•Flagship location at The Dubai Mall; exclusive partnership with Emaar Retail to open Armani/Casa stores across UAE
•Luxury product range includes furniture to accessories; fabrics to ornaments and lighting
•All products exclusively designed by Giorgio Armani
Dubai - Giorgio Armani and Emaar Retail are pleased to announce that starting from October 30 2008, Armani/Casa, the home's furnishing division of Giorgio Armani S.p.A will make its first appearance in the UAE with a flagship store at The Dubai Mall, in an exclusive partnership with Emaar Retail, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Emaar Malls Group.
The collaboration will see the luxury Armani/Casa brand open stores across the UAE region with the first at The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping and lifestyle destinations. Personally designed by world-renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani, furniture, accessories, fabrics, ornaments and lighting make up the Armani/Casa product collection while the catalogue also includes modular bathroom arrangements and kitchen systems.
The underlying concept behind the Dubai Armani/Casa (396 sq m or 4,263 sq ft) store is to create a distinctive atmosphere through a combination of products that range from furniture and furnishings to accessories, décor and fabrics - for day, night zones and for the kitchen - carefully selected for their compatibility in terms of shape, material and colour, all within a bright but softly lit environment.
Operating in 45 countries with a retail network of 80 dedicated stores, Armani/Casa is preferred by interior designers for the line's emphasis on creating a stylish yet functional living space. Armani/Casa also provides an interior design service for customers offering furnishing anecdotes, decorating services and planning & installation of full-fledged residential projects.
The flagship Armani/Casa store at The Dubai Mall will also have a world-class interior design and consultancy service to advise customers through the entire process - from making informed purchasing decisions to installing and furnishing the home.
Giorgio Armani said: "The Armani/Casa brand has already built a strong worldwide identity, when planning the first UAE store finding a prestigious location for our flagship store was important. With The Dubai Mall set to be the region's premier lifestyle and shopping destination, and its unrivalled location next to the Burj Dubai, it was clear that The Dubai Mall would be the exclusive destination for the Armani/Casa brand."
Mr Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall said: "The Dubai Mall has some of the world's finest names in retail across various sectors. The opening of the first Armani/Casa in the UAE at The Dubai Mall, a world-renowned furnishing and accessories brand, highlights the highest standards of retailing that The Dubai Mall pursues. The Armani/Casa store is well-placed within the luxury fashion precinct in The Dubai Mall, providing a highly exclusive shopping experience for visitors to Dubai and The Dubai Mall."
The Dubai Mall will have over 1,200 retail stores and over 160 food & beverage outlets. One of the key components of the mall is Fashion Avenue, the 440,000 sq ft dedicated fashion precinct with 70 signature stores dedicated to haute couture.
Other attractions at The Dubai Mall include the world-class Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre, the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink, the world's largest indoor Gold Souk with 220 retailers, the Middle East's first Galeries Lafayette department store; KidZania®, a 80,000 sq ft children's 'edu-tainment' centre; SEGA Republic®, a high adrenaline indoor theme park, The Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscape with fully retractable roof; and a 22-screen Cineplex. The Dubai Mall is confirmed to open later this year.
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About Armani/Casa:
was launched in the year 2000 through its first store at Armani / Via Manzoni in Milan. Giorgio Armani's objective was to bring his philosophy of style to the world of home interiors and in so doing create the complete concept of an Armani lifestyle. With Armani/Casa, Giorgio Armani presents his ideal for living, his dream of the perfect environment: an intimate and sophisticated space in which to relax, unwind and entertain guests surrounded by beauty manifested through furniture and objects for the home. The Armani/Casa collection is multi-faceted and offers a complete environment. There are items of furniture, tableware, decoration accessories, fabrics, ornaments, lighting, as well as original ideas for the bathroom and now the kitchen. In addition, Armani/Casa also offers an exclusive interior design service providing innovative solutions for property developers, architects and private clients.
Today Armani/Casa has 80 stores in 45 countries. In the near future, Armani/Casa will see further expansion through the unique collection of Armani Hotels&Resorts that Giorgio Armani is launching in collaboration with Emaar Properties, one of the world's leading property developers, all of which will be furnished with a dedicated Armani/Casa collection.
About Emaar Malls Group LLC:
Emaar Malls Group LLC, is the retail and shopping mall subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, a leading property developer based in Dubai, and drives its diversification into shopping malls. This is in line with Emaar's Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Emaar has announced investments in shopping malls of over US$4 billion (AED 15 billion) with 10 million sq ft of retail property in operation or under development in the emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and South Asia and is on target to become one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the world.
At the forefront of these developments is the flagship The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest malls in the heart of the Downtown Burj Dubai. Opening in late 2008, The Dubai Mall will be a premier lifestyle and entertainment destination. Emaar Malls Group is also developing two other malls in Dubai; Souk Al Bahar, an Arabesque shopping and entertainment development on The Old Town Island which is now open, and the Dubai Marina Mall, a lifestyle shopping mall for residents of the Dubai Marina community opening in late 2008. Recently, Emaar Malls Group unveiled Cairo Gate, Egypt's largest shopping mall and leisure destination at the Cairo-Alexandria Project site, a mixed-use development spread over 160 acres.
About Emaar Retail:
Emaar Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emaar Malls Group LLC and is the vehicle for all retail operations. Emaar Retail is developing a portfolio of brands in key growth markets and is strategically building new alliances, joint ventures, franchises and licenses for all mall developments under the Emaar Malls Group umbrella.
Emaar Retail also manages the business operations for The Dubai mall's leisure and entertainment brands including KidZania®, SEGA Republic®, the Olympic-sized 'Dubai Ice Rink' and Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre. Emaar Retail has also entered into a joint-venture with Cathay Organisation in Singapore, to form Reel Entertainment to develop cinemas across the region including flagship 22-screen Cineplex at The Dubai Mall.
Emaar Retail was established to drive Emaar Malls Group's developments in key emerging markets across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent through creating the right retail mix for the various markets.
About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties PJSC is one of the world's largest property development companies and is rapidly evolving to become a global provider of premier lifestyles. Emaar Properties, which has a strong presence in 36 global markets, has expanded into shopping malls in line with its Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world through a two-pronged approach of geographic expansion and business segmentation. For more information visit www.emaar.com.
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Home
ASDA'A BURSON-MARSTELLER
Tel: (+971 4) 334 4550
E-mail: k.home@asdaa.com
Roisin Lillis
ASDA'A BURSON-MARSTELLER
Tel: (+971 4) 334 4550
Email: n.william@asdaa.com
Gabriella De Biase
Tel. +39 02 83106090
Email: gabriella.debiase@giorgioarmani.it
Viviana Giussani
Tel. + 39 02 83106091
Email: viviana.giussani@giorgioarmani.it
© Press Release 2008
