Apparel Group in Abu Dhabi push with 10-store deal

Apparel Group, the Dubai retail conglomerate, has signed a deal to open 10 outlets in Abu Dhabi’s Dalma Mall, including a branch of its franchised Tim Hortons coffee shop chain.

The retailer, which holds the franchise rights to brands Tommy Hilfiger and Cold Stone Creamery, will open stores including Aéropostale, Dune and Tim Hortons in the first quarter, the mall operator said in an emailed statement on Monday.

Dalma Mall, the capital’s largest shopping mall, said it had leased more than 60 percent of its 1.6 million sq ft leasable area. More than 60 stores are open, including Carrefour, Centrepoint and Matalan, while month-on-month footfall is increasing 35 percent, the mall said.

Retailers in the Gulf have continued to buck a global decline in retail sales, aided by the region’s rising oil prices and high disposable income.

Retail sales in the GCC are expected to grow 8.3 percent annually to reach $240.3bn by 2015, according to consultants Business Monitor International.

Dubai, which has long been the Gulf’s leading shopping hub, has added more than one million sq m of shopping space since 2006, and is now home to about 40 shopping malls.

The Apparel Group in October said it planned to open 120 Tim Hortons stores in the GCC within the next five years. The firm said it planned to open branches of Canada’s largest restaurant chain in Deira City Centre, Dubai Outlet Mall and Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi.

“With the growth in Canadian expatriates and the number of travellers who now visit the country, we know the popularity of the brand will grow here,” Nilesh Ved, chairman and CEO of Apparel Group said.  “We don’t have a specific timeframes for the other markets yet but certainly our focus will be on the UAE.”