UAE. Leading French luxury brand Louis Vuitton will open a boutique at Dubai International (DXB) later this year in partnership with Dubai Duty Free, the retailer has confirmed to The Moodie Davitt Report.
Other major openings planned in a new luxury zone in Concourse B will include Cartier and Dior.
The stores will further elevate the luxury goods offer at what is traditionally the world’s leading airport for international passenger traffic.
Louis Vuitton will occupy 254sq m of space, and Cartier and Dior will each have stores of over 100sq m. Dubai Duty Free moved a Gifts from Dubai and a gold shop to new locations in the concourse to accommodate the luxury boutiques, said Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin.
“We expect to open all of these new boutiques by year end and all are in progress at the moment,” he told The Moodie Davitt Report. “We have been in discussions about these spaces for some time.”
On the opening of Louis Vuitton at DXB, McLoughlin said: “It is very exciting news. We have made the moves we needed to make to facilitate the brand to enter with its own designated area. We will have many potential customers, including from Asia, who will be very interested in Louis Vuitton and the other luxury brands.”
As we reported this month, Louis Vuitton is progressively withdrawing from much of its downtown duty free business – including its long-standing and expansive Korean presence. It is understood that the brand remains fully committed to travel retail but with a refocus on airports.
*More comment will feature in an interview with Colm McLoughlin in The Moodie Davitt Magazine, out in coming days.
