A new, vibrant and luxurious address, with its Spanish-inspired zest and contemporary verve, is making a sensational debut in Riyadh. And it goes by the name of Vivienda Hotel Villas.

London-based fashion retailer LK Bennett will open 12-15 stores in the Middle East over the next three to five years as it looks to expand outside of its home market, its CEO said.

The upmarket shoe and bag brand, made famous in recent months for being a wardrobe staple of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, hopes to capitalise on its increasing brand popularity among Gulf nationals, said Robert Bensoussan.

“In this region we could have something like, if you take in total from Lebanon to Kuwait, I would say 12-15 stores over three to five years,” he said. “We are in talks with partners.”

“We have three clusters of foreign clients in London, which we are very important; one is European clients, another is a big cluster of American clients, and we have a huge Middle Eastern clientele in our stores buying mostly shoes and bags. So it felt like a natural step to expand in the Middle East.”

Bensoussan’s private equity firm Sirius Equity acquired a majority share in the footwear and women’s wear retailer in 2008 in a deal said to be worth £80m ($124.6m). Sirius Equity has since revamped it, adding in new collections, as it looks to grow into international markets.

LK Bennett currently has 150 stores but expects to grow “very fast”, said Bensoussan. The firm opened its first UAE stores at Dubai’s Mirdif City Centre with franchise partner Jashanmal Group this week and plans to open at least four more outlets with Jashanmal.

“With Jashanmal we have the idea of opening two or three more stores in Dubai, we have a plan for Abu Dhabi and we are also looking at Kuwait,” he said. “With another partner we are looking at Qatar, maybe Egypt and we are discussing with a bunch of potential partners for Saudi Arabia and Lebanon,’ he said.

Dubai, which has spent billions of dollars establishing itself as a prime shopping destination, is home to some of the world’s largest and most iconic shopping malls.

Boosted by a high disposable income among locals and a strong tourism industry, the emirate’s retail sector has continued to grow.

According to a study by accountancy firm Deloitte, retail sales in 2010 jumped 13.2 percent in the MENA region, making it the only area in the world to post double-digit growth.

Residential rents in Jeddah have increased by an average of 14 percent so far this year, real estate consultants Jones Lang LaSalle said on Sunday.

Its Jeddah Real Estate Market Overview for Q3 2011 said the city’s residential sector had seen an “robust upward trend” between July and September.

Soraka Al-Khatib, co-head of Jones Lang LaSalle Saudi Arabia said: “The Jeddah market has seen a continued increase in land sales during 2011 as trading volumes and sale prices have picked up further during the last quarter.

“There is strong interest from developers to deliver additional residential supply to meet the city’s growing requirements.

King Abdullah’s announcement of additional funding for the affordable housing sector has had a positive impact on the Jeddah residential market, the report added.

Following this announcement, government related entities such as JDRUC and PPA are now planning to deliver more than 30,000 additional residential units across Jeddah over the next few years.

The report said there was also strong continued interest in the luxury segment of Jeddah’s residential market.

Al-Khatib added: “The strength of the Jeddah residential market is confirmed by the fact that most of the 16,000 units coming to the market over the remainder of 2011 have already been sold.”

The limited future supply pipeline and the city’s growing population is expected to drive prices and sustain demand throughout the remainder of 2011 and into 2012, he said.

Saudi Arabia has a fast growing population of 27 million people, most of whom are under the age of 30. Real estate service company Jones Lang LaSalle estimates annual demand for housing to be between 150,000 and 200,000 units per year.

The JLL report also said office rents are likely to reduce in 2012 once additional supply is released to the market.

The expected CBD supply pipeline will provide approximately 60,000 sq m of additional space to the current stock of 445,000 sq m by the end of 2012.

“As a consequence, the office market is expected to remain tenant favourable during the next two years,” the report said.

Jeddah’s retail centres continue to benefit from high occupancy rates and the majority of the new supply has already been preleased, JLL added.

Its report said retail sales have increased by more than 30 percent during the last eight months which demonstrates strong consumer spending.

The first three quarters of 2011 also showed a marked improvement in Jeddah’s hotel occupancies with rates increasing five percent year-on-year, the report added.

