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THRIVING retailers The REDTAG Group will be opening two new stores in Bahrain and plan to rebrand and invest in extensive refurbishment projects at its five existing outlets in the kingdom.
The company is expanding across the Gulf to meet customer demand for competitively priced, stylish clothing despite the recession hitting the sales of many of its competitors.
REDTAG, with headquarters in the UAE port town of Jebel Ali, is a chain of value fashion and homes stores and under its umbrella in Bahrain are the Sana outlets in Salmaniya and Bahrain Mall as well as DHS in Adliya, Riffa and Sanad.
Ernest Hosking, CEO, said: "Throughout the other countries within the GCC we have been developing and growing our brand.
"In addition we plan to open new REDTAG stores in Bahrain. The DHS and Sana stores have, in the main, been carrying REDTAG merchandise for about the past two years.
"It does not make sense for us to then operate three different store brands in Bahrain all offering the same merchandise and we plan to bring them all under a single umbrella.
"Furthermore, our DHS and Sana stores are in need of a refurbishment - we felt this would be the ideal time to do it.
"We are convinced that our existing customers will be as excited as we are with the refurbishment and name change.
Customers really have an opportunity to 'rediscover value' when shopping at REDTAG where the shopping experience will be enhanced, but the prices will remain the same."
The company plans to open its first new REDTAG store in November followed by a second store in February next year. The conversion and refurbishment of its existing DHS and Sana stores will also commence in November and the company aims to complete all the conversions within a year after that.
The financial investment, depending on the store size and configuration, will range between BD250,000 and BD450,000.
Mr Hosking added: "The shopping experience will be substantially improved in that the design and layout of the store, including the new fixtures, will make it far easier for our customers to navigate their way around.
"The merchandise display in the REDTAG stores also makes it easy for our customers to find whatever items they require, as the different departments will be clearly identifiable.
"We will pay attention to improved lighting and air-conditioning to make the general experience more comfortable. In addition, the assortment of merchandise on offer will be enhanced in the stores.
"Furthermore, we will invest in the training and development of our store associates to make the overall shopping experience a very pleasant one for our customers. Overall, a new and improved experience but still with our extremely well-priced merchandise!
"In these challenging times customers are far more demanding in what they get for every dinar they spend.
"It is our unwavering commitment to provide our customers with an excellent value proposition, which has enabled us to grow and expand our business.
"We continue to work with our fashion trending office and our suppliers to provide really good quality, fashionable merchandise at excellent prices.
"This, combined with an updated and pleasant shopping environment with store associates who are committed to serving the customers better, enables us to challenge the consumer to 'rediscover value' in our stores.
"This means that our customers leave very pleasantly surprised by what they have got for their money."
The two new REDTAG stores will be located at Ramli Mall, Al Ali, and Isa Town Mall.
