LIWA to captain Nautica in the region

LIWA, a market leader in the region's fashion industry, has brought Nautica® to the region.

Nautica®, a leading global lifestyle brand with products ranging from men's, women's, children's apparel, accessories and home collection, has set its mark in the region by opening flagship stores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Nautica® offers the full-range of classically-styled products through freestanding apparel stores, freestanding home stores and shop-in-shops within Dwell Stores.

Mr. Abdullah Nasser, Chairman and Founder of the Group, said: "We are constantly re-assessing our strategies and corporate plans, which are based on the policy of diversification. Thus, Nautica® will be seen as an important asset in driving the constant wheel of growth in the region's retail industry for the group."

Commenting on the addition of Nautica® to Liwa's fold, Mr. Aniss Baobied, General
Manager, LIWA said: "Our association with Nautica® is in tune with our objective of successfully launching international brands in this region. We are confident that the highly-fashion conscious Middle East customers will enjoy their shopping experience at the Nautica® stores."

Mr. Aniss Baobied added: "LIWA as a retail company believes in progress, keeping in mind modernization and constantly improving its customer service. The introduction of Nautica® into the LIWA retail network is part of our retail expansion programme across the GCC."

Nautica® stores in the UAE are located at Abu Dhabi Mall, Abu Dhabi and Festival City, Dubai. Abu Dhabi Mall houses the freestanding Nautica® Apparel store and the first-ever freestanding Nautica® Home store in the world. The stores are sized at 4000 sq ft. The Nautica® brand is present in Festival City, Dubai via the freestanding Nautica® Apparel store Dwell shop-in-shops, which showcases the Nautica® Home collection.

The stores are driven by the core essence of the Nautica® brand: active, adventurous and a spiritual lifestyle and reflect Nautica's® global Navigator concept that features the iconic nautical details of striped cherry and maple flooring and classic yachting details in its in-store shop fit.

Announcing the brands foray onto the UAE shores, Ms. Denise V Seegal, President and CEO of VF Sportswear", Inc said: "The Gulf Region is an integral part of our international growth plans and we've been searching for the right partner for several years."

She added: "We are pleased to have found this partner in LIWA Trading Company. LIWA has an exceptional portfolio of international brands and a proven track record of success in launching and maintaining them. We look forward to a long and productive partnership."

In the UAE, the brand shall also see the opening of freestanding Nautica® apparel stores in Deira City Centre and Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall during the year.

As part of the GCC expansion plans, the brand will have a footprint in prime shopping malls in the region. All freestanding Nautica® apparel stores will offer men's sportswear, Nautica Jeans Co. apparel for men and women, small leather goods, fragrance, watches, footwear and eyewear among other accessories.

The second freestanding Nautica® Home store is scheduled to open in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi later this year. Nautica® Home within Dwell stores, in shop-in-shop formats are currently open in Festival City, Marina Mall and Al Ain, UAE; Seef Mall, Bahrain; and Landmark Shopping Mall, Qatar. An additional location is slated for April 2007 in Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi.

The Nautica® Home Collection was launched by Nautica in 1997 to provide home accessories to balance the energetic lifestyle not only outdoors but indoors as well, giving the utmost to those for whom life is active and dynamic, those who prefer to be distinctive. Each of these stores will carry Nautica®'s celebrated bedding and bath collections, as well as sheets, Hygro Cotton towels and bath mats.