lifestyle MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 Features Centrepoint celebrates 100th store opening, announces expansion plans entrepoint, a unique retail format cater- geared to enter new markets and explore fur- ing to families across the region with ther opportunities.” Cfour leading brands from the Landmark Centrepoint has enjoyed significant suc- Group under one roof, has unveiled aggres- cess particularly in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sive expansion plans across the Middle East, where the concept has evolved into a popular Asia and Africa. With 100 stores in its retail fashion destination for families. Saudi Arabia, portfolio, Centrepoint is set to launch 20 top among the brand’s markets has 56 stores this year and 15 stores next year across Centrepoint stores, followed by the UAE mar- existing territories as well as new markets ket that has 15 stores. Simon Cooper, Head of including Iraq, Libya and other African coun- Centrepoint, said: “Based on our exhaustive tries. consumer research conducted in 2013 across The announcement was made during a our key markets in the GCC region, it is appar- press meet to celebrate the launch of the ent that shoppers closely connect with the brand’s store at Al- Ghurair Centre, Dubai - brand that Centrepoint represents. Centrepoint’s 100th outlet in the region. The We process 35 million transactions annual- brand that was launched in 2005 in Kuwait ly. The average customer visits Centrepoint at and had reached a total of 9 stores today cov- least nine times in a year and shops for at least ering an area of over 56000 square meters. three of the four brands with their families. Centrepoint currently retails four great brands These trends are strong indicators of under one roof - Juniors, Splash, Shoe Mart Centrepoint’s viability as a successful retail for- and Lifestyle - across Saudi Arabia, UAE, mat.” Enjoying unparalleled customer accept- Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon ance, Centrepoint is poised for phenomenal and Jordan that collectively span an aggre- growth driven by a workforce of over 10,000 gate retail footprint of over five million square trained personnel. The next five years look feet. crucial for the brand as it consolidates existing Vinod Talreja, Director, Centrepoint, said: operations and explores newer markets to “As an innovative, one-stop shopping con- widen its presence. cept, Centrepoint has received tremendous acceptance across all territories where it has a presence. Our success is a testimony not only Howard Stern arrives for an ‘Americaís Got Talent’ taping at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 4, 2014, in New York.—AP to the quality of products and services we offer, but also to the practicality of having a single destination that meets the shopping Stern on ‘Late Show’ job: needs of the entire family. With our experi- ence of almost a decade, Centrepoint is well ‘My plate is full’ oward Stern is just one of the names saying he’s sad to see Letterman leave. Stern Letterman, saying he’d be perfect. industry spectators are floating around said he enjoyed his appearances on the “Late “Howard is very special, you know? He gets Has a possible replacement for David Show with David Letterman.” right to the chase. He’s not scared of anything, Letterman. At least for now though, the long- “I’ve been doing the show for years and and I like that about him. He gets things out of time radio personality says of the idea, “My years and I’ve had so many funny, great times people. Sometimes people don’t even want to plate is full.” Stern addressed the late-night TV with him that, you know, it’ll be weird not to like say certain things, and he gets it out of talk show host’s retirement announcement have him there.” Stern also said there are few them.” Letterman announced Thursday he while arriving in New York on Friday for people in show biz whose opinion matters to plans to retire next year. “America’s Got Talent” “America’s Got Talent” auditions. Stern is one him, and Letterman is one. One of Stern’s fel- returns in May.—AP of the judges on the show. The 60-year-old low “America’s Got Talent” judges, Heidi Klum, stressed Letterman’s impact on late-night TV, supports the idea of Stern taking over for Q&A: Nicole Kidman keeping it real in latest roles ith several films set to debut this year, including such disparate turns as a taxidermist villainess, mysterious amnesiac and an Wactress-turned-princess, Nicole Kidman will again become a familiar face in theaters. While maintaining a steady presence in In this April 7, 2013 file photo, singer George Strait performs at the 48th Annual Academy of Hollywood for more than two decades, the 46-year-old Academy Award Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.—AFP photos winner has been focusing more in recent years on raising her two daugh- ters with husband and country star Keith Urban - away from the spotlight in Nashville, Tenn. Will fans give George For her latest role in “The Railway Man,” out April 11, the “Moulin Rouge” and “The Hours” star plays a supportive wife to World War II veter- an Eric Lomax (Colin Firth). In the autobiographical adaptation, Patti and Strait ACM’s top honor? Eric Lomax confront his past as a prisoner of war in Thailand, where he worked on the “death railway,” a 258-mile stretch of treacherous train here’s no question George Strait is the sure show circuit’s true surprises when he won the track running into Burma. Upcoming this year, Kidman will also play a vil- bet in the entertainer of the year category at award at the ACMs last year during his first stint as lainess in “Paddington,” amnesiac in “Before I Go to Sleep,” leading lady Tthe Academy of Country Music Awards, Shelton’s co-host. Grace Kelly in “Grace of Monaco” and Middle East pioneer Gertrude Bell in right? Not so fast, says Blake Shelton. Sure, the Shelton said he predicted the victory in the sec- “Queen of the Desert.” In an interview with The Associated Press, Kidman beloved star is on something of a victory lap after onds before it was announced and provides a discussed tackling portrayals of realer-than-real women like former nurse winning the same trophy at the rival Country measuring stick for Bryan’s rapidly growing popu- Patti Lomax, Gertrude Bell and her highly anticipated role in “Grace of Music Association Awards five months ago. But larity. “When that happened it’s like, oh, my god, Monaco,” which is opening this year’s Cannes Film Festival. (“Grace” was Sunday’s night’s ACM Awards are held in Las Vegas it’s not just a matter of selling a bunch of records In this Sept 6, 2013 file photo, Nicole Kidman poses for a photo- delayed from release last year following creative differences between the graph on the red carpet at the gala for the new movie ‘The where there’s no safe bet, after all, and the acade- and having some hits on the radio,” Shelton said. film’s director and distributor.) my’s once-controversial decision to open its top “He’s developed an enormous fan base. To beat out Railway Man’ during the 2013 Toronto International Film AP: You’ve played so many characters over the years, but how do you Festival in Toronto. —AP photos honor to fan voting makes the category enjoyably the people that he beat out last year, there’s noth- approach the ones based on actual people, like Virginia Woolf, Grace unpredictable. ing you can do but just respect that. That’s once in Kelly and Patti Lomax? tor Werner Herzog for “Queen of the Desert”? “I think George Strait probably has the biggest a lifetime and they’re there forever. To see him to Kidman: Patti is different because she’s still alive and was able to give Kidman: I call it Werner World. Werner World is just a different realm. overall fan base of any of us, but will they take time get to that place, I love it. I was just as excited - well me information about herself. I didn’t meet her until I started filming. It’s glorious. I said to him, “Werner, I feel like I’ve been in a dream with you to vote?” Shelton said. “That’s what we’ll find out, I not as excited because I didn’t cry - but I was hap- Everyone kept saying, “Do you want to meet her?” I was like, “No, I’d really for the past two-and-a-half months, and now I’ve got my feet back on guess.” “It’s an interesting thing,” said Luke Bryan, py for him.” like to be able to watch her in an interview.” Actually, the producer sat earth.” I’m at a place where I’m so interested in exploring things and Shelton’s ACMs co-host. “You never know when Bryan and Shelton figure in two of the night’s with her for hours - he’s a very good friend of hers - and taped her and going places that I haven’t been. I want my life to be full, so that means all those fans go online and vote. They have the com- other top categories. They’re both up for male sent me the tapes. I basically had access to her whole life, stories about of us - my family - up and moving to Morocco and doing this so we can plete power.