World’s biggest shoe store opens in Dubai
The world’s largest collection of shoes for sale opened Friday in Dubai, a city dotted with luxury malls and high-end boutiques.
Called the Level Shoe District, the store takes up 96,000 square feet of real estate. It’s stocked with 15,000 different styles from 250 brands. That’s enough footwear for even Carrie Bradshaw-level shopaholics to swoon.
“The whole idea is to create a place for men and women who love shoes, who are passionate about shoes, who are addicted to shoes, who are obsessed about shoes,” Patrick Chalhoub, chief executive of Chalhoub Group, the force behind the megastore, told Bloomberg.
Luxe brands such as Gucci and Prada dominate the floor, with the store putting out many designer styles earlier than any other store in the world, he said.
Shoes are “a developing market and it has been developing even through the crisis because people do not stop dreaming,” Chalhoub said.
Retailers have been scrambling to cater to shoe lovers.
Macy’s previously laid claim to the title “world’s largest shoe store” when it opened a 39,000-square-foot floor this year dedicated to decor for your feet at its flagship store in Manhattan.
Saks Fifth Avenue in New York recently added 7,000 square feet to its shoe department -- already granted its own postal ZIP code a few years ago -- and built a dedicated elevator and private VIP room.
And Barneys New York recently launched a unisex designer shoe store that is 40% roomier with 350 more styles.
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