United Fashion Company brings style icon Georg Jensen to The Pearl-Qatar

As the newly appointed distributor for Georg Jensen, UFC also has exciting plans to open more Georg Jensen boutiques in key cities around the Middle East in the next few years.

The celebrated Scandinavian lifestyle brand, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Georg Jensen is renowned for its flawless craftsmanship, design and quality; and now its newest outlet is located at The Pearl-Qatar's beautiful Porto Arabia. The invitation only grand opening will be celebrated with a gala event on November 4th at 8:00pm at Porto Arabia.

The splendid Parcel Five location of the new Georg Jensen store opens onto a small courtyard garden of fragrant flowering plumeria trees, with the waters of the marina just beyond. For this special event, UFC staff have covered the trees in tiny twinkling lights like those used at Copenhagen's beloved Tivoli Gardens, to make their special Danish guests feel right at home.

As the guests enter the open area in front of the new boutique, they will also see a very large bouquet consisting of hundreds of fresh daisies. The national flower of Denmark, the beloved daisy has been a favorite of generations of women. It also happens to be one of Georg Jensen's most popular designs, the original of which was created for the Queen of Demark. Today, the Georg Jensen Daisy can be worn as a brooch, bracelet, earring or pendant.

Guest of honor for this special evening will be Georg Jensen CEO, Ulrik Garde Due. Helping Garde Due mark the occasion will be select VIPs from Qatar and beyond. One of Georg Jenson's legendary silversmiths has been especially flown in from Denmark to demonstrate his unique skills, and international models will be showcasing selected jewelry.

Said Ulrik Garde Due:

"The Middle East has been on our 'wish list' for some time. And a key part of the plan [to open in the region] was to get in place a local partner based in the region, which had the relevant local knowledge. For us the obvious partner was UFC -- because of UFC's professionalism, and the fact that UFC's interest and expansion plans resembles Georg Jensen's own plans. Both companies have the ambition of expanding in the region."

Speaking about his company's newest outlet, Garde Due said: "The idea behind the new store concept is to create a luxurious 'Danish home' - sleek and contemporary, yet be cosy and warm. We are a luxury Scandinavian lifestyle brand and we are in the process of updating our positioning to reflect timelessness, quality and functionality.

"The purpose of the new Georg Jensen home," he continued, "is to redefine the entire consumer retail shopping experience, from the way products are displayed, to the service provided by the Georg Jensen employees. The customers will be welcomed and treated with the same warmth and courtesy as if they were a guest in a private Danish home and by that establish a new relationship; one in which the customer feels welcomed, relaxed and free," he said.

The store concept was created by London-based Mark Pinney Associates, with definite references to Danish architecture and design, particularly the work of Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Vilhelm Wohlert and Poul Kjaerholm.

To create a true Scandinavian luxury home at the store, Garde Due said, "We invited the 25 most prominent Danish companies within the furniture, flooring, and design sectors. The idea was to create a partnership and use the Georg Jensen stores as the perfect showroom for Scandinavian design."

The partners include Royal Copenhagen (china for the table setting), Bang & Olufsen (the sound system), furniture makers Fritz Hansen (Hans Wegner's Wishbone chairs and dining table) and Thomas Kjaerholm (the leather couches by Poul Kjaerholm). The beautiful wooden flooring is from Dinesen Floors.

"Together these brands create the perfect setting for the Georg Jensen products and together with the Georg Jensen silver, the stainless steel, the jewellery, watches and seasonal decoration; they tell the Georg Jensen story exactly as we would like it to be told. They create a perfect and natural surrounding for each other, as the consumer will see."

Garde Due continued:

"Altering the Georg Jensen stores from being museum-like monuments, to a real home is, in every way, in line with the current consumer attitude which increasingly focuses on the 'home as the heavenly haven."

"When the economic situation is tough, consumers tend to seek more relevance and brands with heritage and a real story behind them. They want to invest in products and brands that offer unique, sustainable design, quality and materials - something Georg Jensen has done for more than 100 years.

"Furthermore, Georg Jensen has always been a very democratic brand, offering luxury products at every level of the price pyramid. Therefore, we feel confident that our strategy and our portfolio are right," he concluded.