TEXT SIZE: News Business The National Conversation Sport Lifestyle Arts & Culture Opinion Enter search terms Industry Insights Connect: RETAIL Radio: Feed: EDITOR'S PICKS BinHendi has big plans for Gulf Dubai gets taste of Turkish delight from Mudo City Online grocers set up shop in Dubai Tiffany signs deal with Damas to take over UAE retail operations Parents and their children are becoming more brand aware as the market grows and designer houses push the trend for kids' fashion. Above, youngsters model clothing by Gap Kids. Randi Sokoloff / The National Childrens' brands the height of UAE fashion Rory Jones Bubbles & Giggles, Pitter Patter and Gingersnaps are just a few of the creatively named children's fashion stores in Dubai Mall. Overlooking the aquarium on the second floor, shoals of pram-pushing mothers nip in and out of brightly coloured stores that make up a corridor of children's fashion. Lesser-known brands such as Petit Bateau, Petits Petons and Little Castle ply their trade next to world-famous designer names such as Ralph Lauren and Armani Kids. This busy corridor of more than 20 children's shops is growing, with Lovely Lace Baby, Dior Kids and Gucci Kids all soon to open glamorous stores for equally glamorous mothers and their fashion-conscious offspring. "Parents want to see their children dressed well, and even the children are becoming very brand-conscious," says Manmeet Padam, the brand manager for Angels, a home-grown designer children's store run by the Rivoli Group. "It's a big market for the fashion houses." Angels, which has nine stores in the UAE, is a multi-branded retailer, selling French, Italian and American products, including Baby Dior, Burberry, Kenzo Kids, Ferrari and Hugo Boss. Picking a licence to thrill at franchise showcase Dubai tower breaks world record De Beers' relocation to Botswana could make its economy sparkle A developer in Dubai said one of its residential buildings has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the tallest residential tower in the world. POLL Have you noticed the price of food falling? Yes, my shopping bill is smaller Vote BLOGS Profit-eating office spaces No, prices are still too high Show Results Life@Work Facebook IPO ignores 'mums and dads' investors Find us on Facebook The National Your Money Like James Bond and Ron Burgundy trailers 9,194 people like The National. Scene & Heard ADU Loves: Depuis 1924 Kenneth Ann Ayesha Natalie Recent Activity Sign Up Sue All Dressed Up SOUND & VISION Create an account or log in Clothing prices in the store start at Dh250 (US$68) and go up to Dh2,500. "There's an increase in activity in the market. It's only going to get bigger and better," says Ms Padam. But the market is already huge. Parents spent an estimated $1 billion on children's designer clothing and footwear last year in the Emirates, according to the research company Euromonitor. Moreover, the total spent on children's fashion, not just designer clothing, is estimated to run into billions as the big operators, such as BabyShop and Mothercare, dominate the mass market. "Buying children's designer clothing is most common within the local community and the Arab expatriates who are happy to splash out on their children when they can afford it," says Sana Toukan, an analyst at Euromonitor. "Children's designer outerwear in the UAE saw a healthy 16 per cent growth in 2010 on the previous year as the economy recovered, leaving people with more disposable income to spend on their children." Ms Toukan has not yet firmed up her figures for last year, but stores such as Angels have reported sales growth of more than 30 per cent for last year compared with 2010. Video: The “Algerian Rose” in concert Facebook social plugin Full screen EVENTS Treasures of the World’s Cultures Retailers have quickly recognised what the spending trend can mean for their bottom lines, opening stores not just in Dubai Mall, but also in shopping centres in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Chalhoub Group, one of the biggest luxury players in the Middle East, is rolling out its home-grown children's concept called Katakeet, Arabic for "chicks". In the mass-market segment, Liwa Trading Enterprises, an Abu Dhabi retailer, plans to open 50 to 60 children's stores in the GCC in the next few years, having signed franchise agreements with the Spanish retailers Gocco and Charanga. "Every international brand wants to move here," says Aniss Baobaid, the Apr 18 - Jul 17, 2012 TOPICS • • • • (What is this) ROBERTO MANCINI EMIRATES ID SYRIA UNREST UAE HISTORY E-PAPER general manager of Liwa Trading. "They are basically creating the same fashionability of the adult clothing, but for kids." View the paper as it appeared in print As the market grows and fashion houses push the trend, children are also becoming more brand-aware. On a catwalk in Dubai Mall last Wednesday evening, the latest cocktail dresses, tuxedos and dinner jackets - all for children - were on display. Arranged by Majestic Kids, a store owned by International Business Group Majestic, the event had five different themes: chic afternoon couples; beachwear; glitter and jeans; fresh and snobbish; and evening occasions. Register here It seems children also need wardrobes fit for any occasion. As she rushes around Ralph Lauren Kids in Dubai Mall, Katja Kern, a housewife from Germany who lives in Dubai, explains that her two girls, who are 