Chanel is not the only one brand aiming for Dubai: Givenchy’s CEO Sebastian Suhl recently revealed the brand’s expansion plans for the Middle East to WWD, stating that Dubai, above all, is a strategic location for the French brand.
“Dubai itself is quite the hub for entertainment for the entire region. It’s a super-diverse, sophisticated market,” Suhl said, adding that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also among the brand’s most important markets in the region.
Givenchy is currently in talks to open three new boutiques: a franchise shop in the Dubai Mall, a flagship store in the Mall of the Emirates by mid-2015, and another boutique on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Suhl also mentioned that the brand is currently discussing more shop-in-shop opportunities throughout the region, and would also provide more assorted products at both Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s Dubai.
“It’s a region where the brand has a strong notoriety historically. We see the Middle Eastern client accounting for a reasonably good portion of our sales in Paris and other markets,” he concluded.