JLL said growth in business travel is expected to fuel hotel demand in the city.

Craig Plumb, head of research at Jones Lang LaSalle MENA said: “The SR500m economic stimulus package announced earlier in 2011 has sustained the Jeddah real estate market during 2011.

“With Saudi Arabia’s oil output having been boosted to offset lower supply from other MENA producers and oil prices remaining relatively stable over recent months, there is likely to be increased investment in the infrastructure and real estate sectors of the economy over the next 12 months.”

On October 22, 2011 H&M the international design-driven clothing retailer opens its twentieth store in KSA. The store will be located in Olaya Street, Riyadh.

Over 2400 square meters guarantee that all H&M lovers will get a chance to fully Olaya Street’s fashion paradise .The new H&M store will carry a wide range of fashion for ladies, men, and kids. With its fashion concept H&M offers a spectrum of styles with an aim for everyone to find its own individual style and satisfy distinct and specific tastes – from evening wear, business and sports attire to casual wear.

“H&M looks forward to bringing style conscious shoppers in KSA

the inspiration to make their own personal fashion statement” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design. “We hope that we can offer our customers added value through fashion and quality at the best price.”

For women, this season’s autumn collection is influenced from 70’s stylesare essential with longer lengths and wide trousers paired with blouses and comfortable knits along with leather accessories and a quirky hat to complete the look, while men’s fashion for autumn continues its focus on simplistic style and function.

H&M currently has 56 stores in the Middle East: 20 in KSA, 13 in UAE, 7 in Kuwait, 7 in Lebanon, 3 in Bahrain, 3 in Egypt, 2 in Qatar 1 in Oman and 1 in Morocco.

The International Luxury Motor Show (EXCS 2011), in its 5th edition, will include a lot of surprises for car lovers by exhibiting and showing the latest luxury models which will be exhibited for the first time either in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East, including the very famous names in the cars industry.

Canadian teen fashion retailer Garage is expanding its global footprint with a new store in Saudi Arabia.

Montreal-based Garage, which already has 260 stores in Canada, the U.S., the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, has officially opened its doors in Sahara Mall, located in Riyadh, with plans to open at least two more stores in the country over the next month.

The Al Hokair Group, a brand-licensing firm, said it will help Garage open in at least 25 malls in the region over the next five years.

“We are thrilled to bring the Garage brand experience to Saudi Arabia, as part of our strategy for international growth,” Anna Martini, president of Garage International LUX SARL, said in a release.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 09/30/2011 – Sardeem LTD. launches Saudi Arabia’s premier online

concept store, www.sadashop.com, with a vision to lead as a pioneer in the local market,

offering design led contemporary accessories, fashion, home, electronic and children’s

products.

As Saudi Arabia’s consumers are turning to the world wide web for a convenient and expedited

shopping experience, this new e-shop, owned and operated by women, is focused on providing

local and international customers with quality products that are functional, unique and embody

original design.

“The market is ready and equipped for online shopping,” said Sadeem Al-Shehail, part-owner of

www.sadashop.com. “And it’s about time we offer Saudi consumers a local outlet for online

shopping that carries unique and outstanding products, one that is diligent on maintaining

international standards, and saving customers time and money on shipping and delivery”.

“Online sales from the Kingdom alone amounted to 3 billion US dollars in 2010 and 39% of

internet users engage in e-commerce. Market statistics indicate that we’re talking about a

young, tech-savvy consumer society with access to credit cards: essentially all the requirements

for an ideal online shopper. This new platform for retail is here and growing fast, and our hope

is that www.sadashop.com will launch as a leading example for the potential success of this

business model as a local start-up”.

Based in Riyadh, and started by design professionals with extensive expertise in the fields of

interior and fashion design, Sada Shop aims to embrace the growing attention to the design

industry in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, and seeks to further promote this passion for

design by offering its members hard-to-find products sourced from talented designers all over

the world.

Through this new user-friendly and innovative website, Saudi consumers now have their own

online shopping site to explore, which boasts itself as the “new destination for design”

Ramadan saw the opening by Bateel of its most ambitious project to date, a flagship café on Tahlia Street, Riyadh. The landmark store marks Bateelʼs first café project outside Dubai, in its native Saudi Arabia. It is also the largest in its portfolio.

