Apparel Group LLC is a UAE based fashion and retail conglomerate company headquartered in Dubai, UAE.[3][4]

Apparel Group
Company typePrivate Company
IndustryFashion & Retail
Founded1996; 28 years ago (1996) by Sima Ved
HeadquartersDubai, UAE
ProductsFabrics, garments, designer wear, denim, cosmetics, fashion accessories, footwear, icecream, coffeehouse and restaurant chain
Revenue2 Billion USD (2023)[1]
Number of employees
22000[2]
Websiteapparelgroup.com
Beverly Hills Polo Club retail store in Shenzhen, China, 2024

Apparel Group operates more than 2300 retail stores with more than 85 brands,[2][5] and is functional in 14 countries, mostly in the GCC region, such as UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Egypt, South Africa, and Indonesia.[6][7][8][9][10][11][4]

History

edit

Apparel Group was founded by Sima Ved in 1996. Their first venture was the franchisee of Nine West in Dubai.[12][13][14]

Brands functional under the group include Aéropostale (clothing), Nine West, Aldo Group, Charles & Keith, Tim Hortons, Dune London, Inglot Cosmetics, The Children's Place, Skechers, Cold Stone Creamery, Tommy Hilfiger (company), LC Waikiki,[15][8][16] Ardene, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Birkenstock, Call It Spring, Calvin Klein, Crocs, Forest Essentials, Hush Puppies, Levi's, Steve Madden, ASICS[17] and Toms.[18]

In August 2021, Apparel Group headquarters earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification through the US Green Building Council.[19]

In April 2022, the company launched 20 stores at the Place Vendôme mall in Lusail City, Qatar.[20] In October, Apparel Group entered into a partnership with Indian cosmetics retailer Nykaa to build Nysaa, a multi-brand beauty retail business in the GCC where Nykaa will hold a 55% stake of the entity and Apparel Group will hold 45%.[21][22][2] In March 2024, Nysaa opened its first store at the City Centre Mirdif in Dubai,[22] and in May announced a partnership with Kay Beauty, a beauty brand owned by Katrina Kaif to offer its products through Nysaa store.[23][24]

As of February 2023, Apparel Group launched 19 new store locations in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, KSA, and India.[25] In March, the group entered into a partnership with the Indian ayurvedic brand, Forest Essentials to distribute their skincare products through the Apparel Group's stores.[26][27] In May, Apparel Group announced the opening of 12 new retail stores at Al Khiran Mall in Kuwait.[28] In September, the group agreed with Firehouse Subs to operate 100 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.[29] In November, in association with Forever New, the apparel group opened 3 Forever New stores in Kuwait.[30]

Through 2023, the Group launched 350 new stores in various locations and entered into partnerships with several brands including Forest Essentials, Allo Beirut and Asics.[31]

In February 2024, Apparel Group launched a shoe design studio at KidZania, Dubai Mall, an educational and entertainment studio that allows children to design and color their shoes using diverse materials.[32] In April, Apparel Group was an official sponsor of the Retail Summit 2024 which was held on 23–24 April in Dubai.[33] In May, Apparel Group launched its first Forever New store at Doha Festival City in Qatar, and announced that it plans to launch 40 Forever New stores through the partnership across the Arab world before 2027.[34] In the same month, the Apparel Group-owned R&B Fashion which was launched in Muscat Grand Mall in October 2012 announced that it plans to launch 200 stores across the GCC and India by the end of 2025.[35]

In June 2024, Apparel Group launched the first branch of Allo Beirut, a Dubai-born Lebanese street food restaurant in the Al Olaya district, Riyadh.[36]

Operations

edit

Apparel Group operates in 14 countries, mostly in the GCC region including UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa. The group has over 85 brands.[37][14]

