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Muji coming to Kuwait!!

I just found out Alshaya are bringing Muji to Kuwait! Their first store is set to open this year at The Avenues. How cool is that? [Source]

What else do we need in Kuwait? Here’s what I think Alshaya should get next:

– Selfridges
– Pret A Manger
– In N Out
– Barnes & Noble

Thanks Joseph

125 replies on “Muji coming to Kuwait!!”

There is no way you can get in & out to Kuwait or any place outside the USA, they are a family operated business are do not want to franchise..the khurafi family tried getting it to Kuwait , didn’t happen

Shake Shack won’t let them though. They consider it a breach of contract if you bring over a similar competitor as it’ll push out their business.

Shake Shack is making too much money to argue with 😛

I think it’ll be fine. Body Shop vs Bath and Body Works – H&M vs TopShop.. he’s already got a lot of brands competing with his own brands.

Body Shop almost pulled out over Bath&Body works, that’s why the BBW management is in Dubai now.

H&M also requested a separate office, they don’t sit with everyone else. they’re not really a direct competitor to Topshop, their stuff is way cheaper.

hmmmm, i guess you still haven’t looked under their cups. 99% of U.S. companies could have CEO’s who are Christian, though this is not reflected in their products or services such as In n Out or Chick fil A.

I’m not saying its not on their cups or bags, I’m saying they’re all Christian companies and you shouldn’t fall for this crap as in oh this company is Christian or this company is Jewish because it really doesn’t matter.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7ADSA_enKW438&q=in+n+out+christian&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1567&bih=716&wrapid=tlif133283674340010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=C3pxT5aSGsKe0QWSiJD8Dw#um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us%3AIE-Address&rlz=1I7ADSA_enKW438&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=in+n+out+bible&oq=in+n+out+bible&aq=f&aqi=g1g-S3&aql=&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l3.11326l11829l0l11966l5l5l0l1l1l0l48l85l2l2l0.frgbld.&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=1c3597923074bf52&biw=1567&bih=716

I know I just mentioned its on cups and bags, what I’m saying all the companies in the US are either christian or jewish or muslim, but it doesn’t matter. If you were just going to deal with Muslim companies we wouldn’t have that many things in Kuwait.

It doesn’t matter…….but i just don’t agree with you in saying that nearly all of the companies in the U.S. are Christians; thats like saying that all Americans are Christians. Labeling America as a Christian country is offensive to me…..if thats what your saying. Its just interesting that bible verses are printed on cups and fry bags.

which part of “all the companies in the US are either christian or jewish or muslim” did you read “all Americans are Christians”?

At least read what I write dude.

It’s not about being Christian per se it’s about being hardcore evangelical type. I don’t know about In n out but Chic Fillet is privately owned by very ultra conservative Christians. They are open with applicants who want to franchise that they will not give a franchise to you unless you are a good fit with them, sharing their view on things.

American Eagle opened outside of America for the first time through a partnership with AlShaya, and so was Shake Shack. Everything is possible.

They should bring A&F and Hollister. I mean come on how come those most popular cloth brands on earth are not in Kuwait already!

not to burst anyones bubble but shake shack isnt a big deal in the US 99.9 dont even know it,, unless u live in St. Louis,, in n out is much bigger,,,, and its hard to get a franchise in the US let alone Kuwait.

It’s not a big deal because it only existed in NYC for a really really long time. I lived in the US for 8 years and never saw an In n Out

Al Khurafi company is going downhill franchise-wise, unless they are able to build a mall half as big as the avenues. There is no way they gonna get rights to anything big when they can’t guarantee a strategic position without the Mercy of Alshaya (owner of Avenues) or Tamdeen (owner of the other major Malls).

Which Kharafi are you talking about though? They have loads of companies and most of them aren’t retail oriented at all, they make a lot of money through construction.

Americana, the food portion of Kharafi, makes a lot of their money from Egypt. They have a lot of franchises in Egypt that belong to someone else in Kuwait.

