Kuwaiti retailer Trafalgar Luxury Group celebrates 50th anniversary with regional expansion

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Kuwaiti homegrown luxury retailer Trafalgar has announced its repositioning to become Trafalgar Luxury Group and outlined plans to further expand its presence in the region. The Group has restructured its leadership and operations to support its strategic transformation and build on its legacy as a leading luxury retailer in the region. The restructure is in line with Trafalgar Luxury Group’s strategic plans to future-proof the company, ensuring it remains relevant and distinctive, in line with the fast-paced nature of luxury retail.

Launched in Kuwait in 1972 by the Alansari family, Trafalgar Luxury Group has a rich history with luxury brands, including its inaugural partnership with Chopard, which remains strong today. Fifty years on, the Group partners with over 40 brands, with 55 stores in five countries, across the Middle East region.

Trafalgar Luxury Group has classified the business into three distinct verticals Watches and Jewelry, Fashion, Technology.

As part of its repositioning, Trafalgar Luxury Group has also embedded a new leadership team to oversee the successful mobilisation of five strategic ambitions: commitment, integrity, excellence, evolution, and sense of belonging. Newly defined roles and appointments include:

1. Managing Partner – Amer Alansari
2. Chief Operation Officer – Wael Shorbaji (previously General Manager at Trafalgar)
3. Chief Commercial Officer – Paul Kupelian (previously Regional Head of Retail at Trafalgar)
4. Chief Retail Officer – Nicholas Welch (previously Business Head at Trafalgar)
5. Chief Finance Officer – Sweta Chipra (previously Head of Finance at Trafalgar)
6. Chief HR Officer – Emad Khemane (previously Regional Human Resources Director at Trafalgar)

Trafalgar Luxury Group’s latest regional expansion began in January with the opening of eight new stores in Kuwait and Bahrain, with additional openings planned in these two key markets by the end of the year, including Marli, Furla and Bimba Y Lola. Trafalgar Luxury Group has also outlined plans to open its new headquarters in Dubai’s Design District (D3) later this year, an important milestone underscoring the company’s commitment to expanding its footprint into key hubs across the region. The Group’s ambitious expansion plans also include a significant pipeline of new store openings in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, with AIGNER recently opening in Doha, Qatar in April and Gait set to open by July 2022.

Trafalgar Luxury Group’s Managing Partner, Amer Alansari, recently announced several crucial internal initiatives focused on becoming an employer of choice, including employee health, social, and financial well-being.

Speaking about the Group’s restructuring and plans for expansion, Amer Alansari said: “Over the past 50 years, the Group has seen tremendous growth within the luxury retail sector. From our first Trafalgar multi-brand store in Kuwait in 1972, we have become synonymous with luxury. As we look forward to the next 50 years, it is the perfect opportunity to restructure and expand our brands under Trafalgar Luxury Group, both current and new to the rest of the region. As part of our redefined value proposition, employees will remain at the heart of all we say and do.”

Brands within the Group’s portfolio have been carefully selected based on regional luxury consumer needs, including Chopard, Patek Philippe, Bvlgari, Apple, TAG Heuer, and Aigner. New partnerships for the Group include Furla, Bimba Y Lola, and Richemont Group (Time Vallee).

Kuwait will remain a key hub for Trafalgar Luxury Group as its country of origin. At the same time, the Group will continue to maintain its philosophy and strategic aspirations, growing the company through regional expansion in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.