By John Lee. The French retailer Groupe Auchan has announced that its hypermarket in Erbil has closed down. The company described the closure as a "non-anticipated decision ... by the SI Retail shareholders, the English-law firm managing locally the hypermarket, due to the difficult situation encountered in the country." SI Retail signed an Auchan franchise […]
On Wednesday, June 25th 2014, the first hypermarket under the French Auchan banner was opened in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This 6,000 sqm store is part of a 106-shop mall, located near the center or Erbil [Hewlêr]. The opening of this store is based on a franchise agreement between the Auchan Group and SI Retail, one […]
Following its survey of 10 Iraqi cities the market research organisation TNS Mena says Iraq could be "the next big one" for consumer spending. The company's CEO, Steve Hamilton-Clark, said: “Considering the economic slowdown in the developed world, more and more clients would like to enter the Iraqi market which has intrigued marketers for years, […]
By John Lee. The Baghdad Investment Commission (BIC) has inaugurated a new $35-million shopping mall in the Mansoor [Mansur] district. The mall, the largest of its kind in Iraq, has four floors housing some of the world’s most famous commercial brands. According to a report from Azzaman, it was the largest construction project undertaken by […]
By John Lee. Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer plans to open its first store in Iraq by either 2013 or 2014, company President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin told Gulf News in an interview. Gulf News: You have opened a boutique in Iran and planning one for Iraq and Kurdistan. How much growth do you expect […]
The Dubai-based Paris Gallery plans to open five new stores in Iraq over the next three years, according to a report from Gulf News. Randa Al Akkad, the head of franchise at Paris Gallery, said the first store is scheduled to open in Baghdad in 2013, with another two in Erbil and one in Basra […]
Paris Gallery, the Dubai-based luxury retailer, has scrapped plans to expand in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon, following the unrest in parts of the Middle East. Instead, the perfumes and cosmetics retailer will focus on economies it considers more stable, such as Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan and India. "We opened one store in Aleppo, but the process […]
