Madinat, Dubai

Moving on from the enormous Malls here in Dubai, there are also, of course much smaller enterprises. Here we have the Madinat, placed very conveniently near the luxury hotels, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Mirage and the Burj Al Arab. Very similar type 'souks' exist in the old part of Dubai near the creek and this is perhaps a rather sanitised version. The majority of clientele seem to be tourists and visitors looking for those very carefully chosen souvenirs. I am not sure I like this version as part of the pleasure of the original version of these places is rummaging around, good old fashioned bargaining and a banter with the tradesmen. The spice souk is far more exciting although here one isn't hassled by someone trying to flog a faux Rolex, Versace handbag or a pashmina - isn't that part of the fun though? And me in a pashmina? Anyway, small stores sell everything from perfumes to antiques here and if you prefer something less edgy then this is the place for you. If not, get yourself a cab down to the creek and experience the spice souk, the guys there are far more fun yet incredibly gentle, if not just a little more cheeky - wonderful.

House of Aoud, Mall of the Emirates

I noticed this store a few years ago while on a visit here in Dubai and the tunnel 'like' space certainly drew me in. In Dubai, Arab perfume is big news. Creating that essential scent is one of the most magical things to see and these guys certainly do it well. I always wonder what would happen if, for example, we all were forced to wear the same thing? If we were covered head to toe in Black, how would we define ourselves? Well, I suppose as human beings and being intrinsically creative, one person would add a belt and another a collar and so on. Here in Dubai, females don't have this luxury and one of the ways in which they seem to at least make an understated statement, is through hand bags, shoes and perfume. To western senses the perfumes are very heavy and I know from previous experience in buying this stuff that what smells so wonderful here in the heat and warmth is quite choking in the London cold and wet weather. However, a whiff from the bottle is enough to stimulate the senses and maybe I will just swing by and purchase a small memento of my travels. In the meantime, I do really like this space with its illuminated arch forms and out sized fixtures displaying the product. The marble and Gold are perhaps a little too much if this were a Western store, although here in Dubai it works well and it really is a treat to view.

More Restaurant, Dubai

During my stay here in Dubai, I couldn't resist but find out more about 'More'. Having read so many reviews about these restaurants, some of them incredibly negative and some absolutely positive I couldn't wait to find out for myself what these places were actually like. I don't usually take any notice of reviews anyway as I am not precious when it comes to restaurants. The company I am with is far more important to me and I'm certainly not a restaurant critic. The food and service were absolutely fine. What I am interested in is the place itself. This restaurant is highly unusual and there is an interesting trend happening here. In this More restaurant there is also a certain amount of merchandise being presented. This is possibly the first time I have viewed mannequins in a restaurant and therefore I felt compelled to include this to show you. In the centre of the restaurant is a suspended 'table' from cables attached to the ceiling. Mannequins have been placed at one end of the suspended 'table' onto which merchandise has been placed. I wouldnt normally put fashion per se into a restaurant environment and it is a little disconcerting to see this as although this is an indirect sales angle, I almost want to forget shopping for a moment and concentrate on the atmosphere of the restaurant tself. This, of course is Dubai and the land of shopping so I guess any opportunity to get us to buy More (no pun intended) is an opportunity not to be missed. Anyway, do check out their restaurants, and if you aren't shopped out, maybe make an additional purchase too.

Salam, Wafi Mall, Dubai

The Salam department store really is one of the best department stores I have seen in a long time. Beautiful glossy floors, superb lighting, beautiful merchandise and all presented so wonderfully. The day I visited I was virtually the only person in the store which was quite an uneasy and odd feeling. I actually picked up some au de toilette and accidentally dropped the top which crashed to the floor and echoed loudly across the store. I'm not used to customer less department stores where the sales associates outnumber the customers, but this is Dubai. As I have mentioned in previous entries, people shop in a very different way here and don't simply go out and buy a pair of shoes to spend a few dirhams. When many of the clientele to these places shop they spend thousands in one go (I'm not one of those customers however) and therefore these places remain huge empty homages to consumerism most of the time. Two customers and they have a 'rush' on. However, I was drawn to this store because of the incredible window installations. Someone here knows how to present merchandise with humour, intelligence and skill. The Salam website is very glossy and their images are a dream to view. Its just such a shame that so many of these places are empty as, at least for me, watching people shop, the music and so on create an exciting atmosphere and unfortunately any sense of fun is truly missing. Still, it looks fabulous.