I think it is a waste to bring some places here, due to the restrictions on items they can sell, censorship, and just the hassle of things in general when dealing with all of the above. I would hate to go into a barnes and noble and not be the variety and selection I am used to. Sure some places work out fine, but again since I have been here I have see a high turn over rate when it comes to places to eat and certain businesses, people seem to be really trendy here.

Not all books are porn so I can’t see why a bookshop wouldn’t be a good idea other than the fact that books are dying in general although the huge ass bookstore in Dubai Mall seems to be surviving fine.

I wasn’t even talking about porn, ha ha. I am thinking tattoo magazines, counter culture style magazines, music magazines. And book wise I know that there would be a limited selection compared to a branch say in the states.

I think nostalgia will keep books around much like records. I will never be sold on e-books totally, I would feel like I was abandoning the connection to physically turning the pages on a book and collecting them with the ability to pass them down.

Kuwait is more open than most other Islamic countries, but if I have a choice in having a business,basically a building with a name, and not the full shopping experience I am used to, then I would rather have nothing at all.

I have been reading through the other comments and I love how people feel like they know everything about a country from having lived there a couple of years, or visited there, this goes both ways.

OK now I’ve calmed down a little let me list things that can be brought to Kuwait:

1- Pret a Manager. They’ve just opened a branch in France. They can come here eshda3wa!
2- Selfridges.
3- Bloomingdales.
4- Gallery Lafayette.
5- Jo Malone.
6- Paperchase.
7- Cafe Niro.
8- Melt Chocolate.
9- Hummingbird Bakery.
10- Patisserie Valerie.
11- Thornton Chocolates.
12- Cornish Pasties.
13- Cafe Rouge.
14- Irregular Choice.
15- Waterstones.

Who knows, maybe by next year with the new Avenues expansion more international stores will open up.

They’re bringing Harvey Nichols so they wouldn’t be allowed to get Selfridges or Bloomingdales.

Local Cafes turn out better than chains anyway :I

UNDER ARMOUR! asap! fitness is booming here in kuwait!compression clothing is the best! GO UNDER ARMOUR!

John Lewis!

Anyone who spent longer than a holiday in the UK will know what I mean. But we need their department store and service/price culture to be imported too – not just a ‘franchise’… Maybe in a few years when we’ve fixed competition laws.

Only thing I like about John Lewis is their Lego section and their electronics section. Don’t recall anything else interesting. Actually “maybe” their kitchen section but thats it.

And their decorations/furniture too. Everything but clothing perhaps. Their buyers put thought into their choices… But it’s the culture of the company I love most! Their prices are guaranteed cheaper than anyone else, and their return policy is second to none. It gives me great confidence in buying without hesitating – always assured of quality in product/service.

We are not ready here!

Their sewing section is quite good too. Their furniture and basics (duvets, pillows, etc.) are so good as well. They have a section for knicknacks like mugs and toys and games that is very fun and quirky to browse through too.

I seriously doubt John Lewis would come to the Gulf, and especially not Alshaya, because of their business structure. They’re a co-op – the company is owned by its employees. How would that work in the franchise model? And especially with the Gulf’s labour laws weighted so heavily in favour of employers.
Unless they sell out their principles, of course 🙁

So they sell soap and candles and a shirt or two. Ikea sells meat balls. Does that make it a restaurant? Anyway, I’m glad you are all excited. Have fun.

Peter Jones
Jenners
Bergdorf Goodman 🙂 🙂
And So to Bed
Ravissant
Landmark bookstore
PNB (punjabi by nature)

Easiest to bring PNB to Kwt since it’s a food based franchise.

So Totally with you on Pret A Manger, although I am curious to see how they will implement their freshness guarantee.

I still want AlShaya Airways. A discount carrier with their own terminal that has only AlShaya stores and eateries in it and the template would be ‘Jet Blue’ out of NYC. It could conquer the region and boost the reputation of this nation who has an airline industry that is collapsed.

Lots of great ideas, but Barnes & Nobel or any other big brick and mortar book store would be a huge failure.

