JEDDAH, 24 July — The ever-expanding market for casual wares is the reason why some of the brandnames in this segment get instant public appeal.
A brand equity, which has earned phenomenal popularity and recognition in a short period of time, is Giordano. “It’s no secret that our brandname is making waves in the Saudi Arabian, regional and global markets. Our T-shirts, for instance, sold 20 years ago, continue to remain in demand even today. Another factor contributing to our success is that Giordano, being “the world’s brand retailer of casual wear,” keeps pace with the trends and vice-versa. Thirdly, our product range in eight basic colors can be mixed and matched easily. And, importantly, we’re so competitively priced that there’s no scope for imitators to fake our products,” Ishwar Chugani, Giordano’s top executive, says. Giordano, with its jeans, T-shirts, white shirts and khakis — all cotton, is present in the Middle East since 1993 and distributors started marketing its products in the Kingdom since 1995 when its first store opened at Faisaliyah, Balad. “Within six years, we’ve 20 stores in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province. We hope to open one in Makkah, at the Al Diyafah Center, before Ramadan,” Chugani, executive director at Giordano Fashions LLC, Dubai, said in an interview. “Our growth is so rapid that in the Middle East alone we’ll have 52 stores by 2001-end. Globally, we’ll have 1,000 stores by then, and all of them are identical showrooms,” he added.
Asia remains the biggest market for the brandname, with its presence growing rapidly especially in Korea, Burma and China, where it has 400 stores and manufacturing center. “Our presence is strengthening in the West. In Germany we plan to expand our stores from six to 100,” he said, adding that the global turnover of Giordano will reach $1 billion mark by the end of the year, including the Middle East’s $30 million with the Kingdom accounting for 40 percent of it.
He said Giordano took pride in its management team and staff. “We’ve own company culture, identity, core values and expectations. That’s how I’m here for running a training program for the staff,” said Chugani who visited Oman and Doha before arriving here. He earlier toured Hong Kong and Beijing. “We’ve a global policy which is 14 years old and going strong. We’re now redefining it. That’s the reason for the training and tours.”
He said Giordano Fashions, a division of East Trading Activities (ETA), recently underwent an ambitious and aggressive expansion program to introduce its new concept Giordano shops incorporating a new logo and color scheme. “The new shops are brighter, bigger and much more customer-friendly.” To launch these new concept shops, Giordano has opened five new shops — two in Jeddah (Jeddah Mall and Mahmal Center), two in Riyadh (Al-Faisalia Center and Riyadh Sahara Mall) and one in Alkhobar (Al-Rashid Mall). All other existing shops are undergoing complete renovation to enhance the ambiance and create a new shopping experience.
“The heart of the Giordano system is that it is totally customer responsive. Information and speed are the key components, which drive our entire operation,” Chugani said.