Chalhoub Group

The luxury specialist behind boutiques, distribution and its own retail concepts. Chalhoub's first boutique opened in Damascus in 1955, and its current Gulf base is Dubai, where the group says it inaugurated its first headquarters in 2003. Its 2024 sustainability report describes more than 16,000 professionals and more than 950 retail stores. The family business combines distribution for international labels with brands it owns. Its reported workforce is well below Al-Futtaim's 40,000-plus, but it edges Alghanim Industries on the stated workforce floor and the availability of dated workforce evidence. **Key stats** - 16,000+ professionals in the 2024 sustainability report - 950+ retail stores in that report - 8 Middle East countries in the report's group overview - 10 owned brands in that report **Advantages:** Focus on a recognizable luxury market; sizable physical retail network; explicit distinction between owned brands and international portfolio brands. **Trade-offs:** Luxury concentration limits cross-sector diversification; reported store totals depend on the date and scope used; the workforce headline cannot tell you which business lines generated most revenue. **Best for:** Readers looking at how luxury brands reach Middle Eastern shoppers through distribution, boutiques and locally developed retail concepts. **Watch for:** Count owned labels separately from the much larger portfolio of labels the group represents. **Vote:** Should Chalhoub's specialist depth count for more than the broader industry mix of a group like Alghanim?