Category: Gossip & Rumors

Back in April I posted a rumor that the trendy furniture brand BoConcept might be reopening again under new ownership at Avenues Phase III. Well today I finally got a confirmation that the rumor was true. Turns out Behbehani have taken over the brand and they should be opening at the end of the year.

Just found out Alshaya are bringing the Sprinkles Cupcakes franchise to the region and the first branch will open later this year in Kuwait. Sprinkles are the world’s first cupcake bakery and they’re the ones that started the gourmet cupcake fad. If we’re lucky maybe they’ll set us up with a 24hour Sprinkles Cupcake ATM for those late night cravings. [Link]

Thanks Saba

PinkGirlQ8 spotted a Shake Shack coming soon hoarding outside Fanar Mall in Salmiya. I thought the location was a bit odd but I guess they want to drive traffic away from the Johnny Rockets branch that’s just a few shops away.

I also found out the Harvey Nichols launch date at Avenues Phase III is now confirmed to be around end of September early October. This will be their first store in Kuwait.

I’ve seen shops and restaurants closed down by the Ministry before but never a whole supermarket.

Thanks Quintin

According to Q80 High Street there is now a miu miu “coming soon” hoarding at 360 Mall (she doesn’t mention where in the mall exactly).

Miu Miu is a high fashion brand of women’s clothing and accessories from the Prada fashion house. [Source]

I guess it’s only a matter of time before Prada opens up as well. [Link]

According to Abo Flan, a second Hungry Bunny branch is opening soon and this time in Egaila. I still haven’t been to their Jahra branch because I thought it was far but Egaila is even further. [Link]

Just found out that Alshaya are bringing Garrett’s Popcorn to Kuwait. According to my source it seems Alshaya accidentally leaked this news in an internal company memo ahead of time.

I heard that BoConcept the trendy furniture store that recently closed down might be reopening again in Avenues Phase III (possibly under new ownership). I was kind of surprised when they originally announced they were closing down but the fact they’re planning reopen in Avenues Phase III (if the rumor is true) might explain why they shut down their small Marina Mall location.

The brand should do a lot better in Phase III specially since there should be a lot more foot traffic. Also previously they were located inside THE One which is a completely different brand with a different pricing structure and I’m sure it wasn’t helping BoConcept’s brand. If they do indeed open in Phase III it would be their third store location in Kuwait since for a short period they were also open in Tilal Complex but that location must have not done so well because it didn’t take long to close it down.

Based on a comment left by a reader it seems like the British chain ShakeAway will be opening in Kuwait. I’ve never tried them bu according to their website they’re the largest milkshake bar company in the world and they’re already open in Dubai. No idea on when and where they will be opening.

Update: According to a reader their first branch will be at Discovery Mall and they will be opening in 12 weeks time.

A reader posted in the forum the other day on how a point and shoot Canon camera he ordered online got impounded at customs. DHL weren’t able to release the item for him so he had to go clear it himself and after 2 and half hours of running around he was finally able to do so.

So I checked on this and it turns out right now the Canon and Sigma dealers have raised an issue with customs and are demanding that only they are allowed to import their brands. I am not sure if they’ve done this to stop shops like AAB Photo from taking away from their sales (and individuals are being caught in the crossfire) or if they’re actually trying to stop everyone and anyone from purchasing their brands online. Hopefully we’re not the targets and this is just a temporary measure but in any case if you’re planning to order Canon or Sigma products over the internet you should either put your plans on hold until the situation settles down or be prepared to clear the item yourself.

According to a source of mine I found out that Alshaya was trying to bring the very popular franchise Chick-fil-A to the region but the deal fell through. Supposedly one of the terms they couldn’t agree on was the fact that Chick-fil-A wanted to close on Sundays (they’re a very Christian company). Alshaya was trying to convince them to change that rule for the region but Chick-fil-A wasn’t backing down and the deal fell apart. It sucks but I like the fact Alshaya were trying to get the Chick-fil-A franchise.

I received information this morning that the Customs Union could go on a general strike anytime between now and March 15th. If you remember last year, customs went on strike and it was chaos since no shipments were being cleared. After the government promised future reforms and concessions the Customs Union ended their strike but supposedly this time around the union is making it clear that only immediate action will end their strike.

Looks like they’ve timed their strike with the release of the iPad 3 which SUCKS! I really hope the strike doesn’t end up happening.

Around a year ago I posted that I had heard Alshaya was bringing Tesco to Kuwait and since then things have gone pretty mute. At one point I was even told Tesco and Sultan had also formed a partnership where Sultan would carry Tesco products but nothing has come out of that as well.

But according to a different source of mine, Alshaya are still bringing Tesco to Kuwait. I couldn’t get any more information but the previous rumor I heard was that Tesco would replace Carrefour at The Avenues. We’ll have to wait and see.

Below is a list of brands I am aware of that Alshaya are bringing to Kuwait:

– IHOP (International House of Pancakes)
– The Hummingbird Bakery
– Pei Wei Asian Diner
– The Cheesecake Factory
– Texas Roadhouse
– Dolce & Gabbana
– Jo Malone
– Teavana
– Harvey Nichols
– Williams Sonoma
– West Elm
– Tesco

Oddly the one I’m looking forward to the most is Williams Sonoma since it’s really difficult finding high end kitchenware in Kuwait.

Thanks Paul

One of the cameras I have my eyes on is the new Nikon D800. It just got announced earlier in the month and is slated to hit the shelves around the world in March. According to the local Nikon dealer they’re expecting to get the camera (if everything goes according to plan) by mid March. I’m going to upgrade my D90 to the D800 as soon as it’s released so can’t wait.

That’s just so random. [YouTube]