and attractive destination.
The APPROACH
Reframing the destination through behavioral data.
The strategy was informed by extensive market research and analysis of large-scale sentiment data, used to understand what local and regional audiences were actively seeking but not finding. This revealed an underrepresented demand for morning- and daytime-oriented experiences centered on wellness, fitness, and mindful living.
Based on this insight, the masterplan was recalibrated to prioritize a health-driven waterfront model, shifting the emphasis from late-day social activity to early-day engagement.
F&B concepts were aligned with this positioning, supported by cuisine strategies and venue planning that complemented sports, wellness, and outdoor activity. The approach also addressed mobility, concept placement, and operational feasibility to ensure the destination could function coherently across residential, hotel, and neighborhoodusers.
HOW DID WE STRATEGIZE A PLACE THAT WORKS?
Repositioning around a time-of-day gap
Instead of competing in the saturated sunset and nightlife segment, the strategy focused on morning and daytime usage, aligning with unmet demand in the market.
Data-led identification of market whitespace
Large-scale sentiment analysis informed the direction of the F&B and lifestyle offer, grounding the concept in observed preferences rather than assumptions.
Integration across user groups
Residential, hotel, and neighborhood audiences were considered as a single ecosystem, ensuring the destination serves multiple user types without fragmenting the experience.
THE RESULT
The masterplan establishes a differentiated waterfront destination centered on wellness and daytime activity rather than conventional beach club dynamics.
As Dubai Maritime City develops, the framework positions the project to capture a distinct segment of demand within Dubai’s competitive waterfront landscape.
