Abu Dhabi: Virgin Megastore, the regional entertainment, gadget and electronics store, opened its second outlet in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, making it the store’s 14th in Middle East and Gulf region.
The new store, located at Al Wahda Mall’s recently opened extension, offers a diverse and exclusive collection of music, movies, books, multimedia and accessories, Red Box merchandise and stationery. The first store, currently located at Abu Dhabi Mall, was opened in 2001.
Nisreen Shocair, President of Virgin Megastore Middle East and North Africa told Gulf News that it took the company this long to open its second outlet in the capital because it was difficult to find the right location and secure the space needed. “A lot of it had to do with the right development,” she said.
Potential openings
However, Virgin will be accelerating its growth in the capital, Shocair said, adding that there will be at least two new outlets opened within the next two years. The management is also looking at Al Ain for potential store openings.
Shocair said that a lot of the growth comes along with the growth in the real estate market and the new developments that are coming online in Abu Dhabi. “We’re not community based. If you’re in food and beverage, you can be anywhere. But we can’t do that. We have to remain a destination.”
The store will also look into organising events such as book signings or album launches especially with Arabic content.
“There’s a lot of interest in Abu Dhabi and Arabic content tends to do better in here.”
Shocair said that the growth has been “astronomical” for the store. “I would say we’ve doubled in size and in revenue if you compared 2008 to now [2012].”
