ABOUT

International luxury fragrance brand Amouage, a long-standing client of JHP commissioned the agency to design a brand new store in MCC (Muscat City Centre) Mall, one of the leading shopping and lifestyle destinations in Muscat, Oman.

Owned by the Omani Royal family, Amouage is now a truly international business with 18 stores and is sold in 66 countries.

The objective of the new store in MCC was to “reflect the changes in the company and in consumer preferences over the years. As the brand grows with more products and more collections, we needed more space and a different style to cater to our customers. The showroom’s last renovation was in 2007 and the new store is now double the size of the previous one” according to Christopher Chong, Amouage’s Creative Director.

The Amouage MCC store contains the full collections from the House offering fragrance, bath and body, home and leather goods.

The concept created by JHP is one of an overwhelming sense of luxury, grace and tradition. Modern luxury and heritage mingle seamlessly. There is the feeling that the Amouage brand has an extensive past and deep roots yet is as outwardly looking as any successful international brand.

The planning and merchandising philosophy of the retail space was to achieve a balance between ‘transparency’ and the exterior architecture. The awkward L shaped corner store had to be intelligently planned to offer a ‘readable’ space for all the products.

To realise this, JHP grouped the various products ranges into distinct zones within the store, and treated each category with specific finishes and colours to reflect its product. The use of accent colour in furniture and the choice of finishes were carefully curated to add personality to each range.

The stand-out feature of the store are its huge 4 metre high windows, elegantly framed in mirror bronze stainless steel, akin to many luxury brands opt for framing instead of full store-front glazing.

This enables extensive views into the retail area, which acts as a beautiful gallery for Amouage’s full product range.

The visual merchandising philosophy is one of clarity and simplicity, neatly ordered product display with a definite leaning to ‘less is more’.

The store's furniture was not simply selected from a catalogue, instead it was all bespoke Italian high end furniture, manufactured in Italy and shipped to Oman.

The whole atmosphere is representative of a brand that is effortlessly luxurious.

The brand promise of Amouage is a lifestyle sought after by only the most sophisticated and discerning global citizen.

A lot of Omanis travel around the world, so JHP incorporated different touches for different cultures. Amouage have always wanted their stores to feel like home for their customers and to appeal to a wide consumer base.

According to Amouage's Creative Director "We want customers from varied tastes and demographics to be able to walk into our home and to be able to find something for himself or herself no matter how high the price is. There is something for everyone and to cater to every taste,” he said.

The latest Amouage store in MCC Mall contributes to the brand’s growing reputation as one of the world’s most highly respected perfume houses.

"Our newest shop at Muscat City Centre is a reflection of our commitment to growing our business,” said David Crickmore, CEO, Amouage. "Amouage is a national treasure and we are grateful that the brand is widely known and loved in Oman. I want to have retail presence on key opinion-forming shopping streets in capital cities around the world. We will see to continue to increase brand awareness among our target audiences as Amouage further establishes its position as one of the top global niche luxury brands.”