Al Tayer Trends opens the first Crate and Barrel store in the Middle East in Dubai, also the brand's first venture outside North America. This one-stop homeware destination, located in Mall of the Emirates and built over a floor space of 25,069sqft, will be managed and operated by Al Tayer Trends, Al Tayer Group's lifestyle retail company.
The store's design quintessentially reflects the brand's style statement that is signature to every Crate and Barrel store, sharing a common architectural vocabulary of warm, natural materials like stone and wood. The store possesses a distinctive personality featuring simple, contemporary materials, including light wood finishes and white walls in the midst of airy spaces, dramatically lit to provide a warm neutral setting for Crate and Barrel's collection of classic modern-day home furnishings.
Speaking on the occasion, Barbara Turf, CEO of Crate and Barrel, U.S said, "With nearly five decades in the business and stores in almost every major North American market, we were eager to expand the brand presence globally. Dubai is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city and an international retail destination. It offers the perfect launch pad for our brand's global expansion. We value the rich retail experience and market knowledge of our franchisee partners, Al Tayer Trends".
With an investment of over 30 million AED, the store in Mall of the Emirates is designed with the architectural spirit that brings alive the core essence of the brand. The brand's signature 'retail-as-theater' merchandising style uses colour, texture, lighting and movement to create a dramatic backdrop for its collections. Merchandise is displayed in accessible abundance, encouraging customers to explore. Stylish lifestyle vignettes are scattered throughout the store and juxtaposed with colourful upright displays. Other products are lined up on brightly lit shelves or showcased in massed displays. Every aspect of the store environment is designed to create a uniquely exciting shopping experience.
Guillaume Motte, CEO, Al Tayer Trends, said, "We are extremely pleased to introduce Crate and Barrel to the UAE. The brand has enjoyed a category leading position in its home market for many years, and we look forward to emulating that success here in the Middle East."
Crate and Barrel customers may choose from a vibrant selection of carefully edited and coordinated merchandise in a broad range of categories. Colourful seasonal merchandise is combined with 'best-in-category' core selections to create a unique shopping experience that is easy, exciting and value-driven. Each product reflects the brand's timeless, fresh, comfortable style.
The brand offers beautiful, unique, useful products for every room in the home, from living room to bedroom, to kitchen, bath and home office. In addition to classic core products, customers will find an ever-changing assortment of beautiful seasonal items and accessories. A favourite destination for gift purchases, Crate and Barrel is also known for its kitchenware collection, its exclusive stemware and value driven furniture collection.
Crate and Barrel celebrates its opening by presenting customers with an array of products for Spring. This theme is a fusion of bright colours and ethnic influences, resulting in a contemporary, vibrant, graphic display of homeware. Textures and finishes are simple and natural, with a craftsman's touch: natural wood, warm zinc and antiqued nickel, tailored chambray, handwoven rattan. Sustainability remains an overall trend, coupled with a range of innovative, eco-friendly products and materials.
Well-designed products at a good value have been the basis of Crate and Barrel's success since its inception and are still the hallmark of the company. Excellent customer service and quality merchandise have helped the company establish its position as a leader in the segment, in its home market.
The core philosophy of the brand and a key attribute is to enhance the lives and homes of customers with special and unique products, thoughtfully designed with value in mind.
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About Crate and Barrel
Multi-channel home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel was founded in Chicago in 1962 by retailing pioneers Gordon and Carole Segal. Working directly with European ateliers and factories to import their products, Crate and Barrel was among the first to make contemporary tabletop and kitchenwares designs affordable to American consumers. The Crate and Barrel family of brands now includes its more modern off-shoot, CB2, and children's home furnishings retailer, The Land of Nod.
Crate and Barrel is a privately held company owned by the Otto Group of Hamburg, Germany.
About Al Tayer Group
Al Tayer Group is a diversified regional business established in 1979 with its headquarters in Dubai, UAE. Since its inception, the Group has grown rapidly and currently operates in 12 countries in the Middle-East and beyond, with over 7500 employees of 88 nationalities. It has built leading operations in multiple sectors, including automotive, contracting, distribution, publishing, retail, and services.
Al Tayer Group represents over 1000 global leading brands that span from Ferrari, Ford, Land Rover and Jaguar, among others, in the automotive sector to brands like ABB and Danzas in services.
In retail, Al Tayer Group has firmly anchored its position as a leader in the Middle East through the representation of major brands such as Harvey Nichols, Armani, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Bvlgari, and Boucheron, to name but a few. In addition, the Group has created and built a network of dedicated home-grown retail chains in fashion, jewellery & watches, perfumes & cosmetics, as well as interiors & furnishings. Complementing its position in luxury retail, the Group's portfolio also includes leading lifestyle brands such as Gap and Banana Republic.
About Al Tayer Trends
Al Tayer Trends is an Al Tayer Group company building new frontiers in lifestyle retail across the Middle East. The company represents 16 brands across its four divisions - Beauty, Home, Fashion, Food & Beverage, which reflect the diverse segments of the business. Its portfolio of brands includes Areej, Missha, Bobbi Brown, Korres, Gap, Banana Republic, Mamas & Papas, @home, Penhaligon, Caron, L'Artisan, Diptyque, MORE Café, Cosi, Caffè Nero and Galler.
Al Tayer Trends operates over 100 stores across Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. The company currently employs over 1400 people.
For more information, please visit www.altayer.com
For further information and images, please contact:
Mona Gopal
Account Manager PR
Tel +971 4 2011558
Email mgopal@altayer.com
Saima Manzoor
PR Executive
Tel +971 4 2011243
Email smanzoor@altayer.com
© Press Release 2010
