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Dubai’s long-haul operator Emirates Airline is revamping its retail locations and is set to invest millions of dollars to boost its appeal to travellers
The airline opened on Monday its first pilot “Emirates World” store in Dubai’s Jumeirah district. It confirmed that it is expected to spend AED 100 million ($27.2 million) over the next three years as part of its retail strategy.
The new concept store, a first of its kind for the airline, occupies a 3,000-square-foot space in Jumeirah Town Centre. It is meant for customers to “shop for all their travel needs in a lounge-like environment”, the airline said in a statement.
The store features curated merchandise and travel accessories and enables customers to interact with travel consultants that can offer one-stop shop services, including airline ticketing and customer support related to Emirates Holidays and Skywards.
Other in-store offerings
Customers who walk into the shop can also immerse themselves in the airline’s signature products via virtual or augmented reality technologies, as well as try out the airline’s new cabin offering, the Premium Economy seat which is on display at the store.
“The opening of this latest concept store is an expression of our retail vision for the future and marks the first of several stores we’ll be opening in the coming years across our network,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer.
The airline reported this month a half-year profit of AED 4 billion, a turnaround from last year’s loss of AED 5.8 billion. Its revenue and operating income went up 131% to AED 50.1 billion.
The strong turnaround was driven by strong passenger demand for international travel across several markets.
(Reporting by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
