Apparel Group sweeps RetailME Awards

Dubai retail giant wins 8 key regional honours

October 31, 2013, Dubai: The Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, yesterday swept the Images RetailME Awards 2013 hosted at the JW Marriott Marquis.

The glittering awards ceremony, attended by prominent business leaders, capped the two-day Middle East Retail Forum, a key knowledge and networking platform for the region's booming retail industry. The RetailME Awards annually recognises  top-performing retailers and best retail practices in the region and rewards excellence across a range of retail categories.

The awards come at a time the region is anticipating a retail boom, with economies stabilising, tourism growing, real estate looking up and the festive season encouraging consumer spending.  The Middle East, particularly the UAE, is celebrated for its kaleidoscopoc retail scene that sees the presence of top brands from across the globe in world-famous shopping malls.

The Apparel Group won eight of the RetailME Awards 2013's 27 categories:

1. Most Admired Retailer of the Year: Fashion - Tommy Hilfiger
2. Most Admired Retailer of the Year: Footwear & Accessories - Nine West
3. Most Admired Retailer of the Year: Children's Wear - Tommy Hilfiger
4. Most Admired Retailer of the Year: Food Service - Tim Hortons
5. Most Admired Marketing Campaign of the Year – Garage
6. Most Admired: Rising Star Retailer of the Year – Garage
7. Most Admired Retailer of the Year: CRM Initiative - Club Apparel (the cardless multi-brand rewards programme)
8. Most Admired International Retailer of the Year – Aeropostale
   Nilesh Ved, Chairman, Apparel Group, said: Thank you very much for honouring us at the RetailME Awards 2013. The eight wins, awarded to us by the eminent jury, encourages us to work even harder, bringing the best of the world's fashion and lifestyle brands to this region. We can see the retail scene looking up again and are excited to be a part of this resurgence. A special thanks to our loyal customers who are our best brand ambassadors.

About Apparel Group:The Apparel Group, now a multi-brand, multi-country conglomerate spearheaded by its chairman, Nilesh Ved, began with just one brand in 1996. An easily recognisable and loved retail name, it now has a network of more than 850 stores, employing 8000 multicultural staff. By 2015, it aims to have 1200 stores. Its top fashion brands include Tommy Hilfiger, Aldo, Nine West, Aeropostale, Kenneth Cole, Inglot and The Children's Place.
The Apparel Group has carved its strong presence not only in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia but has opened thriving gateways to market in India, Singapore, Jordan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Additionally, clear strategies are in place to enter emerging markets such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt and Philippines.
For more details on the group's activities, please go to: www.appareluae.com