Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores to open in Abu Dhabi

Macy’s Inc has announced plans to open its first Macy\'s and Bloomingdale\'s stores in Abu Dhabi in 2018, after entering into a strategic partnership with Al Tayer Group LLC, a leading UAE-based company, who will operate the stores underlicense.

The Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores will anchor Al Maryah Central, a new super-regional shopping destination on Al Maryah Island being developed by Gulf Related, a joint venture between Related Companies and Gulf Capital. The 3.1 million square foot development will offer retail, cafés and restaurants, as well as a cinema, health club, luxury hotel and residential dwellings.

Macy’s will operate over four levels spanning 205,000 square foot, while Bloomingdale's will occupy 230,000 square foot on four levels. Both stores will offer an assortment of merchandise as well as ambiance and customer service similar to the brand’s shopping experienced in the US stores.

This will be the first international location for Macy's and second for Bloomingdale's, following the 2010 opening of the Dubai store, for which it also partnered with Al Tayer.

Terry Lundgren, Macy’s, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, said: “As a spectacular new world-class shopping destination, Al Maryah Central provides an outstanding opportunity to introduce Macy’s to customers who live and work in the booming UAE market, as well as to visitors who come from around the world for events, business and holidays.

“Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s already are well known globally. They are destinations for international tourists to the United States and play an important role in popular culture domestically and globally. We are continuing to study various international markets and to better understand how customers worldwide shop in stores, online and via mobile. While macys.com and bloomingdales.com have been selling online in about 100 nations since 2011, we are especially interested in the omnichannel dynamics of worldwide markets, and the role that physical stores play in that equation.”