Fur your information, Dubai's Russian secret

A continuous flow of tourists from Russia visits Maktoum Street every day in search of fur.

"Meha, meha", you will hear every other five metres as you walk through Al Maktoum Street. That is if you are Russian, or look Russian at least. In the latter case, it will be good to know 'meha' means 'fur jacket' and these men are calling for your attention to check out their fur collections inside the shops.

You must know about it, otherwise the street leading you from Union Square to Baniyas Square might not be the first to look for when shopping. But, for Russian tourists that does not seem to be a problem.

"You don't know about this area?" Everybody knows this area!" says anastonished Olga, a Russian tourist in Dubai. "It is famous! We came to Dubai to shop in this area. We even booked our hotel nearby!"

Conveniently located on the corner right next to Baniyas Square is Braschi, an Italian designer branch. Babak Delalat owns the place. He is Persian, but his wife is Russian and he speaks the language. It is a must, because all his customers are Russian.

"Russian tourists come to this place because the jackets are cheaper here than in Russia. We have a lot of customers and we even sell to wholesalers," Babak explains.

The price tags do not lie; prices easily climb up from a modest Dh10,000 to Dh40,000 and higher. "Our most expensive item is sold for Dh85,000," says Babak. "It is made of mink."

"For a Russian woman, having a fur jacket is very important," explains Russian Guzel, who accompanied 'Emirates24|7' to unravel the thriving business in Al Maktoum Street that only Russians seem to know about.
"When you have a long, fur jacket it means you are from a wealthy family. It gives you status."

We pass Braschi shop and run into Ali, a Tadjik man who approaches us by speaking Russian. He is willing to bring us to Rivaldi shop, another fur collection retailer.

Ali is a broker. "I bring people to the shops. For every successful customer I get commission," he explains. He leads us into a building where we take an elevator. At first sight, there seems to be no sign of commercial activity in this building, but once we reach destination fur fanatics walk in and out.

Serkanis, the owner of Rivaldi, is in the middle of several transactions when he pauses to tell about his business. "Our family has run this business for 60 years; we have been in Dubai for the last 16. Until recently, Dubai was one of our prime locations," the fur dealer from Cyprus says.

Because not all retailers can afford to open a shop on the street site, there are many shops located inside the apartment buildings of Maktoum Street and to secure these shops of a continuous flow of customers, Maktoum Street is full of brokers leading potential customers to their final destination.

According to Serkanis, it is a competitive business. "For every successful customer a broker brings in, we pay 10 per cent commission. Many of our items sold are around Dh4,000. You do the counting. Nowadays they earn more than me!

"Due to the high competition there is a lot of fighting," Serkanis tells. "There was a fight today! They fight with each other for customers. We do not provide them with a basic salary, so they rely on these customers," he tells.

Although Ali and his colleagues argue that they do receive a basic salary and they are sponsored by the shops, they say not to be happy with the money they are making. "I receive a salary of Dh4,500 and get Dh10 commission for every successful customer. This is not very good," says a Greek broker declining to mention his name.

According to Serkanis, business in Dubai has declined over the past years, and China is the country to look at right now. But for now, Maktoum Street is where the Russian tourist knows to go. "All you need to do is walk in Maktoum Street and mention the word 'meha'," Olga says.
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.