Aeropostale makes Dubai debut

NEW YORK Aeropostale has opened its first international store outside North America in Dubai, UAE at the Oasis Centre Mall. Aeropostale selected Apparel Group LLC as its licensee to open and operate its mall-based stores in the Middle East. Aeropostale and Apparel Group expect to open more than 20 stores in the region, including flagship locations in premiere malls.

Julian Geiger, chairman and CEO of Aeropostale, stated, "We are excited to bring Aeropostale stores to the Middle East and plan to expand our store base aggressively in UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar over the next few years. This region has become a major shopping destination with some of the best-known malls in the world. We understand the importance of choosing the right partner and we believe that Apparel Group brings great expertise to building brands and operating licensed stores. This new venture in Dubai will enable us to introduce the Aeropostale brand in new markets overseas and lay the groundwork for what we believe can be a greater expansion of the brand globally."

Aeropostale is the latest in a handful of retailers that have already opened stores in Dubai, including Saks and Bloomingdale's. However, with Dubai's economy struggling along with the rest of the world, growth in this region may be slow to come.