By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 19 September 2014:
It might be considered a brave step at the moment but Clarks, the UK shoe . . .[restrict]manufacturer and retailer, is opening a store in west Tripoli tomorrow. The shop, in Siyahiya opposite the Max Store, is being set up by Maltese company Hudson, which has the franchise for Clarks, in partnership with Libya company Majestic.
“We’ve been planning it for some time and were supposed to open in June but it was delayed because of the situation,” a Hudson spokesperson told the Libya Herald. “Now that it’s improving a bit, we’ve decided to open.”
Despite the absence of large numbers of residents who fled the recent fighting,as well as of foreign businessmen and diplomats, life in the capital has been getting back to something approaching normality in the past four weeks. Shops and cafes are busy again although endless power cuts still cause difficulties. It is, however, a different matter west of Janzour.
According to the Maltese company, the opening “will include an in-store event with VIPs and personalities”.
Ironically, the arrival of Clarks Shoes is something of a homecoming to Libya. The desert boot, its most famous piece of footwear and still a major seller, was designed during the Second World War for British soldiers serving in the Desert Campaign in Libya and Egypt.
The new shoe store is Hudson’s 16th outlet in Libya. Representing a number of brands such as Nike and Timberland, it has different partners for different ones in the country. Its partner for its Esprit, Nike and Parfois stores is Libyan company Sina. Other stores are Esprit, ?New Look, ??Timberland and Tommy Hilfiger. All are in Tripoli apart from a Timberland shop and a Nike store in Benghazi. [/restrict]
