JEDDAH: The Kingdom’s Saudization program and the welfare of young Saudi nationals in terms of training and employment are being increasingly focused by the corporate sector.

“Today, almost 50 percent of any business is completely focused on the youth and the balance 50 percent has more to do with the essentials, basics and core fashion,” Raza Beig, CEO of Splash & ICONIC and director of Landmark Group, told Arab News in an interview.

He indicated that training and employment of young Saudi nationals are among the company’s priority areas.

“We do understand the Arab youth fashion and we are trying to give them what they require at affordable prices,” said Beig who is at the forefront of the business, spearheading the brand across the Middle East, Levant countries and the subcontinent, with aggressive expansion plans in the near future.

He believes life has just begun and his best is yet to arrive.
 
Excerpts: 

Q: Could you shed light on Splash’s existing portfolio?

A: We have historically always been a value high street fashion brand and we have always tried to cater to every consumer’s need. So in Splash whether it’s man or woman, youth, smart, denim, lingerie or plus size, we have ensured that we have a proper representation of the current trends in all these areas.

I am sure the customer recognizes what we have to offer and we truly believe we are a fashion business for the entire family.
 
Q: Do you believe Splash is a trendsetter in fashion in the region?

A: We don’t think we are trendsetters in the region, but we are here to ensure that the consumer gets what is in trend across the world.

We therefore map all the various trade shows, websites, which lead fashion and shows that depict what fashion is going to be next season.

We have done this for the past two decades but I do believe today with the knowledge we have of our consumers, we are today able to create our own trends.

This is something new within Splash and this is only because we have an in-depth knowledge of the consumer sensibilities and their preferences across the region.

Q: Saudi Arabia’s nearly 50 percent of population is youth. Are you targeting Saudi youth with your trendsetting lifestyle?

A: Even though we are a family store, we need to keep offering young fashion to our customers.

Today, almost 50 percent of the Splash business is completely focused on the youth and the balance 50 percent has more to do with the essentials, basics and core fashion.

We do understand the Arab youth fashion and we are trying to give them what they require at affordable prices.
 
Q: How many Saudi nationals are employed at Splash in Saudi Arabia?

A: We actually employ close to 1,800 people in Saudi Arabia as a region out of which around 700 people are Saudi nationals.
 
Q: How does Splash involve itself in corporate social responsibility?

A: We do not work toward the commonly used terminology of social responsibility; but instead work for the benefit of our people and the community at large.

We are responsible citizens and a responsible business where we try to do our best to help especially able adults.

We have incorporated these young adults from Special Needs Foundation (SNF) to fit into the working environment.

During the last Ramadan season, we did honor various unsung heroes who actually make a difference to the community and we initiated a campaign called Heart of Gold where we honored 30 heroes.
 
Q: How is Splash benefiting from its brand ambassadors Arab singer and actress Nicole Saba, Bollywood actor Salman Khan and actress Esha Gupta?

A: There is no way we can quantify how much we have been benefiting from the various brand ambassadors but we do believe a brand gets recognized by these known faces in a very busy and crowded environment where there is a lot of campaigns running.

These celebrities help us stand out and get noticed. We have been working with them for a few seasons and they continue to endorse the brand because they have added value to our brand.
 
Q: Splash has received several significant industry accolades. Can you name a few of them?

A: While we did receive a few accolades this year, which included Excellence in Retail at the Stars of Business Awards and the Princess Haya awards for Special education, we are very proud of the SNF award certificate of appreciation for our contribution to the SNF development culture and the HR Excellence awards 2014 for innovation of employee engagement.

Q: Founded in 1993 as a single brand store in Sharjah, Splash currently operates over 220 stores and 55 brand stores across 14 countries.  What is the success story of Splash?

A: Splash has been in the business for the last 23 years, and one thing which is constant in Splash has been ‘change.’

We have constantly adapted to the change in the region and how the customers have changed over the last 23 years.

I think that is why we have been in tune with what the market wants. 

Another key reason is that we have a very young team and whoever is inducted in this team lives with the philosophy — In Love with Fashion — and I do believe the one thing that is common right from me to the teams involved is that each one loves the business of fashion.
 
Q: Splash’s presence in Saudi Arabia is quite visible. Are you planning to open more stores in the Kingdom?

A: We have always grown with the country and as and when the markets have given us an opportunity, we have extended our visibility and been an active part taker in the economic growth of the region.

There are definitely certain areas where we can still grow and therefore, there is an opportunity for growth in the Kingdom. We are set to open 25 stores in the coming financial year, in addition to the existing 160 stores.

Q: What is Splash’s strategy for 2016 in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region?

A: It is business as usual but we do want to consolidate and tighten up our business a little bit to ensure that our focus is going to be on creating an excellent environment for our consumers to shop in.

We have also invested heavily in quality of the styles we bring to the consumer.

Splash currently operates over 220 stores and 55 brand stores (Lee Cooper, Bossini, Kappa, etc.) across 14 countries and ICONIC has 34 stores across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.