At just 29 years of age, Obyda Mustafa Karazi, has been working in the retail industry for seven years already. Originally from Syria, he is the Store Manager of SPAR Shamka Hypermarket, a flagship store just outside of Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Obyda completed his bachelor degree in business administration, accounting and finance in 2011 from the Abu Dhabi University. In 2012, newly graduated, he was employed as Assistant Store Manager of SPAR Shamka Hypermarket and was promoted to the role of Manager in 2015. We spoke to Obyda, a committed, ambitious and engaged colleague, about his journey with SPAR to date and the ins-and-outs of his position as Store Manager of the flagship store.

SPAR Shamka was opened in June 2015. It is 5,800m² in size and offers more than 300,000 SKUs. In 2018, the store layout was updated with the changes positively boosting sales. The average basket size is €40,20 and the annual turnover is €55,000,000.

Can you run us through your average day at work?

My job is focused on achieving the overall branch target by overseeing the efficient operation of all departments, establishing a pleasant shopping environment, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

In addition to my day-to-day operations, I am responsible for the proper implementation of procedures and policies from staff training, evaluations and human resource activities, to equipment functioning, guidance and supervision.

Moreover, in ensuring continuous cross-departmental coordination, I am responsible for all budgeting and communications both internally and with our distribution centre regarding store logistics and supplies.

I am constantly working on making the store stand-out from the competition. Our greatest advantage is the brand itself – often well-known to customers from other countries.

What are the challenges that you face in your role? 

One of the key challenges is employee turnover. We continuously dedicate time and effort to creating a good working environment for our employees, providing training opportunities and involving colleagues in decisions that might affect their jobs – sharing with them the company’s mission, vision, and goals.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The utmost reward for me is working for SPAR. My team has such passion and spirit and I’m very lucky to work with them. We all recognise that great achievements can be reached through team unity, productivity and skills development. With growing competition in the food retail market, enthusiastic and knowledgeable employees are our true asset.

What are the highlights of your career to date?

Joining SPAR where over the last few years, I have been able to expand my knowledge and understanding of the retail industry. In addition to being the Store Manager of SPAR Shamka Hypermarket, I have been involved in the opening of six SPAR Express stores, which provided me with invaluable insight and experience in how to go about opening a store – from start to finish.

This story was first published in our quarterly magazine, Contact International.

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