Abu Dhabi hosted the inaugural edition of Shoptalk Luxe from January 27 to 29 at Emirates Palace, marking a significant milestone for luxury and premium retail in the Middle East and reinforcing the GCC’s growing influence on global consumer trends
Part of the global Shoptalk event series, Shoptalk Luxe convened leaders from fashion, beauty, retail, technology, and investment to examine how luxury brands are responding to changing consumer behaviour, rapid digital adoption, and evolving expectations around experience, trust, and value.
Opening the event, Rebecca Bemhena, Vice President of Content, Luxe at Shoptalk, framed the agenda around three pillars she described as essential to modern luxury retail: art, hospitality, and science.
“To be relevant today, we must master three things at once: art, hospitality, and science,” Bemhena said. Art, she explained, represents craftsmanship, creativity, and point of view; hospitality defines how brands make customers feel welcomed and cared for; while science reflects the growing role of data, technology, and strategy in translating creativity into consistent growth. “Luxury is increasingly defined not just by what we sell, but by how we make people feel.”
Regional Leadership
The opening day spotlighted regional leadership, led by Michael Chalhoub, CEO of Chalhoub Group, who spoke about resilience as a core business principle. Drawing on his family’s history of rebuilding businesses after leaving Syria, Lebanon, and Kuwait, Chalhoub emphasized adaptability and the importance of people in navigating change.
“Change is the only constant,” he said, noting that long-term resilience comes from investing in and protecting teams rather than relying solely on scale or expansion.
Luxury perfumer Amouage emerged as a standout case study. The Omani high perfumery house reported nearly 70 percent revenue growth in 2025, with the business having quadrupled over the past five years.
CEO Marco Parsiegla attributed the brand’s success to clarity of identity and integrity rather than trend-driven relevance. “We are bridging between cultures, between modernity and tradition, between east and west,” he said. “We are obsessed with products with meaning, not to please, but to endure.”
Parsiegla noted a shift in consumer preferences toward bolder creations paired with deeper narratives. “People don’t just want to know what they’re wearing, but why it exists,” he said, adding that 80 percent of Amouage’s customers are under 45 and value uncompromising products with cultural substance. “Don’t be obsessed with being relevant. Focus and stay the course.”
Technology and the GCC Consumer
Technology featured prominently throughout the event, particularly in relation to the GCC’s young, digitally fluent consumer base. Snap Inc., in partnership with Business of Fashion, launched Building Brand Resonance with Gulf Consumers, highlighting that 60 percent of the GCC population is under 30 and that digital platforms play a central role in brand discovery.
According to the report, 77 percent of Snapchat users in the GCC recommend products to friends and family, reinforcing the region’s strong word-of-mouth culture. With the GCC among the world’s leading markets for AR adoption, virtual try-ons and immersive storytelling are becoming essential tools for fashion and beauty brands.
“The GCC is at the forefront of digital innovation,” said Hussein Freijeh, Vice President for Snap Inc. MENA & APAC. “Brands that succeed will be the ones that blend commerce and technology into meaningful experiences.”
Artificial intelligence was also discussed as a strategic lever rather than a back-end tool, with speakers highlighting its role in personalization, discovery, and long-term relationship building in luxury retail.
Scale and Experience
Day two focused on sustaining excellence at scale. Daniel Grieder, CEO of Hugo Boss, discussed the brand’s transformation, including digitalisation, omnichannel integration, and cultural change. While these initiatives delivered rapid growth, Grieder emphasized the importance of discipline moving forward.
Introducing the company’s “Claim Five” strategy, he described the shift from expansion to refinement. “Fast growth creates excess,” he said, explaining that the next phase is about converting that excess into strength and moving from great to excellent.
The role of experience in luxury retail was addressed by Michael Ward, Managing Director of Harrods, who stressed that experience cannot compensate for a weak product.
“Experience exists to amplify what is already exceptional,” Ward said. “Selling a bottle of perfume is a transaction; creating a memory is the experience.” He emphasized that craftsmanship, creativity, and storytelling remain the foundation of luxury, with experience serving to extend those values beyond the point of purchase.
Top End of The Luxury Market
Beyond fashion and beauty, Shoptalk Luxe highlighted the GCC’s growing influence at the top end of the luxury market. Auction house FutureGrail released its GCC Watch Auction Spotlight, forecasting that global luxury watch auction sales will surpass US$1 billion in 2026, driven in part by GCC demand.
The report predicts that buyers from the region will account for 20 to 25 percent of top-tier global auction sales, with strong interest from both nationals and expatriate communities. Notably, it identified renewed interest in pocket watches among young Emirati and Kuwaiti collectors, reflecting a broader shift toward heritage, craftsmanship, and individuality.
Female Leadership
The final day focused on female leadership shaping the future of luxury. Vera Wang, Founder and Creative Director of Vera Wang, spoke about fashion’s accelerating pace and the necessity of experimentation.
“People get bored quickly, and that’s fashion,” Wang said. She highlighted brands such as Chanel and Ralph Lauren as rare examples of houses that have maintained their codes while continuing to evolve, and stressed the importance of owners willing to finance risk and reinvention.
Retail transformation was further addressed by Jennifer Woo, Chairman and CEO of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, who challenged traditional department-led retail models. She advocated for more fluid, human-centric structures that allow creativity and collaboration to flourish, arguing that performance targets should never come at the expense of craft.
Across three days, Shoptalk Luxe Abu Dhabi captured the structural shifts shaping luxury today from leadership and technology to experience, investment, and creative authority.