Best of British targeted by new MidEast alliance

A company has been launched to help the best of British luxury retail gain a foothold in Middle East markets.

The Anglo Arab Alliance (AAA), which has offices in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Mayfair, London, said it will steadfastly stick to its principle of only dealing with UK based luxury brands.

Kabir Ahmed, AAA's vice chairman in Saudi Arabia, said: "The decision to work purely with British luxury brands was one of the founding principles of AAA. The amount of work it takes to do what we do means that we always want to maintain focus on who we work with.

"By dealing solely with British brands, we have established a company which is the leading authority in its field, rather than trying to be a 'Jack of all trades.'"

He said the company setup was designed to aid UK brands in selling their products to the Middle East.

"By focusing solely on one country, we give British luxury brands an unmatched level of service," he added.

The Middle East is experiencing a boom in the demand for luxury brands and AAA said it is looking to feed this growing trend with new luxury products and services from the UK.

On its website, the AAA said: "We deal with much of the ‘red tape’ associated with trading within the Middle East. We also organise introductions with carefully selected business partners and buyers of luxury products, providing guidance and support throughout the whole process and ensuring that our client’s goals are not only achieved, but exceeded."

AAA said it has the backing of multiple key political entities including the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and The Royal Warrant Holder's Association in London plus UK Trade and Investment.

AAA also has links with the British Consulate in Jeddah and the British Embassy in Riyadh, Ahmed added.

The latest UK shopping chain to expand into the Middle East is Scottish fashion retailer M&Co. It has announced plans to launch new outlets in Dubai and across the Gulf.

The group plans to open 12 stores in the UAE over the next five years and 30 around the Gulf in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

Earlier this year both Asda and Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket chains, announced they would be launching their budget fashion brands in the Middle East.