These book stores are failing in the US, let alone in Kuwait where they would be under the oversight of some ministry crony. Maybe you could find a bestseller from 1998 on the shelves.

There is a reason the book store business has been so bad in Kuwait for so long, because they are not meant to be successful.

Also It saddens me to say that no matter how much you or I read, people read very little in Kuwait. There are some people who read a ton, but the vast majority of people in kuwait (locals and non locals) couldn’t care less about books and probably wouldn’t know what to do with one.

@dezrtninja – True, it seems I am the only one with a book on the plane out of Kuwait. Other than magazines, I very rarely see anyone with a book in Kuwait.

“Call me whatever you like… but it bugs me when I hear someone tell me “oh I love jazz too!” and then think what they hear on 92.5FM is the epitome of jazz.

Guys please; when there is something I have no clue about, I shut the hell up. I expect the same in return.”

HOW CAN YOU CALL OTHER PEOPLE HIPSTERS that is the most hipster sentence I have ever heard

There is no definition. People use it as a formless insult to insult anyone they disagree with without realizing other people think they, themselves are hipsters. Nobody thinks “I am a hipster.”

Yay lets all help Alshaya get even more stores under their umbrella so they can continue to monoplize the retail industry in Kuwait, then we can pay higher prices so they can make even more money!!! 😀

In kuwait? No there are’nt. Also Starbucks owns Seattles Best

And im not talking only about Starbucks, but the entire industry. Alshaya own a big majority.

There are OVER 50 coffee shops in Kuwait from local ones to international ones. Starbucks doesn’t have a monopoly.

Also Alshaya stores don’t make up 5% of the retail stores in Kuwait yet alone have a monopoly.

All 90% of the retail market does in Kuwait is wait for Alshaya to market a new product than jump on the bandwagon anyway. Nobody in Kuwait thought of making a frozen yogurt store – suddenly Pinkberry opens and is popular and everyone JUST remembered they wanted to open one, I swear I was gonna open mine first, if I did I’d be rich! How is that a monopoly? That’s people bandwagoning off popular ideas.

How many of our dozens of coffee franchises existed before Starbucks was popular? Last I checked when I go into Caribou or Coffee Bean I actually pay more than Starbucks. Is that somehow the fault of the Alshaya monopoly? Are they telling their competitors to raise their prices?

What they do is open Kuwait’s market to new ideas, which fosters competition as others rush in to occupy that new space. It’s not a monopoly, especially because there are loads of retail categories they haven’t even touched.

Before Pinkberry majority of people here hated frozen yogurt, they called it sour or spoiled ice cream. You need to spend tons of $$$ to market a new product in Kuwait. And Alshaya knew when and how to introduce frozen yogurt by making it “Cool” to try it out, thus the ridiculously long queue, just like he did with Starbucks when locals here were almost all tea drinkers.

What about franchises they brought that weren’t accepted? Or similar franchises others bring that aren’t accepted?

Alshaya did not invent frozen yogurt.

Alshaya is removing anything called compitition, as they continue ownering more and more of the new franchaises that come to kuwait.

People could not do it because it all comes down to timing. For a regular person it would months and months to get the paper work done, which . Where for Alshaya they can get it in a day or so.

Thats B.S. They invented the customer??

Kuwaitis are a food eating type of people. Its very easy to satify people’s taste here, and Alshaya just brought a new thing, which anyone could have done and would been successful.

Then why didn’t they do it? Lots of people tried stuff, failed, and then Alshaya tries the same thing and does well with it. It’s obvious they’re doing something different.

Do you remember TCBY Kuwait? No you don’t, because they tried bringing frozen yogurt YEARS ago and failed.

Wolfgang Puck’s
Wendy’s
Taco Bell!!

Just three examples of of highly valued franchises which are/were managed by Alshaya competitors and failed to capture what you called the easy to satisfy people taste.

It’s all about management and marketing. People here would try new things but they wont show any loyalty if you cant’t turn the place into a “cool” crowded hangout.

