The cruise ship Queen Elisabeth 2 has completed 1,400 cruises in its lifetime, covered some 6 million nautical miles and entertained nearly 2.5 million passengers. Meanwhile, the 1967 built ship serves as a popular attraction in the port of Dubai. No ship symbolizes the importance and ingenuity of maritime engineering and craftsmanship as much as the QE2 - a role model for design, innovation and speed. Adhering to these maxims, the Store Makers from umdasch manufactured the equipment for the 400 square meter retail space on the cruise liner. The solid concept comes from Retail Concepts Design, Dubai.

Between 11 and 15 November 2018, more than 25 retailers, architects and trend scouts found inspiration in the desert metropolises of Dubai and Abu Dhabi within the framework of the umdasch Shop Academy study expedition. Their sight-seeing programme took in numerous shopping malls and outdoor retail concepts, together with the sources of shop dramaturgy such as the traditional “Gold Souk”. The content of the tour was put together by the two retail trend scouts Christian Mikunda and Denise Mikunda-Schulz. The shopping miles, promenades and experience concepts of the United Arab Emirates impress with casual street-art flair and perfectly staged theme settings. In the evenings spectators are drawn to many shopping malls by the spectacular water gardens combined with media shows at the highest level.

In September 2018, the international shopfitting company umdasch The Store Makers signed an investment deal with the Viennese start-up Jingle. With a digital marketplace for brick-and-mortar retailers, users will be able to easily view and compare all products and related information, pricing and availability from surrounding retailers on their smartphones - starting on November 12, Jingle will launch the beta version of the trailblazing program.

Bettenrid sees itself as a traditional house for good sleep and is represented in Germany with three branches, one in Frankfurt and two in Munich. The store in the Theatiner Street in Munich will be completely renovated in the next few years in the context of a master concept: The store Makers umdasch are responsible as a general contractor for shopfitting and could now awaken the basement of the old villa from sleep.

The facade of the main building of Hirmer, decorated with numerous geraniums, offers tourists a popular photo opportunity in the bustling „Kaufingerstraße” in Munich. Visitors to all over the world have also been welcomed in the business for over 100 years - now in an ambience with high-quality interiors by umdasch The Store Makers, designed by the architecture bureau Gruschwitz.

Together with customers, employees, long-standing partners and associates, Umdasch Group has written 150 years of company history. A large portion of this success can be attributed to the dedication of owners Hilde Umdasch and Alfred Umdasch. As members of the fourth generation of the founding family, the siblings steer the company’s fate. Today, in their capacity as owner representatives on the Supervisory Board of Umdasch Group.

Only a few years ago people claimed that Dubai was like the fairy tale of the “genie in the bottle”. They built the tallest building and the biggest mall in the world, a well as an eye-catching aquarium full of superlatives, a ski dome in the desert mall which delights locals and tourists alike and an artificial offshore island in the shape of a palm tree which can even be recognised from space. In Dubai people simply asked what was not possible – and then built it anyway. In the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi, sustainability is presented through both culture and architecture.