Last week, Walpole’s Charlotte Keesing was in Dubai with a delegation of Walpole Members and our Strategic Partner Chaloub Group for The Retail Summit 2023. An annual gathering of global leaders from across the retail, hospitality and tech spheres in the heart of the GCC – increasingly one of the most significant regions for the luxury sector – we were there to shine a light on British luxury brands and their leadership in customer experience, innovation and sustainability.
"The GCC, and the UAE in particular, present hugely important markets for British luxury brands," says Keesing, Director, Corporate Affairs & International, Walpole. "With a young, high-spending and discerning customer base, strong growth particularly in luxury and high-end brands, and a fast-growing tourism economy, there are so many opportunities for Walpole Members to expand their businesses across the region.
"Walpole has a very strong relationship with Chalhoub Group. Their knowledge, insight, reach, values and innovative approach are unrivalled and we are enormously grateful for their warmth of welcome and hospitality."
During our time at The Retail Summit 2023, we facilitated high-profile "in conversation" events featuring representives from Walpole Member brands including Kristina Blahnik (CEO of Manolo Blahnik), Tom Athron (CEO of Fortnum & Mason), and Walpole Chairman Michael Ward (Managing Director of Harrods), as well as a panel on sustainability with Florence Bulte (Chief Sustainability Officer of Chalhoub Group) and jeweller Anabela Chan.
The talks at The Retail Summit provided inspiration for all in attendance. Being able to hear from global leaders in fashion and retail provided fresh thinking and perspectives for British brands, and Chalhoub’s morning of insights and talks provide unrivalled in-depth market analysis that highlighted key markets, categories and consumer insights. Furthermore, it was great to be able to showcase a number of Walpole Members to both international and local players, and explore commercial and expansion opportunities.
Outside of the Summit and insight events with Chalhoub, the trip included a tour of Dubai Mall which gave us a sense of the scale of opportunity and ambition within the UAE and wider region, as well as the citizens' strong appetite for shopping. A closing dinner in the Souk AlBahar (kindly hosted by Chalhoub) at the base of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Al Khalifa, was not only breathtaking, but also showed the energy, ambition that still defines this market.
A final thank you to Lynn Al Khatib, Group Head of Communications and Léa Maalouf, Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs at Chalhoub Group for hosting us and to the following Walpole Members and Brands of Tomorrow who joined us on the trip:
If you are interested in beng a part of our future international trade delegations, please email Charlotte Keesing at [email protected]
