DUBAI
Moleskine, the luxury notebook company, is eyeing Dubai Intrnational Airport as a location for its first store in the Middle East, according to the CEO Arrigo Berni.
Speaking to Gulf News, Berni said: “I think that the Dubai Airport would be a good location for a store here, so when I get back to the office I’m going to talk to my retail people about it. I’m very interested in this.”
The Italian brand does not currently operate any stores in the region, although it has been expanding aggressively in recent years throughout Europe, currently operating over 80 stand-alone outlets around the world.
Berni, who has run the for over 10 years and recently oversaw its sale to Belgian auto group D’Ieteren for $509 million (Dh1.87 million), revealed that he was in the process of “having a number of conversations with companies who are interested in partnering with Moleskine to expand its cafe offering.”
Currently operating in Geneva and Milan, Berni intends for the Moleskine branded cafés to open up new revenue streams, as people move away from physical notebooks in favour of tablets and smartphones.
He confirmed that he was not currently in talks with any local partners to bring a cafe to Dubai, stating instead that “I’d prefer to have one partner that can then take us around the world. In order to remain agile, you need to simplify your approach to expansion.”
A number of stationery companies have repositioned themselves in recent years with a more luxury offering, most notably London notepad and diary maker Smythson.
For Berni, this is how Moleskine has managed to achieve a growth rate of 8 times faster than the stationery market, which is currently growing at 3-4 per cent a year.
“Moleskin is the only stationary company that has aspirational value, and through which people communicate their identity,” he said, going on to compare his brand with the likes of Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Modelled on the same classic notepads that were supposedly used by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, and Hemingway, Berni added that “our products offer more than just functionality, they offer history and a sense of culture that you can’t get elsewhere.”
Asked to predict whether this brand legacy would sustain Moleskine as digital devices continue to play an ever greater role in most peoples’ lives, he responded by saying that “in the past, I’d have struggled to predict 10 years down the line. Now, in terms of technology, I’m not sure what things will be like in two to three years time.”
“I have to figure out a way to stay relevant,” Berni added.
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