- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:32 05:49 12:21 15:48 18:47 20:04
Rob Griffiths and Imteyaz Khan at the opening of the outlet in Dubai Mall. (Supplied)
Bahrain-based Jawad Business Group (JBG) plans to open 10 stores in the UAE and GCC countries this year with an investment of over Dh9 million, said a senior official.
Imteyaz Khan, General Manager, Fashion and Footwear Division of Jawad Business Group, said: “We plan to open 3-5 stores of Hush Puppies in 2015 – mostly in the UAE. One will be opened in ibn Battuta Mall and others are in the pipeline. Each stores costs $250,000 as a capital to open or refurbish the outlet.”
The group also aims expand its Shoe Citi brand also with another three to five outlets planned this year.
“The aim is to have 3 to 5 more stores of Shoe Citi. One will be opened in Qatar… for the UAE, we are in discussion for a couple of outlets. In UAE, we have 7 Shoe Citi stores in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ajman,” Khan added.
“There are not many new malls opening now. For example, if you want to expand in Dubai, where will you go? We already have presence in major malls like Deira City Centre, Mall of Emirates, Dubai Mall and others. We have opened 14 stores in Dalma Mall,” he said.
Khan said this at opening of the newly-refurbished store in Dubai Mall. The new store was inaugurated by Rob Griffiths, Vice President and General Manager of Hush Puppies, EMEA and Imteyaz Khan.
Jawad Group currently operates 23 Hush Puppies stores and 20 Shoe Citi outlets in the region. It’ll refurbish all Hush Puppies stores under a new design and is in the process of refurbishing three Hush Puppies outlets.
Khan said refurbishing each Hush Puppies outlet costs nearly $250,000 (Dh917,500) which will take amount to Dh5.75 million after the completion of all outlets.
The Bahrain group currently has franchise for 18 brands and operates 300 outlets across the region.
Commenting on the opening, Griffiths said: “Being the fashion central of the world, The Dubai Mall provides us with the ideal location to showcase our extensive range of high quality shoes, boots and sandals for all age groups.”
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.