“Kuwaitis are a food eating type of people.”
LOL. As opposed to the OTHER type of people, who just eat rocks.

Alshaya actually “cares” about the franchise and is always willing to spend much more on marketing and training the staff involved. Go ahead and Compare Krispy Kreme here to Pinkberry. or Taco Bell to Shake Shack.

Jasim: Alshaya did not invent frozen yogurt, they brought the franchise Pinkberry to Kuwait which resulted in an explosion of frozen yogurt places in Kuwait.

How many frozen yogurt places were there before Pinkberry? How many are there now?

So how do you see that as alshaya removing competition?

I know many people who wanted to bring frozen yogurt before Alshaya did. And if they had brought it first, it would have created the same “explosion”.

Alshaya is removing competition by gaining as many retailer and franchise names as they can, leaving little room for others to enter the market.

Not to mention it is extremly hard for people to complete very basic paper by the govnerment. Which for Alshaya can be done in 2 seconds. Talk about unfair..

Haha my ass, then why didn’t they bring it first? Here’s a hint: People tried to bring it earlier and it didn’t work.

I know many people who wanted to make the iPad before Apple did. It’s not fair I would be rich if I made the iPad first.

Jasim you haven’t replied to my question yet.

Are there more frozen yogurt places today then there were before pinkberry opened?

Obviously yes so how could you say that alshaya is removing competition when in fact their action actually helped create new local businesses, bring in more frozen yogurt franchises and in return create more competition?

before Pinkberry there were few Ice Cream/Gelato places which tried to introduce frozen yogurt, but the quality wasn’t that great so it didn’t attract much attention. I think that’s why no one wanted to invest in opening a franchise here, until word of mouth from people who actually tried Pinkberry in LA convinced Alshaya that it could work here.

Not true. TCBY and I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt are well known and much larger than Pinkberry. When Alshaya brought Pinkberry they were only open in NY and LA.

You can’t even spell most of the words in that half assed sentence of yours.I wouldn’t take your word for shit.

y’all fighting over some froyo?

BTW Pinkberry is bigger than TCBY now……and all the other froyo places……in terms of profit at least. But i don’t eat Pinkberry cause the co-founder beat up a homeless guy with a tire wrench.

We got enough Fast Food/casual diners here. How about some REAL restaurants run by Michelin starred chefs ?

Dubai is moving in that direction, And NO YOU DON’T NEED Wine or Liquor just plenty of yummy irresistible cash. The same cash which convinced Dean & Deluca – A well known Wine seller – to come here.

Just get water, not a big deal. When I go to nice restaurants outside I ask for just water and they don’t say anything.

Guys…Jasim is an Alshaya Troll.

Its not the first time iv seen Jasim saying some random baseless “facts” about Alshaya.

Jasim obviously has a personal issue with the company and thats cool, but slander is not cool.

My advice is to ignore Jasim until “he/she” has something of substance to say.

Pret A Manger is actually owned by McDonalds so i dont think they would say no to franchise. thats why the standard of the food went down hill.

And if anything the standard of food has shot up. I tried Pret earlier in the year in London and late last year in NY and compared to the first time I tried it around 2 or 3 years back they’ve made a huge leap. The food now just kicks ass.

i remember i bought 2 small notepads and a laundry basket from muji .. good stuff

btw .. tim hortons is killing starbucks in dubai ..

I wish Alshaya all the success but I hope they don’t get in N out to Kuwait . I love in N out and by bringing it here, it will be ruined

Really??? Muji is coming to KUWAIT ??? Wheeeeeeeeennn???
Somebody please tell me!! When is it going to open??

alshaya gets the big brands to Kuwait that do well outside.simple recipe to succeed and dominate the retail market.y cant everyone else do it..bcoz you simply cant do it.they have the brands under their portfolio to use as bargaining chips with new brands they want to bring in apart from owning the biggest mall in kuwait where they can guarantee prime space.its a no brainer and the best part is they have underpaid staff to do the hard job of running day to day affairs and help mr shaya laugh all the way to the bank.

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