The flagship boutique and café is the latest inspiring experience to be created by Bateel in partnership with Kinnersley Kent Design. It takes the design concept to a new level. For the first time it combines both a gourmet boutique with a café offer. The original Umbrian menu now offer a fine dining experience, in addition to the coffee, pastry and all day dining menus.

The building, a former furniture store, comprises 3 levels and a roof. The ground and first floors now house the date boutique and cafes. The top floor has been turned into Café Bateel’s new headquarters for all of Saudi Arabia and with 2 new large kitchens to the rear of the café spaces, Bateel can now operate and stock a roll-out of future cafes across Saudi Arabia. The roof garden restaurant (opening soon) will offer spectacular views of the city.

The Architecture

The original façade of the building was completely removed and built out in a modern Arabic style as part of this extensive renovation programme. Three large double-height windows are framed by an elegant bronze detail pattern motif. The façade has been carefully proportioned with decorative balustrading to the roof top terrace. The first floor slab was cut back in a semicircle to realise the concept of a voluminous atrium. The 6m high glass windows and entrances now offer dramatic views into the long deep building. The double height space is flooded with natural daylight during the day. At night the building is illuminated like a beacon to the street since most shopping is done in the cool of the night.

The Boutique

The bespoke oval date boutique counter on the ground floor is highly visible through the full height windows and entrance doors. The mouthwatering product display of gourmet dates, chocolates and whole cakes, has a distinct and authentic appeal that pleases the eye and soothes the palate. The oval two-tiered custom designed counter allows the gourmet products to be displayed to its best with the product sweeping elegantly round.

Respectful to Saudi culture, the building has 2 main entrances, one for singles (men only) and one for families. Entrances at both sides of the boutique lead to the first floor via a spectacular marble sweeping staircase, without crossing into the family or single café areas. The marble staircase has an organic curved walnut handrail.

The same light Emperador Marble floor tiles are used throughout the cafes and boutique, complimented by a rustic and minimal materials palette of warm off-white painted pitted plaster, American Walnut and bronze detailing.

The boutique is decoratively and subtly screened from the cafes by a 3m high curved Arabic patterned fret cut panel, made of bronze. The panel radiates in circumference from the central atrium column in the middle of the oval counter and the bronze screens are divided by 5m high rich walnut louvres.

The Cafés

The cafés comprise two levels accommodating around 150 covers, an area for singles, families and a subtly screened area offering women-only cookery classes. The café design is contemporary European with an underlining Arabic influence. The café plays on a rich palette of muted shades of green, gold and dark rich timbers with bronze metal work and cream stone.

The walls are adorned with images from Bateelʼs own date farms in Al Ghat. Even the menu is distinct, combining Arabian hospitality with serving natural and healthy ancient Umbrian cuisine. The Tahlia Street menu has been extended to offer a fine dining experience, in addition to the coffee, pastry and all day dining menus, thus catering for short, medium and long stay diners.

A beautifully designed and crafted decorative curved bronze and timber screen wall provides the backdrop to the boutique and screens the singles café from the family area. The singles café has cozy booth seating running around the perimeter and a café counter at the back with a feature backdrop wall in Bateel green and henna pattern glass wall.

The signature café counter with coffee machines and mouth watering patisseries and cakes (made fresh daily by Bateelʼs own chefs), are displayed in a curved refrigerated glass cabinet, set against a back drop of the signature green henna pattern.

In the centre of the ground floor café, a square hanging ceiling feature made of walnut with a decorative fret cut pattern, allows illumination through from the lighting above. The design also incorporates a hidden curtain rail that allows families sitting underneath to be completely screened by luxury double-layered silk curtains that only show a slight silhouette view.

The sweeping curved staircase leads up to the upper family area which is screened behind a bronze glass balustrade to provide privacy. Individual mobile, light-weight walnut and bronze screens provide additional privacy at the familyʼs discretion.

