Al Tayer Group has announced a franchise agreement with leading home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel to open stores in the Middle East in early 2010.

Initial plans call for Crate and Barrel stores in Dubai and the first two stores for the brand will be located at the Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre. The stores will be managed and operated by Al Tayer Trends, the group’s lifestyle retail company.

Crate and Barrel, an industry leader in its category in the United States is known for exclusive furniture and housewares designs, including kitchenware, tabletop, and home accessories with excellent value and superb customer service. All the categories of merchandise offered in the US will be available in the UAE stores.

Founded in 1962, as of July 2009, the company operates 177 stores across 82 North American markets, including Toronto and Calgary. Crate and Barrel is well-known in the home furnishings industry for the quality of its merchandise. The brand also publishes a popular catalogue featuring furniture collection, ready to assemble furniture, and contemporary table settings and accessories for home, apart from being well known for its bridal registry.

“Dubai represents an excellent growth opportunity and launching pad to extend our brand internationally. It is a robust retail market, with many similarities to US retail—state-of-the-art shopping malls, high-profile global brands and a diverse and sophisticated customer base,” stated  Barbara Turf, chief of Crate and Barrel.

“We are pleased to bring the Crate and Barrel franchise to the region and are confident that the brand’s unique product mix coupled with our regional retail expertise will create a successful value proposition for customers,” added Khalid Al Tayer, COO, Al Tayer Group.-TradeArabia News Service