Top luxury retailer offers Saudi youths careers in fashion
A leading luxury retailer has launched a local campaign #MYBOLDFUTURE that seeks to help young Saudis carve a future in the Kingdom’s retail sector. Chalhoub Group’s aim is to meet the growing demand for high-end fashion and support the industry in the region.
At Fashion Futures on Oct. 11, a keystone event held annually by Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, the group unveiled the digital media campaign and showcased how Chalhoub has helped launched the careers of several people.
Lynn Al-Khatib, group head of communication at Chalhoub
Group, told Arab News: “Our objective is really luxury retail. A lot of people talk about the brands and the designers and the fashion, and we believe that the brand consultants in the stores are at the moment of truth; they are their relationship with the customer. They’re the ones really representing the brands.
“We wanted to really demystify the job, attract young Saudi youths toward it, and at the same time, create awareness about Chalhoub Group and the brands that we operate.”
In line with their bold initiative, the group’s president, Patrick Chalhoub, told Arab News in an exclusive interview earlier this year that the company plans to almost double its staff in the Kingdom to up to 6,000 people over the next five years.
Part of the company’s goals, through the campaign, is to demonstrate how their retail workers have added value and become entrepreneurs in the industry.
“They come from different backgrounds. Some of them were pharmacists, or schoolteachers, or just high school graduates, and they really managed to build a career in retail. So we have true stories. “I think the truth will only inspire the young generation. They’re not looking for just advertising; they’re really looking to create impact. They look for jobs where they want to be part of something bigger,
where they feel they want to learn,” Al-Khatib said.
Mirroring the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic development focus, the company is committed to Saudization, youth employment and career training.
Chalhoub Group’s Retail Academy was recently officially recognized as an accredited training center by the Technical and Vocational Training Corp. in the Kingdom.
Through the institution, retail frontliners can gain access to stateof-the-art and experiential training programs.
Reem Al-Maiman, a store manager at Jimmy Choo in Jeddah, who has been working for the Chalhoub Group for a year, said the flexibility of her position has allowed her to grow a retail career while working toward her other dreams.
“I’m also a national basketball player. I’m trying to manage (the time) between my job in retail and being an athlete and representing my country. I found this balance while working in Chalhoub Group … I found the freedom of working remotely and delegating tasks, and also managing the team. I got the support from them to be able to do both,” Al-Maiman told Arab News. She had previously worked for another company that had not given her the time to pursue her sports dream.
“There is support for us as Saudi women or Saudi youth … they keep creating opportunities for us to learn and to be bigger in these industries. This transformation would result (over the coming) years of great women and role models and (pave) the way for younger generations to come,” Al-Maiman said.