Giordano Middle East enters new markets

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'Giordano's success in the Middle East has prompted us to expand into other markets that are already familiar with the brand due to their proximity to the region. Today our operations in new markets contribute significantly to our total revenue and we expect this to grow by at least 20 % within the next two years. We also plan to enter Syria by the third quarter of 2006 and Egypt, Ukraine and Azherbaijan by the end of this year,'

said Ishwar Chugani, Executive Director for Giordano Middle East.

'Centralised management and logistics from Dubai has helped us to ensure uniformity in branding, merchandise and quality. We make sure that customers get the best service, no matter which Giordano shop they go to.'

Giordano's latest store in Russia is located in Novasibirsk and is spread over an area of over 1000 square feet. The company has also opened 4 stores in Bulgaria, 3 stores in Armenia and 1 in Algeria.

Iran, with 15 stores, contributes substantially to Giordano Middle East's business from other markets, closely followed by Tsibilisi in Georgia, which now has 10 stores including a new flagship store of more than 2000 sq.feet. The company also has 3 stores in Jordan and 1 store in Kazakhstan.

'In most of our new markets, there already existed a strong awareness of the Giordano brand because of frequent travels to the Middle East and our presence in the duty free markets. So our main challenge in these markets was to find partners who believed in the brand and were committed to delivering, 'Chugani commented.

Giordano invests heavily in selection and training of franchisees to ensure quality in every aspect of retailing. Potential franchisee requests are evaluated on the basis of retail experience, management skills and financial capability to run the business.

Once selected the franchisees are given training in visual merchandising, customer service and brand communication to ensure uniformity in quality and service.