Business & Money | Thursday 2 June, 2016 4:17 am |

Al-Futtaim, one of the most progressive regional business houses headquartered in Dubai, has signed a partnership agreement with prominent French fashion house ba&sh to introduce the accessible luxury and contemporary fashion brand to the Middle East.

 

The first of the planned ten ba&sh stores will open in Dubai’s City Walk in the fourth quarter of 2016.

 

Paul Delaoutre, President Al Futtaim Retail said: “Al-Futtaim has a long standing heritage in the region and possesses remarkable retail know-how and expertise making it an ideal partner for brands looking to enter the region. This partnership will add exciting new markets to ba&sh’s global network and at the same time provide Al-Futtaim’s customers in the region with a much wider shopping choice. We are confident that this iconic brand will be very popular among the large fashion-conscious clientele in the region and will add to our many success stories.”   

 

Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief, Co-Founders of ba&sh said: “It is with great pride that we are opening our first store in the United Arab Emirates. This will be the first boutique in the Middle East and will be the brand’s regional showcase. We are very keen to display our style here.” 

 

Following the opening of the chic flagship ba&sh store at CityWalk, Dubai in Quarter 4 2016, there are plans to launch six more boutiques and three concessions in prestigious department stores over the next three years. The brand is expected to expand into several territories within the region. 

 

“ba&sh represents a unique mix of core Parisian style with international influences that was missing from the fashion world of the UAE. It has a very attractive identity with strong universal appeal – and we are confident that it will win over new international clientele in no time.” explained Thierry Prevost, Managing Director – Fashion and Department store, Al-Futtaim Retail. 

 

“This partnership is a key stage in our international expansion strategy. We are very happy to bring ba&sh to this receptive market that is a keen follower of fashion and the Parisian look. Al-Futtaim's strong knowledge of retail within the Middle East will accelerate the international influence of the brand and we look forward to realising a fairly rapid expansion plan by 2019,” said Pierre-Arnaud Grenade, Chief Executive Officer, ba&sh.