Dubai: If you have a fascination for the intricate pieces of jewellery Bvlgari is famous for, chances are that you will have a taste for its chocolates too.
That’s right, the Italian luxury goods label is aiming to make a mark in premium chocolate retailing through a presence at Citywalk, the retail and residential hub on Al Wasl that is part of the Meraas portfolio. “We have had our own super-gourmet chocolates for some years now and seen them become quite popular in Japan,” said Silvio Ursini, Executive Vice-President at Bvlgari. “They have some of the most expensive ingredients for fillings... and we felt the time was absolutely right to bring them to Dubai, and shipped in from Japan.”
The Bvlgari chocolate store takes its place at a location suffused with the sweet smell of cocoa and the delicious promise of fine chocolates. It forms part of the Boutique Le Chocolat destination that Meraas has created. (The first Bvlgari Il Cioccolato boutique opened at the Bvlgari Ginza Tower in Tokyo.)
For the Dubai launch, it even came up with a special chocolate offering. (For those particular about such things, the special series incorporates dates and pistachio, while Maccha green tea and balsamic vinegar, rosehip and strawberry add to the flavour combinations.)
Bvlgari — which will also be bringing its branded hotel and residences to the city later this year — is not alone in working on the fine art of brand extensions. Across the retail hotspots in the UAE, there are clear indications of how a flagship brand is pushing the realm of possibilities by venturing into related spaces. There’s the Vogue Cafe, as well as one bearing the title of “Harper’s Bazaar”. For all the diehard local fans of the footballing behemoth Real Madrid, Marka will be unveiling options by which they can cement their associations even deeper.
This is exactly what the family behind the famed Dilmah tea brand hopes will happen with the launch of its first tea lounge in the UAE. By doing so, they want to try and remove the stigma of tea being just a commodity product that can be consumed anywhere and at any time of the consumer’s choice. By launching the “t-lounge”, the group wants to elevate tea drinking to an experience, something that would place it on par with the traditions in Japan or China.
“Tea underwent debilitating commoditisation as the quality-focused family tea companies were bought over by multinational trading companies,” said Dilhan C. Fernando, Director of Sri Lanka headquartered Dilmah Tea. “As a result, tea and tea bars were driven more by commercial and marketing priorities than by a genuine commitment to quality, provenance, natural goodness, ethics and values.
“But these are the same attributes that consumers appreciate in other food categories, like cheese, wine, chocolate and even water, where there is growth driven by an appreciation of artisanal manufacture, wellness, ethics, etc. Change is certainly possible — not easy — but the ingredients are all there.
“As science endorses the ancient beliefs of the potency of tea, there is a revival and that is why now is the perfect time for us to bring this concept to Dubai.”
The first of the seven proposed t-lounges for the UAE is located at the Ibn Battuta Mall. For its lounge concept, Dilmah brought in chefs to craft tea servings with food combinations.
Cafes and coffee bars have proved enduringly popular in the local marketplace. A recent report by Al Masah Capital on the F&B offerings suggests this category had a combined 15 per cent share in 2015. New community centres and leisure destinations such as Citywalk and The Beach have added to the charms this category offers.
It is into this mix that some businesses — such as Al-Futtaim Group with TWG Tea and Danube Group with its Cha Cha Chai outlets — want to make a strong case for tea-based offerings. And Dilmah is all set to join in the tea party.
“Tea has greater relevance now than ever before, for the dimensions of health and luxury that real tea offers,” said Fernando. “Tea is experiencing growth... although that is mainly in the premium segment. The industry faces the challenges of climate change and currency volatility, but there can be no doubt that tea has a strong future.
“There is no beverage that has the same relevance to our 21st Century lifestyles as tea, and as people realise this, the world is rediscovering this ancient herb.”
