The ladythriller

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After establishing a loyal female customer base in Dubai, Sifico Fashion CEO Ziad Matta plans to take his business to the next level. He talks to Katharine Slowe about customer habits, buying trends and tough times ahead.

Ziad Matta, the CEO of Sifico Fashion, shifts on his seat restlessly. "I am realising this is not actually a very comfortable sofa," he suddenly exclaims. "I will have to tell the buyer about that. Are you comfortable?"

The elegant item in question is in the exclusive furniture section of Matta's new ‘Boutique 1' store, which has just opened on The Walk in Dubai Marina.

Some might argue that after opening a high-end boutique amidst a global economic downturn, a single black couch should be the least of Matta's concerns. But the Lebanese entrepreneur likes to pay attention to every detail, which could account for his current success.

The multi-million dollar store is just the latest of Sifico's luxury shopping outlets, with Matta now sitting pretty on what is rapidly becoming a retail empire.

The company has a total of eleven outlets in the Middle East, including two Boutique 1 stores and five mono-brand shops in Emaar's Dubai Mall. It possesses the exclusive franchise in the Middle East for brands such as Missoni, Elie Saab, Mulberry and Tabbah.

The idea to create Boutique 1 occurred to Matta several years ago, when he spotted a gap in the Dubai retail market - the emirate's lack of multi-brand stores.

He and his wife determined in 2001 to launch a store where multiple luxury brands, both well-known and less-well-known, could be sold under one roof.

Customers would receive the convenience of a department store, with all the comfort and personality of a boutique. The first Boutique 1 was opened in Dubai's Emirates Towers on the emirate's busy Sheikh Zayed Road.

"There wasn't actually anything exciting happening in Dubai in terms of fashion retail," Matta explains. "There were the usual mono-brand stores and it was very boring. So we thought: ‘There's a gap. We have to do something about it. We have to fill the gap.'"

Seven years later, and Matta is planning to expand this business model further. "We have Emirates Towers and we have the location here," he explains. "We're looking at the third location for Boutique 1, which we will hopefully finalise very shortly."

Boutique 1, as can be deducted from its name, relies on a reputation for luxury and exclusivity. Planning and launching a new store is a mammoth task that can take several years to complete, and Matta stresses the importance of finding the right site.

The location of the newest store on The Walk, he says, is ideal - and is a partial response to feedback from Matta's customers that they didn't want to spend afternoons struck in traffic while attempting to reach Emirates Towers.

"In a place like this, we don't even know who our neighbours are," he says. "We don't even care who our neighbours are. It's our own world. Plus, what attracted us here was its proximity to the five-star beach resorts, to Emirates Hills and Dubai Marina."

The luxury aspect of Boutique 1 is not just reflected in its situation, but also in the shop's decor. The whole store looks likes a gleaming palace of ice, with the walls, floor and ceiling all the same shade of gleaming white.

Tottering across the slick mirrored surfaces are numerous high-heeled women, their gaze scanning the minimalist surroundings with haughty ennui. As it is 10am in the morning on a Thursday, it would appear they do not have jobs.

"Many of the ladies who shop with us don't work and they tend to come to us three to four times a week," Matta says. "We see the same faces. It's not like they come once a month. One lady comes every day in fact. Like other people go to work, they go shopping. It's almost like work."

Each customer, Matta says, is looking for something unique, as for Boutique 1's clientele the worst fashion faux pas is to be seen wearing matching dresses to a party. Many of Matta's customers frequent the same social circles, so it is particularly important to them - and therefore to Boutique 1 - that they do not leave with identical outfits for an event.

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