Dubai: What do Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker and Paris Hilton have in common?
They are all celebrities, of course, but they are also among the most prominent figures who have chosen Dubai to promote their own product lines.
While some celebrities are carving a presence in Dubai’s retail industry, selling everything from fragrances and watches to shoes and handbags, some have chosen the emirate as a base to launch their business ventures — and consumers are hungry for them [celebs].
The city, known as a shopping hub in the region, has all the perks that would attract celebrity investors: a growing brand-conscious population with deep pockets and an interest in the lives of the rich and famous.
“Dubai is known to be a shopping hub, hence driving celebrities to open their own stores in the country. Consumers are hungry for new brands. There is a market here for luxury brands — luxury is growing fast,” said Fatima Sharif, senior research analyst at Euromonitor International.
The latest celebrity to make her mark in Dubai was US actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who recently launched her shoe collection, SJP Collection, at department stores Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s. The launch marked Parker’s collection’s international debut.
She told Gulf News, ahead of her visit to Dubai for the collection’s launch, that it was “an enormous opportunity for us to reach a whole new customer.”
She collaborated with Manolo Blahnik’s chief executive George Malkemus, for the three-piece collection.
“We’ve had a lot of fun curating a collection we feel, and hope, properly reflects and suits the Middle Eastern woman’s lifestyle,” she said.
Parker joins other celebrities that have taken their brands to Dubai.
Last month, reality star Kim Kardashian launched her seventh fragrance, Fleur Fatale, at Parfum Monde on Shaikh Zayed Road.
Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has a store and watch line here, too. She was in Dubai in December 2013 to launch a new range of handbags.
The ongoing expansion of shopping malls here only adds to many factors that drive celebrities to Dubai, according to analysts.
“You have got a lot of mall expansion and selling space here,” Sharif said.
Business ventures
On a different note, Bollywood actor and producer, Anil Kapoor, chose Dubai to launch his dream project — a global entertainment company called Antila Ventures. In an earlier interview with Gulf News, Kapoor said he considers the emirate as a gateway to international markets. His company, Antila Ventures, will reportedly cater to all aspects related to content creation and filmmaking.
With Dubai offering media clusters and the ease of doing businesses in addition to the facilities, Kapoor said having a headquarter here will bring him a good level of certainty and the positive energy which can help ensure his international exposure quite quickly.
“Given that I already have a presence in Mumbai, London and Los Angeles, today’s landscape is such that no company can be called a global one if it does not have its presence in Dubai. Hence we made sure that we set up an office here,” he said in the interview.
Similarly, Hollywood actor and serial investor Ashton Kutcher launched his business venture, the Ketchup restaurant, in Dubai’s Downtown area in mid-2013.
The restaurant, which first opened in West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard in 2007, has since expanded globally with branches in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and now in the UAE.
A celebrity name can attract a lot of attention to a product, analysts say.
“When the customer is able to identify a brand name, it gives a connection with the brand and helps build a relationship with it because they know the person whose store they are buying from,” said Ajai Dayal, chief executive of retail consultancy, Tridayle Consult.
He further noted that celebrities’ businesses have generally been successful in Dubai. Their success partly depends on how popular the person is.
