For businesspulse.ae. Dubai copywriter Hisham Wyne has a chat with Anan Fakhreddin, CEO of Damas, on the new direction his company is taking, its new branding and strategy, and the repositioning that has seen Damas shops refitted and relabeled as the jewelry retailer preps to go global. Here’s what he had to say:
Anan Fakhreddin has been CEO of UAE jeweler Damas for four years. It’s not a short time, but feels a mere flash in the pan compared to Damas’ story, which spans over a century.
It’s a story Fakhreddin is proud of narrating. “Damas started 106 years ago in 1907 as a small goldsmith in Syria that became so well-known locally that we decided to expand.”
The workshop might have started in Syria but Damas’ retail journey commenced in the UAE. “The first shop in the UAE opened in the Gold Souk in 1959. It’s called Damas 01, and was the start of everything. It’s still open and doing well,” says Fakhreddin. “We are a UAE company. We’ve grown in the UAE. Our roots are here. And this market contributes three quarters of our revenues.”
“Today, Damas has 300 shops and represents 45 international brands. Some of our top brands include Graff Diamonds and MikiMoto. We have direct presence in eight markets and a proxy presence in four more markets. We hire 2,000 employees and process around a ton of gold every month,” Fakhreddin said.
The entire interview is up on businesspulse.ae. Continue reading here.