Hema partners with Apparel Group on Middle East expansion

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Jan 15, 2018

Dutch retailer Hema announced today that it is expanding to the Middle East. In collaboration with Dubai-based retail conglomerate Apparel Group, the retailer will open three stores in Dubai later this year.

It will be the first time since Hema’s conception in 1926 that the retailer will open stores outside of Europe. In addition to the three confirmed Dubai stores, Hema also aims to open additional stores across the Middle East in the coming five years. Hema believes that it can fill the gap in Dubai’s retail market by offering affordable yet high-quality products to families in a retail landscape that is currently dominated by luxury stores and brands, according to the brand.

Richard Flint, International Director at Hema, said in a press release: “This step takes our international expansion into a new phase. There has been a lot of interest in HEMA from countries outside Europe for many years. Over the past couple of years, we have therefore structured our store concept and organization in such a way that we can now open stores in new countries quickly and simply. We have chosen Dubai because of the huge potential for Hema and its interesting geographical location between Europe and Asia.”

In December Hema announced its plans to open two stores in Vienna, Austria in the spring of 2018, another new market for the Dutch retailer. In addition to new markets, Hema will also open additional stores in countries where it is already present, including France, Germany and Spain.

Hema offers 30,000 products of its own brand, which range from apparel and beauty to home and food. The retailer operates 700 stores in nine countries and employs more than 11,000 people. In Q3 2017, Hema recorded a €4.6 million profit, its first profit since 2012.