DDi - January 2013 - (Page 22)

22 | Design Snapshot Palaces and princesses A lingerie brand gets a “sheik” makeover in the Middle East By Mark Faithfull t first glance, a lingerie store and the Middle East might seem like strange bedfellows. But that’s just where lingerie and sleepwear retailer Nayomi debuted its latest concept in the Fujairah City Centre, U.A.E. Part of the Kamal Osman Jamjoom (KOJ) Group, which originated in Saudi Arabia, Nayomi was launched in 1992 and was unusual in that it was created as a private-label offer, rather than a franchise. By the end of 2012, the brand will have reached around 140 stores across the Gulf, with new store openings being negotiated in Libya and other Middle Eastern markets. “Lingerie buying in the Middle East is somewhat different than in Europe and the United States,” reflects Mark Pilkington, deputy CEO, KOJ. “It is probably best described as a more romantic category, albeit with a modern twist.” Consequently, for its latest concept—Nayomi A Princess—the retailer has played up to these ideals with a deliberately glamorous approach, indicated from the start with a grand entrance and a highly symmetrical store layout. A dividing partition splits the everyday garments at the front from those at the back, targeted at brides and married women, where shoppers may buy up to 30 items in one visit. “It is a rite of passage and may involve friends and family,” Pilkington says. “So, it is more akin to a personal shopping experience.” Designed by Dubai-based Kinnersley Kent Design and realized in-house, allusions to palaces and princesses are everywhere, from the natural fabrics that give the store a distinctly feminine feel, to the use of subtle colors, geometric shapes and ornaments that provide a sharp contrast to the white walls and black floors. “It’s almost a fantastical representation of being a princess—an idea very inherent to little girls and as they grow up into women,” Pilkington says. The store, which was the first to use the new design concept, will be followed by flagships of up to 4,300 sq. ft., compared with the group’s more standard 1,600-sq.-ft. outlets. Elements of the design also will be brought to 1,000-sq.-ft. boutiques in smaller malls. “We retail in a region where real princesses come into the store, which creates a great deal of excitement,” Pilkington says. “Reinforced by the new design, what we try and get across is for staff to bottle that feeling and treat every shopper like a princess.” www.ddionline.com | January 2013 http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - January 2013

DDi - January 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Penalty
Great Dane Furniture
International Perspectives
ColorPlus
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Retail Design Collective
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - January 2013