With multi-brand stores mushrooming all over the country, and now even a city like Peshawar has a number of such stores, the challenge of standing out from the crowd is becoming bigger and harder. All multi brand stores seem to have a similar décor – a lot of racks, name plates and a minimal décor.
And most of them even have the same designers. In Karachi for example, possibly the hub of retail in Pakistan, some big name designers are stocking at The Designers located on 26th Street and Labels in Khadda Market and also at Ensemble, also located close to 26th Street.
“I am not sure I even understand this,” said Rabia Mumtaz, 23, who admits to being a shopaholic at almost all multi-brand stores in the market. “I go to Labels and I see the same kind of clothes available at other stores.”
In the midst of all these similarities, Brands Just Pret has emerged with a distinctive and special flavor. For starters, it is the only multi-brand store in Karachi to have opened up in one of the country’s best malls with an abundance of international brands and hence it immediately sets itself apart from all other local multi-brand stores in the city. In addition, Brands Just Pret is a lot more than just a clothing store. One can find high-end jewelry, shoes, bags and other designer products at Brands Just Pret.
“The idea behind launching Brands Just Pret was to take the concept of a multi-brand store to a completely new level from a customer and the designer service perspective,” said Hadi Anwer, CEO of Brands Just Pret. “Brands Just Pret is a one-stop destination for high quality, modern and stylish fashion products such as prêt wear, semi formal clothes, shoes, bags and diamond jewelry.”
Brands Just Pret is setting standards in more ways than one. This multi-designer was designed by the famous architectural firm of Najmi Bilgrami Collaborative Limited (NBCL), and the minute you walk in you get the sense that this is no ordinary store.
A huge range of prêt wear designed by designers such as Ayesha & Somaiya, Slate by Faiza Samee, queen of pop prêt Ayesha Khurram and others is available at the store. An exclusive range of diamond jewelry from Naaj by Najia Anis is also stocked here along with bags by Limited Editions bags and shoes by Flitz.
“We have hand-picked designers for this store and have laid great emphasis on choosing designers whose clothes are high-end, trendy and extremely chic,” said Somaya Adnan, Managing Director for Brands Just Pret, Pakistan.
Brands Just Pret is also set apart by its insistence on PR and marketing activities. The multibrand store has an aggressive calendar of activities and does a minimum of two to three exhibitions a month. In addition, Brands Just Pret has a strong international presence and within a month of its launch had conducted exhibitions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Brands Just Pret is now planning its first exhibition in Doha in April and the United States in June.
“Location is key and this is why for Brands Just Pret Pakistan we chose one of the most luxurious malls in Karachi,” said Hadi Anwar. Despite having the ideal location in Karachi and probably the most stunning interior of any store, Brands Just Pret did not rush to get big names on board. “At our store the insistence has always been on stocking designers who are producing high quality, wearable and reasonably priced clothes,” said Somaya Adnan, who since she also co-owns the retail label Ayesha-Somaya is well aware of what sells and what doesn’t. “When I am looking at collections designers bring in, I especially pay attention to the originality of the design, the quality of the fabric used and the price point. These attributes generate sale, not necessarily brand value.”
Brands Just Pret has also launched Pakistan’s first web store with an integrated inventory management system, with more than 30 designers on the web store and more adding up on an almost weekly basis. The web store with exactly the same inventory and prices as available at the Brands Just Pret store is updated on a daily basis, and shoppers from all over the world can have high end designer wear shipped to them on the swipe of a credit card.
“The webstore is Brands Just Pret’s first step toward going international,” said Hasaah Hadi, Managing Director for Brands Just Pret UAE. “The success of this store has convinced us that there is a huge market abroad for quality Pakistani designer wear.”
