Samsonite packs a punch with aggressive expansion in KSA

Reinforcing its aggressive expansion strategy across the Middle East, Samsonite Group – the worldwide leader in travel solutions – today announced the opening of its new standalone store at Al Tahlia Shopping Center in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The new store is part of the massive expansion plan across the Kingdom, which will see Samsonite opening 4 exclusive stores over the next two months and 10 overall in the next year. The aggressive expansion underscores the company’s confidence in the KSA market and the growth potential it offers. 

While two new stores will open at Al Othaim Mall in Dammam and the Al Ahsa Mall in Ahsa next week, the other stores at Al Noor Mall in Madinah and Mall of Dhahran in Dhahran/ Al Khobar are expected to open over the next two months. 

The Samsonite store at Al Tahlia Shopping Center is its 12th standalone outlet in the Kingdom. Spread across approximately 900 square feet and situated on the ground floor of the Al Tahlia Shopping Center, the store showcases the entire range of Samsonite luggage solutions including the latest business collection and sports backpacks. 

In his comments on the new stores in KSA, Anwar Khan Assistant Director- Sales and Marketing, said: “We are delighted to extend our exceptional offering and travel luggage solutions to shoppers at Al Tahlia Shopping Center. The new store reinforces our ambitious growth plans and supports our strategic objective of being more accessible to our valued customers in KSA.” 

He added: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presents particularly interesting opportunities for Samsonite’s growth. We aim to further enhance our retail footprint in the country, with more stores in the near future. Through this aggressive expansion, we aim to further our legacy of leading the travel industry to new levels of innovation, not only in KSA but also across the Middle East in the coming years.” 

The region is a very important growth market for Samsonite and we are on an accelerated path, said Anwar Khan, Assistant Director Sales and Marketing. The company also aims to boost its presence in non-travel products in the region. About 34 per cent of Samsonite’s sales come from the non-travel segment and the company aims to expand this segment to 50 per cent of its total sales by 2013. 

Samsonite, which was established in 1910, has grown from a small company with 20 employees in Denver, Colorado, into a global corporation with over 8,000 employees working in over 30 locations around the globe and annual sales of $750 million.