Abu Dhabi to open first Macy’s store outside the US

Macy’s is due to open its first brick and mortar store on foreign soil, in the Middle East.

The capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, will receive a brand new Macy’s store during the early months of 2018.  It will also become home to the second Bloomingdale’s in the country.

Macy’s Inc. acts as the parent company to both chain stores and stated that it would be partnering with Gulf Related, a development company, and Al Taye Group, the UAE-based retail operator, to place the two stores as anchors at Al Maryah Central.  Al Maryah is a 2.3 million square foot center which is being constructed on Al Maryah Island, the modern central business district of Abu Dhabi.

On completion, Macy’s will cover 205000ft² over four levels, with Bloomingdale’s taking up 230000ft², also over four floors.

The stores are set to offer merchandise and customer service similar to what it offers in the US, but will remain sensitive to its local customers’ preferences.  

The official religion in the UAE is Islam and the country is one of the leading global oil producers.
Al Tayer Group, which is based in Dubai in the UAE, already operates the Bloomingdale’s which opened during 2010 in the Dubai Mall, which is the largest shopping center in that area.

According to the managing director of retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, Burt Flickinger III, the Bloomingdale’s based at Dubai Mall has been a resounding success.  It has surpassed the sales figures of stores such as Marks and Spencer and Galeries Lafayette.  He said the addition of Macy’s will result in an unprecedented success in the market and act as a huge stepping stone  for both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s globally.
Macy’s Inc. operates around 840 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores across the US, Guam and Puerto Rico and offers online sales to around 100 countries.

The company’s CEO, Terry Lundgren, said the company would continue to look at further store development opportunities worldwide.

More about shopping malls in the United Arab Emirates