Yesterday I dropped by a new department store that opened up called The District that carries a number of brands including UNIQLO and Lululemon. I was curious to check out the UNIQLO items since I tend to stock up on their t-shirts and socks whenever I’m in LA.
Just to be clear, this isn’t an official UNIQLO store. I ran into the owner while I was browsing and had a chat with him and turns out they tried bringing the UNIQLO brand to Kuwait but UNIQLO weren’t interested (even Alshaya are having trouble trying to get the brand). So, what they decided to do was buy UNIQLO products at normal retail price, ship them to Kuwait and slap their markup onto the items. How much of a markup? Well here are the prices of a bunch of random items so you can compare:
Low Cut Socks
Online: KD1.2
Kuwait: KD2
Dry Pique Short Sleeve Polo Shirt
Online: KD6
Kuwait: KD17.5
Fleece Long-Sleeve Full-Zip Jacket
Online: KD6
Kuwait: KD24
Oxford Slim Fit Long Sleeve Shirt
Online: KD9
Kuwait: KD24
Women Ezy Jeans
Online: KD12
Kuwait: KD30
Sprz NY Basquiat Short Sleeve Graphic T-Shirt
Online: KD4.5
Kuwait: KD24
Ouch right? But here is why their prices are so expensive. Stores tend to buy items at wholesale prices, so for example, if an item retails for KD10, the actual cost of the item to the store is around KD4. The KD6 difference would cover the cost of shipping, customs, salaries, rent, and profit. In this case, The District is purchasing the items at full retail price of KD10, then slapping on the cost of shipping, customs, salaries, rent and their profit resulting in the prices you see above. I didn’t check the Lululemon prices but I’m assuming its the same.
If you want to check the place out yourself, The District is located in Bida’a [Google Maps] and they’re also on instagram @thedistrict_kuwait
Thanks Aisha!