References

edit
  1. ^ https://www.retail-insight-network.com/news/apparel-group-asics-gcc/
  2. ^ a b c "الافتتاح الرسمي لمتجر "Nysaa" بدبي.. لحظة محورية في عالم تجارة مستحضرات التجميل بطلاتها نساء! | مجلة سيدتي". www.sayidaty.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  3. ^ Roy, Abhirup (October 6, 2022). "Nykaa forge ties with Dubai's Apparel Group to expand business in Gulf countries".
  4. ^ a b "Like parents, like daughter: Meet Selina Ved of Dubai's Apparel Group who is all set to make beauty her business". gulfnews.com.
  5. ^ "Carrefour to open 50 stores in next 5 years in north India". Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  6. ^ Salian, Neesha (October 7, 2022). "Apparel Group, Nykaa partner to set up omnichannel beauty retail platform in GCC".
  7. ^ Salian, Neesha (October 10, 2022). "TOMS gives 10 $10,000 grants to 10 mental health-focused organisations".
  8. ^ a b "Nykaa enters into strategic alliance with Middle East-based apparel group". thepeninsulaqatar.com. October 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "Toms celebrates World Mental Health Day with '10x10' campaign". thepeninsulaqatar.com. October 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Staff, Entrepreneur Middle East (June 9, 2019). "Huda Beauty's Mona Kattan And Apparel Group's Sima Ved To Headline Dtec Forum, Powered By Entrepreneur Middle East, In June". Entrepreneur.
  11. ^ Mehta, Somya. "Teen Entrepreneur Sarisha Ved on starting her sustainable e-commerce venture". Khaleej Times.
  12. ^ "How does the Nykaa-Apparel Group partnership help the two companies?". Business Today. October 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Apparel Group is official Gold sponsor of World Corporate Summit 2022". gulfnews.com.
  14. ^ a b "India's Nykaa and Dubai's Apparel Group forge Gulf alliance". Reuters. October 6, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  15. ^ "India's Nykaa and Dubai's Apparel Group forge Gulf alliance". Inside Retail. October 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Release, Press. "Apparel Group launches 20 new fashion, lifestyle & F&B Brands in Place Vendôme in Qatar". www.zawya.com.
  17. ^ "ASICS, Apparel Group to launch ASICS retail stores in GCC". www.tradearabia.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  18. ^ "Apparel Group's loyalty program rewards customers with five times Club Apparel points". gulfnews.com. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  19. ^ "UAE retail heavyweight Apparel Group's HQ and warehouses get LEED Platinum". gulfnews.com. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  20. ^ "Apparel Group expands Qatar footprint with launch of 20 stores at Place Vendôme mall in Lusail City". Arabian Business.
  21. ^ "India's Nykaa and Dubai's Apparel Group forge Gulf alliance". Reuters.
  22. ^ a b Thomas, Aby Sam (2024-04-17). "Nysaa, A Joint Venture Between UAE-Based Apparel Group And India-Based Nykaa, Makes A Stylish Debut In The GCC". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  23. ^ Munyal, Panna (2024-06-12). "Katrina Kaif says her make-up and skincare regime is a mix of Kay Beauty and common sense". The National. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  24. ^ Fatima, Sakina (2024-06-12). "Video: Katrina Kaif takes her business to UAE". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  25. ^ "Apparel Group opens 19 new stores as part of its expansion plan 2023". gulfnews.com. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  26. ^ "Apparel Group and Forest Essentials to bring authentic ayurvedic products to region". gulfnews.com. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  27. ^ البيان, دبي- (2024-03-02). "«فورست إسينشيالز» ينطلق في دبي هيلز مول". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  28. ^ Bhat, Divsha (2023-05-02). "Apparel Group expands presence in Kuwait with 12 new store openings". Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  29. ^ "Firehouse Subs, Apparel Group agree to expand in United Arab Emirates, Oman". Nation's Restaurant News. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  30. ^ Newspaper, The Peninsula (2024-06-12). "Apparel Group launches Qatar's first Forever New store". thepeninsulaqatar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  31. ^ Apparel, Indian (2024-01-15). "Apparel Group Unveils New R&B Store In Ahmedabad". Apparel News, Textile News, Latest Events, Exhibitions, B2B Directory - indian-apparel.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  32. ^ "Apparel Group's Skechers unveils innovative shoe design studio at KidZania". gulfnews.com. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  33. ^ None. "Mona Kattan, Sima Ved to headline The Retail Summit 2024 in Dubai". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  34. ^ Newspaper, The Peninsula (2024-06-12). "Apparel Group launches Qatar's first Forever New store". thepeninsulaqatar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  35. ^ "Dubai brand R&B Fashion plans to open 200 new stores in GCC and India - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". Arabian Business. 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  36. ^ "Say 'allo' to authentic Lebanese street food in Riyadh". Arab News. 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  37. ^ "Apparel Group brand ALDO celebrates its festive collection with Janhvi Kapoor at The Dubai Mall". gulfnews.com.