The leading footwear and sportswear company Footasylum, has announced a new strategic partnership with Apparel Group, the global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate.
The move comes as Footasylum looks to expand across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Under the agreement, Footasylum will work with Apparel Group across wholesale, e-commerce and franchise channels, with plans to open 40 Footasylum stores across the GCC region over the next five years. These new stores will be Footasylum’s first physical locations outside of the UK.
By partnering with Apparel Group, Footasylum gains immediate access to one of the region’s largest retail networks, advanced omni-channel and marketing capabilities and a customer base of more than 12 million loyal Club Apparel members.
Headquartered in Dubai, Apparel Group operates more than 2,500 stores and manages a portfolio of over 85 international brands across 14 countries. The Group’s proven track record in brand development, retail technology, shopfitting and mall partnerships provides a strong foundation for Footasylum’s regional growth.
David Pujolar, CEO of Footasylum, commented: “This partnership with Apparel Group is a major step forward for Footasylum. In recent years, we’ve begun to build a growing international presence through wholesale and e-commerce and this agreement significantly accelerates that momentum in the Gulf region. Through this collaboration, we will also be entering physical retail outside the UK for the first time, backed by a partner with unrivalled reach, deep market knowledge and strong operational excellence. By partnering with Apparel Group, Footasylum gains immediate access to one of the region’s largest retail networks, advanced omni-channel and marketing capabilities and a customer base of more than 14 million loyal Club Apparel members.”
