HOUSTON – (By Michelle Leigh Smith for Realty News Report) – Global retailer Khaadi, which specializes in high-end Middle Eastern fashion, plans to open their first store in Texas at the Houston Galleria. The 25-year-old clothing company has locations in Pakistan, Bahrain, Qatar and England.
“Houston was selected as the first site in Texas based on Khaadi’s strong internet sales here and diverse population,” says Eric Lestin, the Cushman & Wakefield partner who is representing Khaadi across North America for Cushman & Wakefield.
The Houston Galleria store will be Khaadi’s second location in the U.S.
The Dubai-based fashion retailer’s top leadership is returning to Houston after Thanksgiving week to interview staff, a general contractor and handle other issue related to their store in the Galleria scheduled to open in 2024.
The Houston area has a diverse population, including thousands to people who speak Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages. In the city’s diverse environment amid the evolution of American taste, Khaadi’s international reputation for beautiful textiles should attract many new fans.
“Khaadi is one of the world’s most exciting fashion brands, producing unsurpassed quality and a fusion of style to compliment both East and West,” said Lestin. “The Houston Galleria, with its diverse demographics and location in the nation’s fourth largest city, offers another superior location for the brand in the U.S., and we look forward to continuing our growth-partnership across North America.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s Eric Lestin and Michael Burgower represented Khaadi in the transaction with landlord Simon Properties Group.
Khaadi’s 4,700-SF boutique in Galleria IV may be found near Nordstrom’s valet parking entrance on the first level.
Khaadi will join other eclectic venues in the Galleria like Musaafer, a modern, upscale Indian restaurant with a dress code in Galleria VI.
Khaadi opened a new store in London this month in the United Kingdom, where sales have been brisk in other British locales like Manchester’s Traffington Center, the third largest shopping mall in the UK.
Khaadi was founded in 1998 by Shamoon Sultan. The first store opened in Karachi in Zamzama in 1999. In 2017, Shamoon Sultan was honored with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan’s highest civil awards, in recognition of his contribution to the fashion industry.
The international retailer will open in Virginia’s Tysons Corner in a 5,491 SF space by year’s end, prior to the planned Houston opening in the first quarter of 2024, both with an estimated ten employees per store.
Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia, marks Khaadi’s first U.S. location, The Galleria in Uptown Houston will be Khaadi’s second. There are plans to open 28 further stores in U.S. and Canada.
Dec. 8, 2023 Realty News Report Copyright 2023
Image: Courtesy Khaadi, Cushman & Wakefield
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