Paris Gallery is at the forefront of luxury shopping, offering many international brands

Mirroring the Middle East's wealth and continuing economic growth is its luxury retail industry, which has helped buoy the region's economy amid various global financial challenges. An expanding population base, high income, growing aspirations and consistent inflow of tourists, among other factors, have enabled the sector to recover and become even stronger than before the crisis.

Championing the stability, recovery and development of the industry along with the region's leaders are the retailers - which kept their doors open for business and the customers' desire for luxury alive. At the forefront is leading luxury retailer Paris Gallery Group, whose flagship brand, Paris Gallery, provides more than 550 international brands to consumers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

"Retail plays an important role in the development and progress of most industries. Despite a few setbacks caused by global economic worries and the region's debt crisis, the retail industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] was largely back on track in 2010 and keeps growing up to this very moment," says Mohammed Abdul Rahim Al Fahim, CEO, Paris Gallery Group. "Paris Gallery Group is a key contributor to the overall retail market, which has enjoyed general success despite the challenges experienced by other markets."

The Middle East is one of the regions with the highest growth when it comes to the beauty sector, which is expected to continue growing over the decade. Dubai, for example, has been named the fashion capital of the region, and is the top shopping destination in the Middle East - a fact that Paris Gallery believes is a reflection of sales improving in the UAE in general - not just in fashion, but also in other product categories.

Home to more than 250 nationalities, the UAE enjoys a stable economic and social position that offers a safe environment for investors, foreign workers and tourists. "The UAE has the advantage of having a unique demographic composition and cultural variety that is unrivalled, since there is no other city in the world that has more than 200 different nationalities contributing to its economy and its cultural beauty," Al Fahim says. "This helps bring in a variety of products that cater to everyone."

Paris Gallery's extensive portfolio ranges from perfumes to skincare products, make-up, watches, jewellery, fashion apparel, sunglasses and accessories. These are sold in more than 80 stores across the GCC, with a total shopping space exceeding 3 million sq ft.