The Danish shoemaker Ecco is developing a collection of sandals for the Middle East.
It will be the company's first regionally focused collection, and it is aimed at the rapidly growing incomes and populations of countries across the region.
Ecco, in business for about 50 years, has had a presence in the Middle East for about a decade.
"Today we are offering a global collection - the same styles everywhere in the world," said Aija Karklina, the Dubai-based marketing manager of Ecco Middle East. "But there is one segment where the Middle East is different from the rest of the world, which is in Arabic sandals," she added.
The brand is planning to create its sandal collection for Arab consumers for the next spring/summer season. Stores in other regions will be offered the opportunity to sell the sandals, although they will be aimed primarily at the Middle East market. "Here in this part of the world, we can see that this would be an area where we can really develop ourselves and grow," Ms Karklina observed. She said the brand was established in the comfort category, as well as children and sports.
"But this is for Ecco as always, we are looking for new challenges, where else we can go, how else we can develop ourselves and a [sandal] range is extremely good for us to continue to grow and reach a new audience."
Few international brands have gone so far as to create collections for the lucrative Middle East market, although many have opened stores in the region. Harry's of London, an upmarket shoe brand, opened a store in Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi last year, adding to its other international stores in Japan and Kuwait.
Ecco's growth in the UAE reached double digits last year.
The company has 12 stores in the country with more to follow in the capital."We are stepping up from year to year and we are having constant increases because also our collections are getting more attractive.
"We are opening new stores, so all these factors together helps to improve business and achieve sales increases," Ms Karklina said.
The brand is "settled" in Dubai, she said, where it has a presence in all of the main malls.
"Abu Dhabi is an area where we can still grow. Today we have three stores in Abu Dhabi and we are going to open more," Ms Karklina said.
Ecco's 13th UAE store is slated for the capital's Mall at the World Trade Centre; the mall is scheduled to open early in the second half of this year.
A 14th store is to follow in Yas Mall when it launches next year.
gduncan@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Specs
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The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Shipsy%3Cbr%3EYear%20of%20inception%3A%202015%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Soham%20Chokshi%2C%20Dhruv%20Agrawal%2C%20Harsh%20Kumar%20and%20Himanshu%20Gupta%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20India%2C%20UAE%20and%20Indonesia%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20logistics%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%20more%20than%20350%20employees%3Cbr%3EFunding%20received%20so%20far%3A%20%2431%20million%20in%20series%20A%20and%20B%20rounds%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Info%20Edge%2C%20Sequoia%20Capital%E2%80%99s%20Surge%2C%20A91%20Partners%20and%20Z3%20Partners%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
