UXUS Bloomingdale’s Concept Charms Kuwait. Bloomingdale’s opens its second international location in Kuwait, a collaboration between Al Tayer Insignia and design firm UXUS. The winning collaboration delivers a next-level luxury experience by weaving together hospitality, retail and service. Opened March 15, 2017, the iconic American department store in Kuwait lives up to Bloomingdale’s promise, ‘like no other store in the world’.
Designed by UXUS in collaboration with Al Tayer Insignia, the Bloomingdale’s experience in 360 MALL enchants Kuwait’s cultured consumer. This upscale arena eclipses a transactional only model by connecting hospitality, retail and service through a cohesive, sophisticated approach. Personalised services, VIP touch points, integrated digital and curated elements come together seamlessly, encouraging exploration and indulgence.
With a holistic view, UXUS and Al Tayer Insignia designed the luxury retail space to integrate with Bloomingdale’s distinct visual identity. Throughout the mall, consumers will enjoy the New York-style elegance behind Bloomingdale’s heritage. The material palette combines flourishes of black and white marble, silk carpet, metal framing, luxurious upholstery and contrasting finishes, conveying luxury, and at key moments, privacy with multiple opaque glass expressions.
Design hallmarks such as the checkerboard black-and-white tile are reimagined throughout the space, in addition to the iconic black framing systems.
From arrival to purchase, UXUS and Al Tayer Insignia considered every part of the consumer journey. The VIP Entrance with a separate façade, lounge and ‘click and collect’ area initiates an upscale journey at Bloomingdale’s. At Your Service offers a refined concierge desk, lounge and fitting rooms with 3-way mirrors for guests to pick up and try on their online purchases. If entering from the interior of 360 MALL, guests are greeted by curated storefronts. Inside the space, the statement Takeover Tower connects each floor by merging digital with physical merchandised displays.
The exciting world of beauty comes to life on the ground floor exemplifying the UXUS focus on integrating service with retail, tailored to the Middle Eastern market. After purchasing beauty items from separate vendors, guests are encouraged to enjoy a luxurious consultation and treatment to complete the look at Experience Beauty. Likewise, Discover Beauty features up-and-coming international brands and an exploration table for guests to trial and learn application techniques.
The beauty area constructs a full-circle experience, from purchase to creating your new look.
Collaborating with Al Tayer Insignia, UXUS created a clear concept for Bloomingdale’s Kuwait, bringing together multiple brands in one space. The highly branded showcase of footwear and accessories on the Level 1 encompasses this approach. The Boudoir and The Apartment zones for shoes and handbags allow guests to shop and dwell in comfort.
”What you are creating is an environment – a world,’ Oliver Michell, CCO and Architect at UXUS explains, ‘that is extremely appealing and conducive to spending a lot of time, so that you can captivate people.”
The extravagant café concept, Scene, is situated adjacent to the shoe department and embodies the glamour of New York City. The private dinner party atmosphere of Scene harks to an iconic New York apartment and even includes an indoor, terrace-inspired area. UXUS worked with well-known footwear designers to illustrate specialty pieces as key décor – merging food and fashion in the fully branded concept.
Bloomingdale’s Kuwait demonstrates the potential of international retail ventures. By curating the experience to the local market’s taste and preferences, UXUS evolved an icon for the ever-increasingly sophisticated Middle Eastern market
About UXUS
UXUS designs for a connected 21st century world that thirsts for the new. A world in which retail and hospitality are not just as places to shop, eat and sleep, but part of a new cultural landscape. Today the psychology of shareable moments drives everything: from design and architecture to service and customer journey.
This emotive customer take-away is just as important as the purchase. That’s why our design team blends retail, hospitality and branding with a psychological and emotive approach to design.
We collaborate with the world’s biggest brands across diverse industries to reimagine their vision into emotive experiences that redefine categories.
UXUS reimagines consumer experiences through 5 core services:
– Retail Design
– Hospitality Design
– Architecture
– Graphic Design
– Digital Storytelling
About Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s is America’s only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store; and a division of Macy’s, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 40 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and California.
About Al Tayer Group
Al Tayer Group is a diversified regional business established in 1979 with its headquarters in Dubai, UAE. Since its inception, the Group has grown rapidly and currently operates in 12 countries in the Middle-East and beyond, with over 9,000 employees. It has built leading operations in multiple sectors, including automotive, contracting, retail and services.
In retail, Al Tayer Group has firmly anchored its position as a leader in the Middle East through the representation of major brands such as Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani and Jimmy Choo, to name but a few. Al Tayer Group is also responsible for opening and operating the largest Harvey Nichols outside the United Kingdom as well as the first Bloomingdale’s stores outside the United States.
Complementing its position in luxury retail, the Group’s portfolio also includes leading lifestyle brands such as Gap, Banana Republic and Crate and Barrel. The Group also has joint ventures with Bottega Veneta, Bulgari, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gucci, Prada and Saint Laurent.
About Macy’s, Inc.
Macy’s, Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation’s premier retailers, with fiscal 2007 sales of $26.3 billion. The company operates more than 850 department stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.
About 360 MALL
360 MALL is an exciting and unique destination in Kuwait whose shopping, entertainment and leisure components are synonymous with sophistication, elegance, unsurpassed style and high-end luxury. The mall integrates retail, leisure and entertainment in a luxury environment, positioning it as the premier luxury shopping experience in Kuwait. The superb architecture of the project is a circular design that was inspired by a modern day interpretation of the region’s Arabic architectural features.
Amongst its stores are a mix of luxury brands, dining and entertainment, many of which were introduced for the first time in Kuwait, offering shoppers and visitors exciting leisure and shopping experiences. The mall’s elegant interiors include seven different experience zones. 360 MALL marks a milestone in the growth of Kuwait’s retail sector and is clearly setting benchmarks for the industry.
The mall has commenced a massive expansion program to develop added offerings which include sports, entertainment, a hotel, and additional shopping. This will be the first time in the world that retail, sports and entertainment come together under one roof as a world-class tennis complex is added to the mall. The expansion project will feature several new to the market retail brands, a signature five-star hotel, in addition to outstanding restaurants, a ballroom, and a health club.
The upgraded retail experience will leave shoppers with a multitude of new brands to choose from, while the hospitality and F&B facilities will create a new luxury paradigm. Once the expansion is completed, the total GLA of the mall will be approximately 120,000 square meters.
