John Lewis enters Middle East with largest international shop-in-shop to date

Retailer partners with Al-Futtaim to spearhead home department of new flagship Robinsons store at Dubai Festival City Mall

John Lewis has today announced it will open a new international shop-in-shop in Dubai in spring 2017.

The 15,000 sq ft space will be the retailer’s largest overseas shop-in-shop to date and will open within the new flagship Robinsons department store in Dubai Festival City Mall, both of which are part of Al-Futtaim.

John Lewis has also committed to doubling the product assortment on offer compared to its existing international collaborations. New to customers in Dubai will be John Lewis’s own brand furniture, cookware, textiles, glassware and nursery products. This is in addition to bed, bath, living and gifting assortments.

The look and feel of the new shop-in-shop will be designed by John Lewis’s store design team in collaboration with Al-Futtaim and Robinsons.

Today’s announcement is coupled with the news that John Lewis is further extending its partnership with Robinsons in Malaysia by opening a 630 sq ft shop-in-shop at its Kuala Lumpur store in March 2016. John Lewis already has 14 shop-in-shops across Singapore and the Philippines, seven in South Korea and last year announced plans to open a further seven in the Netherlands throughout this year and next.

Andy Street, Managing Director, John Lewis, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Robinsons again on two new ventures. The success of our existing international shop-in-shops has given us the confidence to open in the Middle East and increase both the scale of the space and product assortment. This is an exciting time for Al Futtaim’s Dubai Festival City Mall and we’re pleased that John Lewis will be a part of the next phase of its redevelopment.”

Paul Delaoutre, President Al Futtaim Retail added: “We are thrilled to bring the John Lewis brand and its great products to the Middle East and to Malaysia. For the Middle East, this will coincide with the roll out of our iconic department store Robinsons from Singapore, with the flagship store opening in Al Futtaim Group’s Dubai Festival City Mall.”

Dubai Festival City Mall will be Robinsons’ first department store location in the UAE and at almost 180,000 sq ft will be the largest department store in the region once complete. John Lewis will be the flagship brand in the shops’ Home department. Dubai Festival City Mall will be the first of a collection of department stores in the region for Robinsons.

Source : John Lewis Partnership Press Release