Footasylum, a leading footwear and sportswear omnichannel business, is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Apparel Group, the global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate, to accelerate Footasylum’s expansion across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Under the agreement, Footasylum will work with Apparel Group across wholesale, ecommerce 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 omnichannel and marketing capabilities, and a customer base of more than 14 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 / Dan Moneypenny, VP International at 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 ecommerce, 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. This will enable us to bring our distinctive streetwear and sportswear proposition to a much broader customer base across the region, and I’m confident Apparel Group is the ideal partner for this next stage of our growth. I look forward to working closely with them as we enter a new era for Footasylum.”
Commenting on the partnership, Neeraj Teckchandani, Chief Executive Officer of Apparel Group, said, “We are delighted to welcome Footasylum to our portfolio of global brands. Footasylum is a highly relevant brand for the Gulf market, and we see strong potential to scale its proposition across the region. By combining Footasylum’s strong brand equity with our integrated retail platform, advanced technology and relationships with leading malls across the GCC, this partnership provides a strong platform for a rapid and successful rollout and a seamless experience for new customers.”
