JEDDAH, 28 May 2005 — Giordano Fashions celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Saudi operations with a donation of SR100,000 to the Disabled Children’s Association (DCA) at a ceremony held at Westin Jeddah on Wednesday night.
DCA’s Jeddah Center Director Dr. Zuhair A. Maimani received the check from Hani Abdul Aziz Saab, president of the Textiles and Garments Company, the parent company of Giordano Fashions in the Kingdom, and Ishwar Chugani, executive director at the Giordano Middle East office in Dubai.
The event was marked by a performance given by DCA children. An exhibition depicting the works from various DCA centers in the Kingdom was also held.
Throughout April and May, Giordano ran a “World without strangers” campaign through its 35 stores across the Kingdom. Shoppers spending SR200 or more were given a coupon, which they could use to redeem on further Giordano purchases or contribute the value of the coupon to the DCA. Shoppers who contributed to the campaign were given a surprise gift for their generosity and support.
Speaking to reporters, Chugani said Giordano had enjoyed excellent growth across the Kingdom over the past 10 years, having opened three new stores in 2005 so far, with six more scheduled to open during the rest of the year. “Our latest store at the newly established Serafi MegaMall in Jeddah represents a new concept,” Chugani said. “In fact, the concept of our stores keeps changing with the changing needs and fashions of our customers.” With this store and the one newly opened at Dammam Mall in the Eastern Province, Giordano’s tally of stores increases to 102 in the Middle East, with a total investment exceeding SR50 million. The company is investing another SR15 million for refurbishment of existing stores.
The retail explosion has allowed us to expand the brand much further than we had earlier anticipated. The projected growth of populations, investment and the ease of trade in the Kingdom, have all combined to improve the retail industry and we are looking forward to the next five years,” Chugani added.
An ambitious global refurbishment program was launched across Giordano’s 1,600 stores around the world in 2004. “The program, which has also been implemented in the Middle East, will take about two years to complete at an expected cost of SR15 million in the Middle East alone.
“The new look Giordano stores will feature wider aisles, new lighting concepts, larger fitting rooms, and direct communication with sales staff, to make a visit to Giordano showroom enjoyable and comfortable,” M.A.K. Jeelani, general manager of Giordano Fashions in the Kingdom, said.
Established in Hong Kong in 1981, Giordano International now operates more than 1,600 stores in 30 countries, serving more than 1.5 billion customers across Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Europe.
In March 1993, Giordano Middle East was established as a joint venture between Emirates Trading Agency, Dubai and Giordano International Ltd., Hong Kong.
Giordano Fashions LLC looks after the distribution and marketing of Giordano products in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Pakistan and Iran.