Only two years after the launch of his retail concept, C. Wonder, Christopher Burch has officially announced the arrival of his American womenswear and lifestyle brand in the region through a licensing deal with Al Tayer. “We have a five-year plan,” Burch told WWD. “The goal is to have 250 to 300 stores in 50 countries in five years.”
According to Khalid Al Tayer, CEO of the Al Tayer Group, C.Wonder has a promising future in the Middle East. “There’s a level of energy and animation in the store that comes out of all the elements of C. Wonder—the store design, product creativity, and assortment,” he explained. “We have very young customers in the Gulf. This resonates very well with them.”
Expanding on future plans, Burch added: “I’d like to get into men’s; it’s going to be a great market going forward. There’s a huge appetite for kids and baby, especially in the Middle East.”
In the first quarter of 2014, the womenswear retailer will open five stores in the region, in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. The first C. Wonder store will open at the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, in early Spring.
