Among the various dramatic shifts in consumption habits and behaviours that have come about in the past couple of years is the way people’s perspectives have changed while buying things.
Irrespective of the type of products – fashion, beauty, gadgets – things are broadly classified into home and non-home categories. Athleisure/WFH attire for home, fancier clothes for outside; zoom-appropriate makeup for home, colour cosmetics for outside; smart-home gadgets for, (you guessed it), home, and travel essentials for outside.
Now that the living spaces have become so important, it comes as no surprise that homewares have been one of the best performing non-essential retail sectors as it’s been elevated by extended periods inside since the outbreak of Covid-19. Ultimately, these periods have seen many consumers reassess their living spaces, and thus prioritise spending on it.
This provides a brilliant opportunity for retailers in the space and has also urged them to reassess their offerings, diversify their product ranges, and cater to a wider segment. Launched in 2003 by Liwa Trading Enterprises, Dwell has always offered inspirational home solutions including a curated collection of designer brands catering to a variety of tastes. After being a leading retailer of predominantly bed and bath products for 20 years, Dwell is now diversifying its portfolio to add more home decor and furniture to its range of offerings. With 25 stores operating currently and five new ones in the pipeline for this year, the brand aims to establish itself as the go-to homeware destination.
“We pride ourselves on bringing collections that nobody else has. That’s one of our USPs. Brands like Gant, Sanderson and Morris aren’t available anywhere else. They are all brands that do Middle Eastern sizes. My team will sit and do the designing, so we have between 20-25 designs every season that is totally exclusive to us,” said Rasool Taj, Head of Buying and Merchandising at Liwa Trading.