3 and 5, are aware of what is fashionable and what is destined for the charity shop. APP Keep up to date with the latest news on the move "My girls are very conscious of what they like," she says, just after explaining to the shop assistant that her daughters will not like the colours suggested for polo shirts. "They have colours and princess ideas in mind, which they learn in school and not at home. I do not make them aware of brands. I'm very price-conscious and buy a lot in sales." Saleh Suhail, an Emirati from Abu Dhabi, is also wandering around the children's corridor, pushing his 2-month-old baby boy in a pram. Get your iPhone app here He is acutely aware that his son will quickly outgrow his clothes. "I have bought a lot from BabyShop. I cannot buy all my clothes from [designer] brands," Mr Suhail says. "They grow up so fast and their size is always changing." Despite parents' value-conscious approach to shopping for their children, retailers say the market for newborn to 4 years old is one of the most lucrative, because, as Mr Suhail says, young children grow quickly. "The main business is from zero months to 12 years old, and we can say that 50 per cent of the business is generated from sales for 0 months to 4 years, and in this case the parents are the decision-makers," says Rania Masri, the operations manager at the Chalhoub Group retail division. rjones@thenational.ae twitter: Follow and share our breaking business news. Follow us Pages: Back to the top Q&A: Big business in little ones Parents spend an average of Dh1,500 (US$408) in Katakeet, a children’s designer store. Rania Masri, the operations manager for Chalhoub Group Retail, which created the brand, explains why children’s fashion is becoming so popular in the Gulf. Is there a move by retailers towards investing in designer kids brands?It is surely a trend, not just by retailers, but also by the design houses themselves. Brands such as Lanvin and Gucci have just started their children’s line, a clear indication that this is a trend to keep an eye on. Why is the trend happening now? Are parents spending more on their children than they used to do?Parents spend more on their children in less-mature markets, dressing them in designer brands to communicate certain status, whereas in more mature markets, parents focus on less branded items and more on the quality of the product. So is there a propensity to spend more on children here in the UAE than in other parts of the world? The average spend in the Gulf is much higher than some consumers in Europe or in the US. However, Italy and Belgium remain the biggest spenders in high-end children’s fashion brands. Some emerging countries like Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have been doubling their spending. In the GCC, UAE leads the chart because of the mix of tourists and local clients. If we are looking at local clients only, then Kuwait tops the spending chart followed by Saudi Arabia, then UAE. Sounds like the trend starts with parents?The trend starts with the brands. Every season we hear of a Get the most from Sign up to our newsletter Sign Up famous designer launching his/her kids line, all mainly offering mini-me silhouettes that the media and parents desire. It all started with moms and dads who want to dress their kids in similar pieces to what they wear; as well as parents wanting to make a fashion statement or show a certain status of wealth or fashion awareness. Are children also driving this trend?Over the age of 12, and often much younger, is the group we call “tweens” – this segment knows exactly what they want and they fully drive the trend. Major influences are TV and music these days. This segment dislikes shopping in the children’s stores, and a new trend of tween boutiques has been showing growth. How has your home-grown concept, Katakeet, been welcomed?The concept of Katakeet, which revolves around a kids story of three characters created by British illustrator Polly Dunbar, has been welcomed [for] its innovative design and personalised style. We are keen to further develop the brand first in the UAE, with the intention to go into the Kuwait and Saudi market soon. Are parents attracted to both wellknown international brands and new home-grown concepts such as Katakeet? For brands, the majority of parents are still very traditional and attracted only by the classic luxury brand names. However, there is a move led by younger and more fashionable parents towards contemporary designers, but it is still a niche. Who else does Chalhoub represent?Within Katakeet, we have a selection of the top children’s wear brand names – Ralph Lauren Kids, Burberry, Baby Dior, Tartine et Chocolat and Fendi. In terms of representation, we have Burberry, Chloé, Hugo Boss, DKNY, Little Marc Jacobs, Timberland, Simonetta, Il Gufo, Paul Smith, Hackett, Sonia Rykiel and Lanvin Petite. RETAIL Related ■ Versace collection at H&M only available in Dubai Topic Shopping Back to Retail Previous article Next article A strained relationship Bank of Sharjah posts slide in net profits The National Conversation Comment Editorial Feedback Industry Insights Sport comment Our journalists SOUND & VISION THE GUIDE ONLINE FEATURES MY NATIONAL Pictures Videos Audio Practical Information Social Information History E-Paper Competitions Edit preferences Manage alerts Do you have a story? 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