Yahoo Finance Kate Spade New York Eyes Up Middle East Expansion With Café Pop-up and Flagship
LONDON — Kate Spade New York is taking up space in the Middle East.
The American brand has opened a café pop-up at Bloomingdale’s at Dubai Mall with its signature Kate Spade Green hue covering the walls and reds and pinks for other parts of the interior.
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The café will run until June 30 with a menu of specialty drinks and branded treats.
“As we look to build out the world of Kate Spade and to grow our brand and customer base more globally, we’re investing in international regions in a range of ways. A café is a wonderful way to welcome our existing brand fans in Dubai into the world of Kate Spade more holistically, while also introducing the brand to new customers in an emotional and experiential way,” said Liz Fraser, chief executive officer and brand president of Kate Spade New York.
“At the same time, with the café we will be testing a new lifestyle concept for the brand, with potential for other regions,” she added.
The brand will open a flagship at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai later this month. The store will stock ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, small leather goods, tech accessories, jewelry, watches, sunglasses and fragrances.
Fraser pointed out that the flagship store is an opportunity for growth for the brand as it currently has a lucrative wholesale business there.
“We plan to open additional store locations in the U.A.E. through to the 2025 financial year. All with our new retail concept, incorporating the brand’s DNA and signature codes at the heart of our expansion and designed to evoke the feeling of a great escape,” she said.
The brand wants to “build on the emotional connections we have with our existing customers,” through the opening of its stores according to Fraser.
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