Partnership links two leading loyalty ecosystems across education and lifestyle, providing members with greater flexibility, value and choice
DUBAI, UAE – September 2026: GEMS Education and Landmark Group have announced a strategic partnership connecting their respective loyalty programmes, GEMS Rewards and Shukran, creating new opportunities for members to benefit from a broader and more rewarding ecosystem across education, retail and everyday lifestyle experiences.
Through this partnership, members of both programmes will be able to enjoy enhanced flexibility and access to a wider range of rewards and benefits through a seamless integration between GEMS Rewards and Shukran allowing points to be transferred between the two programmes. By bringing together two trusted brands that serve families across multiple aspects of their daily lives, the collaboration expands how members can unlock value from their engagement with both organizations.
The partnership enables GEMS Rewards members to access the extensive portfolio of Landmark Group brands, including popular brands like Centrepoint, Max Fashion, Home Centre, Home Box, Babyshop, Splash, Styli and Emax. At the same time, Shukran members will gain access to benefits across the GEMS Rewards ecosystem, including opportunities linked to education, family experiences and other exclusive member offers.
Dino Varkey, Group CEO, GEMS Education, said: “Everything we do through GEMS Rewards is centred on creating meaningful value. Our partnership with Landmark Group represents another important step in expanding our loyalty ecosystem and making every point work harder for our families.”
Rahul Jagtiani, Group Director at Landmark Group, said: “Through our collaboration with GEMS, we are continuing to expand the Shukran ecosystem and create more meaningful value for our members beyond retail. We are equally pleased to welcome GEMS Rewards members to Shukran, giving them access to a broader range of benefits across our brands and partners.”
The partnership reflects the growing evolution of loyalty programmes beyond traditional retail and transactional rewards, creating connected ecosystems that deliver meaningful benefits across multiple aspects of customers’ lives. By linking education and everyday spending, GEMS Rewards and Shukran are introducing a new way for members to maximise the value of their rewards through a seamless digital experience.
Members will be able to access the points exchange functionality through the GEMS Rewards and Shukran platforms, subject to programme terms and conditions.
About GEMS Education:
GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading, oldest and largest private K-12 education providers, with a legacy spanning more than 65 years. Founded in the UAE with roots dating back to 1959, and beginning with a single school in a private home in Dubai in 1968, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its visionary Founder and Chairman, Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, and Jay Varkey, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer.
Today, GEMS educates more than 200,000 students from over 176 nationalities through its global network of owned and managed schools, supported by more than 17,700 employees, including over 10,000 educators and school leaders representing 112 nationalities. Having educated more than 500,000 students over the decades, GEMS continues to provide world-class education through four curricula, preparing young people with the knowledge, character and confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Guided by its enduring mission to put a quality education within the reach of every learner, everywhere, GEMS combines academic rigour with character development, wellbeing, innovation and strong partnerships with families and communities. Its graduates progress to the world’s leading universities, with students accepted into more than 2,000 universities across 71 countries over the past five years, including all eight Ivy League universities in the US and all 24 Russell Group universities and colleges in the UK. In the last four years alone, more than 3,500 GEMS graduates have attended the world’s top 100 universities, over 2,200 have progressed to Russell Group universities, almost 2,000 have enrolled at the world’s top 50 universities, and more than 60 have gone on to Ivy League institutions.
Through its expanding network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS continues to create opportunities for young people to become leaders, innovators and positive changemakers in their communities and beyond.
About Landmark Group:
Founded in 1973 in Bahrain and headquartered in the UAE since 1990, Landmark Group has evolved into one of the region’s largest and most successful omnichannel retail and hospitality conglomerates, with a presence in more than 11 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
The Group owns and operates 22 established homegrown brands across over 2,500 outlets, encompassing a gross leasable area of 33 million square feet, in addition to multiple ecommerce platforms, generating over US$7.5bn in annual revenue.
Landmark Group’s sustained growth is driven by its diverse retail portfolio of homegrown brands, offering a comprehensive range of products across fashion, home, groceries, and electronics.
This includes Centrepoint, Max Fashion, Home Centre, Babyshop, Splash, Shoemart, Lifestyle, Viva, Emax, Home Box, Styli, Shoexpress, wowmart, Spar, and Easybuy.
Beyond retail, the Group has also diversified into leisure, fitness, and hospitality with leading concepts such as Fitness First, Citymax Hotels, Fun City, Fun Ville, Zafran, and Carluccio’s.
The Group’s operational excellence is supported by unparalleled logistics capabilities, most notably Omega Logistics, the MENA region’s largest privately owned distribution hub, and Logistiq, its state-of-the-art third-party logistics provider.
Landmark Group places a strong emphasis on delivering exceptional value, quality, and achieving customer satisfaction throughout all touchpoints. With a workforce of over 53,500 employees, the Group continues to be recognised as a Great Place to Work® (GPTW), a certification it has maintained since 2017. For more information, visit Landmark Group’s website or follow it on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
