The world's first stand-alone Joe Bloggs store opened at Ibn Battuta Mall on Tuesday.
The shop is a partnership between brand owners The Juice Corporation, which is based in Britain, and Retailcorp, part of Istithmar and Dubai World.
The Joe Bloggs clothing brand is targeted at boys aged between seven and 16.
Senior executives have revealed plans to open 50 Joe Bloggs stores across the GCC within the next five years.
"Retailcorp is the ideal partner to bring the Joe Bloggs brand to Gulf consumers," said Kashif Ahmed, managing director of Juice Corporation.
"With an estimated 20 per cent of the GCC population below the age of 16, there is a substantial fashion-conscious youth market to which this brand appeals. For The Juice Corporation, Retailcorp was our partner of choice." The two companies will work in partnership to open 11 more outlets in the next two years, with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as the target markets.
They are also planning additional shops in the UAE and possibly Turkey and India. Men's and ladies wear ranges could also be launched.
"The Joe Bloggs brand has been successfully sold in the Middle East for the last five years through leading department stores, and it is a natural progression to move into stand-alone retail given the exponential growth of quality retail space coming online in the Middle East," Ahmed added.
By Matt Smith
© Emirates Today 2006
