Raising Demand for Lingerie in Arab Countries
It appears that women in Arab countries buy outright European type lingerie despite their modesty in choosing outer clothes. And lingerie producers didn’t make them wait for long by active expanding to the Muslim countries’ markets.
Canadian lingerie retailer La Vie en Rose also didn’t step aside and made its splash in Middle East market. Nearly 10% of Montreal-based company’s annual profit is coming from its stores in Arab countries. And according to company’s CFO and vice-president of international business Luc Poirier the company plans to expand even more in order to meet increasing demands.
Poilier said:
It was a bit surprising to see the growth compared to the Canadian market. Still, we feel that women, whether Muslim or whatever the religion, like to be fashionable. So if there’s a demand there, we thought we should try to serve it as well as we do here in Canada.”
La Vie en Rose came to Arab market 5 years ago and already expanded to 55 stores on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is company’s biggest Arabian market with its 29 lingerie stores. Company is planning to add six more stores in Saudi Arabia and two more in Kuwait. By 2013 the Canadian retailer projected opening of stores in Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Tunisia.
La Vie en Rose shops in Middle East countries show the doubling of sales volume comparing to those in North America. According to Poirier, 90% of company products are well-accepted by Arabian women. In order to meet the specifics of the region, Canadian lingerie company even produces special series of products for Ramadan.
Unlike similarities in lingerie assortment presented both in North American and Middle East markets, stores are quite different here. For instance, there are no changing rooms in Saudi Arabian stores. Also, in majority of these countries it is forbidden for models to advertise lingerie. But this fact didn’t influence the rising demand.
Alia Hogben, the executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, commented:
These women are very fashion conscious. They know the trends, and retail has been growing at a very fast pace. There’s a common misconception that Muslim women aren’t fashionable or interested in glamorous clothing. The demand for lingerie likely was always there, particularly in the wealthier Arab countries.”
She also added:
Just because women cover up in public on the street doesn’t mean that they don’t dress up spectacularly underneath those clothes. The philosophy is that women are not out there for the world to look at them, so they don’t dress for the general public. But for their family and friends, they dress beautifully. They have magnificent hairstyles, they wear magnificent jewelry and they love lingerie.”
After the throughout research, more lingerie brands decided to follow Canadian lingerie retailer La Vie en Rose in the middle east market including Victoria’s Secret and La Senza. They plan to open franchise stores here.
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