The first floor is cut back to the circumference of the curved circular screen at the rear of the boutique, both formal dining and casual coffee seating radiate around the curve, looking down over the balustrade to the atrium and boutique below. The floor is balanced with perimeter banquette seating as well as mid-floor dining table and chairs.

The cookery teaching area and counter appear from a foldable, hidden wall panel that allow the space to be transformed into a ladies only cookery class. The tall façade windows offer distant views of the street life below.

The Roof Garden

A dedicated customer lift provides access to the secluded roof garden (opening soon). The rooftop café provides a sanctuary in the winter months when the desert temperature is cool enough to enjoy the great outdoors. The café offers a tranquil setting, a fountain water feature and spectacular views of the city and Kingdom Mall on the horizon. The perimeter space of the roof are architecturally set out by 3m high vertical and horizontal walnut trellis beams that are partially screened off by silk curtains. Seating comprises of external dining chairs and tables and large low lounges and coffee tables. Private groups can enjoy dining in the private cabanas surrounding the water feature.

The newly refurbished building is a landmark destination for gourmets and date connoisseurs alike. Although the gourmet date boutiques are revered in Saudi Arabia, the Bateel Café concept is relatively unknown. Our local market research showed that there is either a coffee shop or a restaurant, not somewhere that offers coffee, drinks and light meals, sandwiches and cakes, and fine dining all under one roof, to cater for short to medium and long stay. Not only is this a new dining experience for Bateel, but also for Saudi Arabia.

It was important to achieve that fine balance between being an open and vibrant café that still offers privacy and subtlety to local customers, without imposing on the mood and feel. We feel that we have achieved a flexible two-café space that caters for many demographics including local women who wish to engage in social cooking lessons in a safe environment. We have successfully introduced the café offer to the Saudi market, offering the same quality and standards for which Bateel is recognised for, both domestically and internationally.

Our aim was to create a stunning new gourmet dining experience for a diverse range of clients and to give Bateel a presence in its native Saudi, befitting its world class status. The new flagship provides a solid platform from which to grow the café and boutique offer across the country.

There is a new landmark in Tahlia Street. Kinnersley Kent Design has renovated an old nondescript building into a refined and beautiful piece of external and internal architecture and introduced a new Bateel experience at this flagship store in Saudi Arabia.

Yann Jolivet, Deputy General Manager of Bateel International and Mick Kent, Co-Founder and Partner of Kinnersley Kent Design will be presenting the Bateel case study at the Index Design Talks taking place in Design Talk Room No.1, Dubai World Trade Centre on 22 October at 3pm.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO), a lifestyle brand for young men and women ages 15 to 25, opened its first store in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. This is the sixth location in the Middle East, with five stores in Kuwait and the UAE.

The 1,042 SQM store located on Olaya high-street is designed to provide a comfortable, cozy ambiance to customers. To further enhance and complement a service-oriented shopping experience that American Eagle Outfitters is known for around the world, the new store in Riyadh features design elements like wood paneling that creates a warm atmosphere in a casual setting. 
Commenting on the new store opening, Ciaran McCloskey, American Eagle Outfitters Middle East Business Director, stated, “American Eagle Outfitters is very excited to bring great fashion at affordable prices to youth in the Kingdom. In addition to fashionable clothes for a casual lifestyle in Saudi, we look forward to delivering an unparalleled overall shopping experience in convenient locations.”

American Eagle Outfitters offers high-quality, on-trend clothing and accessories at affordable prices, and currently features the Back to School collection in-store. In keeping with the AE brand’s foundation in denim, this collection includes a variety of new fits and washes, such as the Hipster and Vintage Flare for her, and the Original Straight for him. There are also fashion tops, heritage graphic T’s, dresses, and accessories that reflect the key trends of the season.

Also available is a selection from the Aerie collection, the comfortable loungewear and intimates brand for women by American Eagle Outfitters. This assortment is filled with floral patterns, lace and color. The ‘Girly Brief’ with its new cheeky fit and feminine trims joins the favorite undies family. The ‘Vintage Lace Undies’ in a multitude of colors, paired with ‘Vintage Lace Bralettes’ and ‘Bandeaus’ add romance to any outfit.

Saudi Arabia’s health system compares well with the West, but there is still room for improvement.