New partnership brings Robinsons to GCC

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jan 28, 2016

Dubai-based business house Al-Futtaim has announced a partnership with Middle-Eastern luxury goods expert Chalhoub Group to bring 150-year old Singapore department store Robinsons to the GCC and Middle-East region.

In today’s announcement, Paul Delaoutre, former Managing Director of upscale French department store chain Galeries Lafayette, and current Al-Futtaim Retail President, said: “Al-Futtaim has already been operating four Robinsons department stores in Singapore and Malaysia and through our partnership with the Chalhoub Group we will bring this unique format department store to the Middle East expanding the brand’s footprint and strengthening its international appeal.”

The first Robinsons store in the GCC and Middle-East region will open in spring 2017 at Al-Futtaim’s Dubai Festival City Mall after the current expansion project is completed. This pilot Robinsons will be a 3 level, 18,000sqm (almost 200,000 sq ft) destination, promised to be the first of many projects in the region.

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The Dubai Festival City Mall Robinsons store will offer a large selection of categories including fashion brands for women, men, kids, beauty, home and lifestyle. There will be restaurants and other unique services in store.

Thierry Prevost, Managing Director of Fashion and Department store for Al-Futtaim Retail said: “The store will redefine fashion retail, with unique, innovative and interactive concepts, exclusive product offerings, innovative interior design and intuitive visual merchandising. We are very excited about the future of Robinsons in the Middle-East and look forward to making further announcements soon.”

Al-Futtaim is familiar with Robinsons, as it acquired Robinsons in 2008 and already operates three Robinsons stores in Singapore and one in Malaysia. This will be its first foray into the GCC via its partnership with Chalhoub Group, who has vast Middle-East business experience through its current operations of 650 luxury fashion and beauty retail stores in the region.