Landmark Gulf Group announces its joint venture with Kurt Geiger
: Shoe Mart the leading chain of footwear stores from the house Landmark Gulf Group has announced a joint venture with Kurt Geiger, Europe’s largest luxury shoe specialist. The deal is expected to open up 30 Kurt Geiger stores across the Gulf region within the next 5 years.
Shoe Mart’s alliance with Kurt Geiger will add a new dimension to its current portfolio by bringing the latest designer shoes to the region. Merchandising a great collection of fashionable and comfortable – formal, casual and sport shoes, from over 30 countries around the globe. The Kurt Geiger store will offer stunning range of own label collections for men and women reflecting the design and identity of Kurt Geiger’s UK freestanding stores.
First of the two Kurt Geiger stores will be opened in Dubai in the next few weeks and with subsequent roll-out across the region over a period of next 5 years. The partnership further strengthens Kurt Geiger’s international presence in the luxury shoe and accessories market.
Manu Jeswani, CEO of Shoe Mart footwear division of Landmark Gulf Group commented: "We are very pleased to have secured this relationship with one of the foremost luxury footwear brands in the world as it fills a previously unfulfilled niche in our portfolio. From our perspective, Kurt Geiger's entry in the Middle East represents a significant shift in the region's market dynamics as customers of luxury shoes now have the option of choosing one of their favourites, which they could not do previously."
Andrew Lee, Director of Change at Kurt Geiger, commented: "We are delighted to have signed the agreement with Landmark Gulf Group and Shoe Mart who shares our vision for excellence and has a proven track record in the market. As the largest retailer of luxury footwear in Europe, Kurt Geiger already trade successfully throughout the UK, Italy and Paris and we see the Gulf Region as a natural progression in the international growth of our business.”
As the region's most successful footwear retailer, Shoe Mart is delighted to bring Kurt Geiger Brand to the Gulf. This is the first time Kurt Geiger has ventured into franchising and Shoe Mart is confident that their products will be well received by consumers and who will see significant value addition to Shoe Mart’s retail presence in the region.
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About Shoe Mart:
Shoe Mart is a leading chain of footwear stores, offering a galore of branded and value-for-money goods for a diverse audience, all under one roof. Today it is a household name in footwear and accessories. This concept took shape when it started its operations in March 1990 in Dubai, UAE. Since its inception, Shoe Mart has grown from a single shoe store to one of the largest ‘footwear and accessories’ retail chains in the GCC region comprising of 86 stores spread across UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and Spain.
Keeping in line with the changing trends in the footwear business, Shoe Mart today retails a great collection of fashionable and comfortable – formal, casual and sport shoes, from over 30 countries around the globe; thereby satisfying customer needs. Shoe Mart offers an extensive range of footwear from value-for-money shoes to leading international brands like, Bata (Italy), Barbie, Clarks, Ecco, Filanto, Hush Puppies, Imac, Lee Cooper, Puma, Red Tape, Reebok and Skechers. One can also find accessories such as belts, jewellery cases, handbags, luggage bags, purses, school bags, and an array of shoe care products, socks, suitcases and wallets, all under one roof. In addition to this, Shoe Mart also has individual concept stores for famous international brands such as Bata (Italy), Ecco, Pablosky and Kurt Geiger.
About Kurt Geiger:
Kurt Geiger is Europe’s largest luxury shoe retailer. It is the largest wholesaler of Gucci and Prada in Europe and has over 70 brands in its portfolio, including Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Versace, Church’s, John Lobb and Christian Louboutin.The company has 96 trading locations with over 70 concessions with leading department stores, including Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty, House of Fraser, Fenwick and John Lewis. It is also the chosen partner for BAA in the UK’s prominent airports. In September 2005, Kurt Geiger achieved its first international move with a concession opened in Printemps, Paris. This was followed by being chosen as the strategic partner for La Rinascente store group in Italy where Kurt Geiger is the exclusive operator of the store group’s luxury shoe business. In April 2006, the company also entered an exclusive joint venture with Tod’s S.p.A.
