New Harvey Nichols in store for top Dubai mall

Published on Tuesday 6 July 2004 12:45

HARVEY Nichols, the upmarket retail group, is to open its first store in the United Arab Emirates in the long-awaited Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, which is due to open in September 2005.

The British company, which has outlets in Edinburgh, London and Leeds, has signed an agreement with the Al Tayer Group, a leading and diversified Dubai-based business group.

Spread over 120,000 square feet, the store will represent a diverse portfolio of exclusive brands in fashion, fragrance, beauty and home and will include a gourmet food market and restaurants.

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, chairman and chief executive of Al Tayer, said securing the exclusive licence for the Harvey Nichols brand in the UAE meant the Al Tayer group would be continuing the expansion of its high-end lifestyle brands portfolio which includes some of the world’s leading names in fashion, jewellery, beauty, fragrances and home decor.

"We are delighted to announce our partnership with the world-renowned Harvey Nichols group, at the prestigious Mall of the Emirates," said Mr Al Tayer.

"It is our endeavour to make a firm commitment to bringing the best brands to the UAE and strengthen its image as the premier global destination for shopping and tourism."

The Dubai store will be Harvey Nichols’ second outlet outside Britain. The other one is in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.

Harvey Nichols floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1997, but in 2003 returned to private ownership under the control of Hong Kong-based retail magnate Dickson Poon.

Joseph Wan, the chief executive at Harvey Nichols - which started trading in 1813 - said: "We are pleased to be associated with a dynamic and distinguished group like Al Tayer, who shares our vision of creating a successful retail environment for luxury brands for a discerning audience.

"We are confident that Harvey Nichols will experience immense success with the Al Tayer Group."

The family-owned Al Tayer group was established in 1979 and is among the UAE’s leading diverse business groups.

Its fashion and jewellery division represents some of the world’s most exclusive brands, including Bvlgari, Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Loro Piana, Sergio Rossi and Yves Saint Laurent.

Al Tayer also runs interior design operations under the Aati banner, as well as a distribution business for some of the world’s leading names in perfumes and cosmetics, including Emanuel Ungaro, Escada, Guerlain, Issey Miyake and Salvatore Ferragamo among others.