The One, Burjuman, Dubai

I do love home ware. Is that wrong to admit? One of my favourite places that I always visit when I come to Dubai is The One in the Burjuman Mall. If there is one place that does home ware really well it is here. One of my other favourite places for home ware is also New York. America (or at least New York) really do it so well. OK well a lot of it is reproduction stuff and I do prefer original furniture whenever finances allow but the presentation is done so well. I think the reason I am seduced is because these room sets always give a sense of space. Something we lack in London I think and I just love beautiful things. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a hoarder of 'stuff' and I don't have cupboards full of things which I got bored of and are just waiting to hit eBay. But to quote William Morris, "only surround yourself with things which are either beautiful or useful" is my mantra. If I buy something I also throw or recycle something so that my personal space is not overflowing. Anyway, if you enjoy even just looking at this kind of stuff, do go and check out The One's gorgeous merchandise and allow yourself to be seduced.

Kenzo, Burjuman, Dubai

I am always strangely drawn to Kenzo whenever I see it in London as it seems such a mysterious brand to me that I know so little about. I suppose it just doesn't scream from the high street, but always seems to be there. Kenzo, of course, is now part of the portfolio of the ever increasing LVMH group but I strangely never really see anything of it apart from the ubiquitous perfume adverts. Also, the London store has one of those omnipresent security grills so sadly used in so many stores in the 'thieving' West. Here in Dubai of course, this is not a problem. The scheme in this store did grab my attention (possibly because I didn't have view it through a security grill) and on closer inspection contains what looked like pieces of old manuscript with writing in fountain pen which have been 'stuck' to form a backdrop. This actually works very well with the merchandise and the white gloss mannequins. However, I am not so sure about the bottles suspended from the branches around it. This seems rather an afterthought to me rather than a significant part of the scheme and perhaps some other prop would have been more appropriate? What do you think?

Bershka, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Here in the Mall of the Emirates is the latest offering from Bershka. I have to admit that I didn't warm to the brand initially when I first saw the store back in London, however, they have been doing some interesting stuff recently that warranted another look. Of course, the brand is part of the House of Zara and the Inditex group. Although what is interesting is how different this brand is from its sister company. So often high street multiples seem to rationalise their spending particularly during a recession and use the similar shop fit across their brands in order to keep cost to a minimum regardless of who they are targeting. Anyway, Bershka clearly have their own defined personality which shines through in this store. Here we have a pseudo, possibly American highway scene? with printed backdrop and Oil drum carrying a pile of merchandise. The miniature VW and the illuminated lettering spelling BSK placed between the mannequins and the backdrop are fun props that complete the scenario.

Centrepoint, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

I found Centrepoint here in the Mall of the Emirates (and incidentally they are also in the Burjuman) and have included them here as the props that they have presented are very similar to those in the Science Museum back in London. These work very well as part of my explanation of repetition of form, shape and so on to my students. I do often take my students to the Science Museum to have a look at the various mathematical structures that they have explored there and presented so it was quite a pleasure to find store windows that have used them to support their merchandise. Of course the pyramidal format has been used if we look at the product display dynamics and although the merchandise is not the most exciting, these things are great to use to explain the display process with the use of hexagons and pentagons etc. As with a lot of these 'local' brands, I am not absolutely familiar with it, however, what they do, they do very well, and if you need to explore the fundamentals of product handling, this is a great place to start.

