Dubai: Al Tayer Group will open the first Crate & Barrel home furnishing stores outside North America in Dubai early next year.
In a franchise agreement the Al Tayer Group will open two stores in 2010, one in the Mall of the Emirates and the other in Mirdif City Centre which will also open its doors in the first quarter.
The stores will be managed and operated by Al Tayer Trends, the lifestyle retail arm of the group.
Crate & Barrel is already an industry leader in the US and is known for its exclusive furniture and houseware designs, including kitchenware, tabletops and home accessories.
All merchandise available in the US stores will also be offered in the UAE.
"Dubai represents an excellent growth opportunity and launching pad to extend our brand internationally. It is a robust retail market with many similarities to US retail - state of the art shopping malls, high profile global brands and a diverse and sophisticated customer base. We are fortunate in our franchise partner, Al Tayer Group, who brings tremendous operational expertise and resources to our collaboration," said Barbara Turf, chief executive of Crate & Barrel.
Founded in 1962, the company now operates 177 stores across 82 North American markets including Toronto and Calgary.
Analysts say that due to revamped efforts to save money, people may spend more time at home and therefore more likely to spend money on their houses.
The impact of lower rents and house prices in recent months has also played its part with people being able to put the money saved on rent towards new furniture.
The brand also has a catalogue featuring furniture collections, ready-to-assemble furniture and also has a bridal registry.
"We are pleased to bring the Crate & Barrel franchise to the region and are confident that the brand's unique product mix coupled with our regional retail expertise will create a successful value proposition for customers," said Khalid Al Tayer, chief operating officer of Al Tayer Group.
