DUBAI — Martha Stewart has officially opened her first standalone retail stores under her own brand name anywhere in the world — and she chose Dubai for the debut.
The home and lifestyle icon was in Dubai for the grand opening celebrations at Mall of the Emirates, following earlier soft launches at Mirdif City Centre and Dubai Hills Mall. The three locations, developed in partnership with Marquee Brands and regional retail partner Apparel Group, represent a first for Stewart, who has never had freestanding stores bearing her name despite decades of selling products through department stores and other retail channels.
“I think people will be very pleased. The stores look incredible here. We are so excited and just waiting for more and more of our product to arrive,” Stewart told WWD at the launch event.
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Stewart is now part of Marquee Brands, the parent company that owns her brand and orchestrated the Middle East expansion. Stewart revealed her personal approach to developing the retail spaces, treating them with the same care as designing a home.
“I start with the walls and the floors and then I build around that with the furniture and the accessories and the mirror and artwork on the walls,” she said. “The kitchen to me is always one of the most important rooms in the house. This is a very different approach to retail.”
The stores carry a range of lifestyle products including kitchenware, baking essentials, bedding and bath, home fragrance, and decorative items. Stewart described the breadth of offerings: “Everything from pots and pans to baking accoutrements, all the different pans and things that you need for baking. You’ll be able to pick up towels, of course, and sheets for your bed, and duvets, and you’ll be able to pick up decorative items for your home, books, all kinds of things.”
She remains deeply involved in product development and maintains exacting standards. “I am very fussy, and I want stuff to be nice. I want stuff to be well made. I want stuff to be beautiful. I want things to please the customer in every possible way,” she said.
The brand is finding strong traction in the Dubai market. “I love vibrancy and luxury and fast growth and we are doing really nicely here in Dubai,” Stewart said.
Why Dubai First?
Heath Golden, chief executive officer of Marquee Brands, explained the rationale behind choosing the Middle East — rather than the United States — as the location for Stewart’s first standalone stores.
“We actually looked around the world and said, ‘where do we think we’ll have the biggest impact, the most success?’” Golden told WWD. He cited the region’s mall-based shopping culture, growing birth rate, expanding middle class, and exceptional retail execution as key factors.
“I think for any brand, whether it’s an American brand or a Chinese brand, if you go around the world and you say, where are the best stores,” Golden said, praising the quality of retail operations in the Gulf. He specifically highlighted the strength of local retail partner Apparel Group, noting the company “has such a great competency” in the market.
“Get Dubai right,” Golden said of the strategy. “If you can make it in Dubai, you can make it anywhere.”
The stores operate under a licensing agreement between Marquee Brands and Apparel Group, which holds rights to the Stewart brand for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries plus India. Additional locations are slated for India, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia in the coming months. The initial focus will be on establishing the brand across the six GCC nations before considering further expansion.
The construction boom across the Gulf, with new residents furnishing homes and apartments, presents particular opportunity for the lifestyle brand. “People decorating their flats, their houses, their villas,” Golden noted. “There’s a great shopping culture. There’s high taste levels, affluence. It works really well.”
He emphasized that the Stewart brand fills a distinct market position with its accessible price points. “It’s not that it’s expensive, it’s not that it’s inexpensive, it’s got incredible price value,” Golden said, describing the brand’s mission as “beauty for the masses” and “helping everyone live their life more beautifully.”
The Dubai openings come about two-and-a-half years after Marquee Brands first visited the market in May 2023 to explore expansion opportunities.
Embracing Middle Eastern Hospitality
Stewart, who has been visiting the Middle East with increasing frequency, said she’s been enjoying exploring the region. During her trip she experienced local hospitality firsthand, including a dinner at a private residence of her local partner Sima Ved that she described as “a beautiful dinner.”
When asked about differences between American and Middle Eastern home entertaining, Stewart observed that the region tends toward greater opulence. “A little more lavish here, maybe, and the houses are a little bit larger,” she said, adding that the homes are “very beautiful, extra beautiful.”
The expansion comes as Stewart continues to evolve her brand portfolio, including the recent launch of her skin care line. “Oh, many things are keeping me busy. I just launched my skin care,” she said when asked about upcoming projects. At 84, she shows no signs of slowing down.