Bugatti B>More, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Bugatti B>More is another brand that I had never heard of until I visited the Mall of the Emirates and WAFI Mall here in Dubai. I have had a quick search around the net to find out a little more about them as I do actually like the layout of thier retail spaces. Unfortunately, all I can find it the usual marketing malarky from the Malls themselves rather than information about the company itself in which I was rather quite interested. It transpires however that this brand is actually a multi-brand provider rather than a brand in itself. According to the Mall marketing, Bugatti B>More is a "multi-brand fashion boutique offering men and women's clothing" and apparently Bugatti B>More "symbolizes choice, preference, class, elegance and fashion". I felt that it was a shame that the company don't seem to have their own philosophy or statement about themselves for us to understand where they are coming from. The marketing statements about them sadly say so little about the brand itself. Whenever a marketing statement declares that a brand represents 'class' it does ring alarm bells, at least for me, to ensure I steer clear. However, the product presentation is actually very well done and I felt that the open front with merchandise simply placed was so incredible to my western eyes. This would last two seconds in a British Mall, the merchandise would be snatched and on ebay within the hour. This is, however Dubai and the penalty for doing such a thing is zero tolerance and not an attractive option. Maybe there are lessons to be learned here?

Etisalat, Mall of Dubai, Dubai

I came across this incredible Etisalat store just by chance the other day. I felt compelled to record it and show it to you as it was such a pleasure to see what is essentially a communications store that looked so beautifully designed and contemporary. Of course there are numerous and incredible Apple stores dotted around the globe which I have seen many times, which always look so pristine and are probably a competitor, however this store really did draw me in (Apple stores don't tend to) I wasn't wholly familiar with this local brand who describe themselves as "enabling people to reach each other, businesses to find each new markets and everyone to fulfill their potential". OK, there is the usual marketing blag that goes with just about every brand, but this really is done well. I cant subscribe to this brand as I don't live in UAE although they say of themselves that they "are increasingly present in international markets". I guess we will need to watch this space.

Harvey Nichols, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

I really do love the Hot Stuff promotion at Harvey Nichols here in the Mall of the Emirates. I first visited this Mall a few years ago, and of course tested out the incredible Ski Dubai too (I have written about in a previous entry) With the global issues aside, Ski Dubai is quite remarkable and of course helps keep this Mall one of the busiest in Dubai. This store a few years ago seemed to need to find itself as it felt visually a little disconnected from its London sister store, and of course my frame of reference - I appreciate it is a franchise. However, having seen the store recently, it really does have the wonderful cache that the 'original' store has. Windows containing charred furniture scenarios fill this space on all three floors - the merchandise is as wonderful as ever. I adore this store and, well, OK I can get most of this stuff at home, but to see it interpreted here is a wonderful pleasure too and clearly one of the major anchors to the Mall itself.

Chaumet, Dubai Mall, Dubai

I have never noticed this brands store at home in London before as it just seems to just blend in this all of the jewellers along Bond St. However, this one screams to be looked at. Here in the Mall of Dubai, one could hardly not notice it with its beautifully lit frontage. Having been drawn in to take a closer look, it transpires that this is actually quite an old Parisian brand dating from 1780 founded by Marie-Etienne Nitot . It also has quite an interesting history of corruption too according to the information I can find out about it which led to bankruptcy during the mid 1980's. However, Chaumet was bought by LVMH in 1999 it became profitable again. Although it is very unlikely that I would ever buy anything here the merchandise is very beautiful as is the store itself and if only for that do go and take a look.

Jacob & Co., Dubai Mall, Dubai

I'm not normally hugely interested in Jewellery, although I do appreciate some of the wonderful stores here in the Dubai Mall. Jacob & Co. is one of the more unusual stores selling outrageously expensive jewellery and watches for the local market. As I have mention previously, so many of these Malls are almost completely empty of people shopping, as people shop in such a different way. One customer may spend hundreds of thousands of Dirhams in one shopping journey here. Anyway, as this store was so beautifully produced, it certainly warranted a closer look into the company. The clientele for this brand seem to be the 'bling' set of pop stars, supermodels and possibly children of global Hotel chains (if you know who I mean). According to their website, pieces of jewellery (including time pieces here too) fall into the "Fashion" category. I am particularly intrigued to view the "World is Yours" timepiece which apparently contains different coloured diamonds to form the continents and oceans of the world. There really is a skill in designing this stuff, and whether we like it or not, there clearly is a market for it too.