Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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Splash began in 1993 with a single store in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, created by the Landmark Group, a pri- vately held multinational conglomer- ate based in Dubai. The name was the brainchild of Renuka Jagtiani, Land- mark Group's vice chairwoman, who envisioned the brand as "a splash of colors." Today Splash is known for col- ors, trends and value, says Udita Singh, Landmark Group's manager of market- ing and public relations. Splash CEO Raza Beig says he and his team travel extensively to analyze the latest fashion trends and incorpo- rate what they learn into the product line-up, "giving our consumers looks straight off the international runway, but at High Street value." Originally, the company dealt with brands and suppliers from various Southeast Asian countries, as well as Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S. This Any mAy ASSUmE that all the retailers in Dubai are foreign and that they are expen- sive. That would not be correct. Fashion brand Splash, for one, is midmarket and also born and based right there in Dubai. And borrowing a page from the foreign brands that are so ubiquitous throughout the United Arab Emirates, Splash now has upwards of 200 stores across 14 countries. diverse approach, however, brought certain problems. "We were highly suc- cessful in bringing fashion and value to the region," said Beig, "but it also came with its own challenges of inconsistency in sizing and quality." To establish control over its brand offerings while preparing to adapt to a fast-changing marketplace over the next decade, Splash has decided to reinvent itself "with an aim to ensure we were in line with the High Street retail in Eu- rope," according to Beig. Three years ago Splash took another step in its transfor- mation by adopting a different approach to its customers. "It was clear from the re- search that their loyalty was with Splash and not the various in-house brands we retailed," Beig said. "Therefore, in one season we changed from a multibrand store to [one with] all in-house designer M making waves dubai-based fashion chain splash is expanding globally By Spencer Rumsey r e t a i l i n g t o d a y 16 S C t / J u n e 2 0 1 5