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The beauty of our CSR initiatives is that besides benefitting communities, our customers also benefit, as they can automatically Do Good whilst shopping with a company that has real values. They get to shop in a more caring environment with better service, as our staff members really care. And they get a better product for a better price because our suppliers care.

We believe that in today’s world, the best talent wants to work for a company that cares and allows them to make a meaningful difference in the world as part of their daily job. Companies without real values will not only lose their staff but also their customers. Our people are the soul of THE One and our first priority is to take care of them. We, therefore, provide our tribe members with security in a financially strong company and a friendly, supportive and rewarding team atmosphere rooted in our Core Values of LOVE, LIVE, DARE and BELIEVE.

We take pride in training our staff well and provide them with all the tools they need to perform, add meaning to their daily job, recognise and reward performance, and celebrate wins! The key is to engage and entertain.

By training our staff on our new ERP system and launching it in April 2018, internal processes have become more streamlined, increasing staff productivity and resulting in a significant reduction in customer waiting time in-store.

As an incentive for store teams, we created a unique product sale program that recognises and rewards performance on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. This company-funded programme builds team spirit by recognising and rewarding achievements by giving prizes, throwing parties and a whole lot more.

Finally, climbing from fourth place on last year’s list whilst having ranked in the Top 5 amongst multinationals for seven consecutive years, THE One took not only the top spot but Thomas
Lundgren was also named ‘Leader Of The Year 2017’ on the UAE Great Place To Work® List and was also rewarded the Most Responsible Retailer of the Year 2017.

Big on reusing instead of reducing our planet’s precious resources, we have a wide variety of eco-chic products. Like our Good Wood furniture collection that features wood from managed forests or plantations and not from illegal logging, or our eco-friendly candle ranges, made from sustainable soy and beeswax instead of paraffin.

Finally, we give shoppers a choice between degradable plastic shopping bags, chic denim tote bags, or a chance to help us reuse our packaging material. 

At THE One we continue to find ways to differentiate ourselves from other brands and hold on to what makes us unique – being magical and meaningful.

We believe that the world does not need another retailer; we believe we need a better world. For 22 years we have been developing a solid reputation in engaging with society and empowering our communities to evolve. For us it’s not about the bottom line but about Creating Shared Value; benefitting People, the Planet and also our Profit, because the better we do as a company, the more good we can do.

As the company’s turnover is the funding source for our CSR activities, the better the business does the more good we can do. We will continue to make a difference by Changing the World Together as long as our home fashion fans continue to ‘purchase with purpose’ at THE One.

Challenges:

a)    As a brand with CSR embedded in its DNA, how do we continue to build long-term loyalty over short-term wins?

b)    How can we attract more engagement and social sharing to help advance a customer’s own personal values?

In terms of being eco-conscious, we stock a wide range of furniture made from Verification of Legal Origin certified wood. Our ‘Good Wood’ collection features wood from managed forests or plantations and not from illegal logging. Independently audited by TÜV Rheinland, documentation of each piece of wood ensures that it can be traced back to its source, so tree lovers can rest assured the entire process is ‘above board’.

THE One Total Home Experience is a UAE grown Lifestyle Brand that offers Seasonal Collections of Affordable Home Fashion that appeals to a wide audience, to suit different social living spaces with the philosophy of being both magical and meaningful.    

We believe that the world does not need another retailer; we believe we need a better world. That is why, being THE [responsible] One, we aim to inspire fans with Affordable Home Fashion while Changing the World Together. To this end, we support several local and international charities and employ physically and mentally challenged individuals.

Vision:

At THE One we continuously improve on our value proposition by offering our customers Great Value by delivering ‘magical’ products, stores, people, and service and whilst giving customers a ‘meaningful’ chance to Change the World.

Core Purpose:

Our Core Purpose is to make the world a better place for everyone by Changing the World Together. We have a responsibility to our children, people, customers, and communities, to try to improve the world we live in. We do this together through our Do Good initiatives, which include Ethical Sourcing, Challenged Employees, Local Volunteering and our Big Idea: global education through THE Onederworld.

A Brief History:

Invented by Thomas Lundgren and born and bred in the United Arab Emirates, THE One Total Home Experience opened its first store in 1996 in Abu Dhabi. Today THE One has a total of 22 stores and 1 Bistro Restaurant across the Middle East and North Africa, with a total staff complement of over 560 and have been named THE no.1 Best Workplaces in Asia 2019, and 2^nd Best Workplaces in the UAE 2019 by the Great Place To Work Institute.

In recent years, THE One has not only been growing, we have also been evolving.

THE One brand today consists of:

•                   THE One - our mid-range concept offering affordable home fashion
•                   FUSION by THE One - our high-end home fashion concept
•                   THE One Basics – our no-frills cash-and-carry concept
•                   THEOne.com – our online e-commerce platform
•                   THE One Bistro – our international restaurant concept

“A finest gesture a person can make is to save life by Donating a Blood”.