Rusi Motiwalla

'We first established Saks Fifth Avenue in Saudi Arabia due to the link with Kingdom Holdings and Prince Al Waleed,' explains General Manager Rusi Motiwalla. 'Having one store in a region makes no sense and we always intended Dubai to be the largest flagship shop.

'Dubai has a well developed upmarket retail sector but there is no single large brand luxury offering, and brands are mainly Eurocentric and there is a small basket of brands. Saks is about bringing many brands not yet in Dubai, and around 80% of the 120 brand names will be new to the city.

'We want this shop to become a destination and to build up a reputation for quality and a great shopping environment. Dubai used to only get the Jean Paul Gaultier second line, now we will get the first, for example. We are on the cutting edge of fashion and style.'

Mr. Motiwalla is hardly new to the region himself. His family moved to Dubai as traders in 1967 from Aden and has lived a total of 120 years in the Middle East. He was personally recruited by the Chairman of Saks precisely because of his extensive knowledge of the local retail market.

'It was a big challenge to Saks, and they realized the need for local help. He asked me to join them and launch in Riyadh first, and now we have shifted on to Dubai.'

The launch has not been without its problems. The original launch date was expected to be November 2003, and the Spring Collection for 2004 had to be sold from premises in Kendah House, an office tower on the Sheikh Zayed Road, when the BurJuman mall extension was further delayed.

'We are very happy with the building now,' says Mr. Motiwalla, although the sound of drills and hammers still echoes around his office, rather like being in the trenches in the First World War. However, Mr. Motiwalla is clearly pleased to be finally going over the top to face the Dubai consumer this month.

Saks Fifth Avenue in Dubai is owned and operated by Style Avenue Middle East, the official licensee for Saks Fifth Avenue for the region excluding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The shareholders of Style Avenue Middle East are Damas Jewellery, Kapico Group, Chalhoub Group and the Al Mana Group.

The store itself is another world-class addition to the shopping infrastructure of Dubai, and will be a must for the shopping tourist and for anyone in the city interested in high fashion.