London club Boujis, the private members’ venue popular with British royalty and celebrities, is looking to set up a location in Dubai or Abu Dhabi within the next 18 months, becoming the latest big name London venue to target the UAE market.
Matt Hermer, founder of the popular club, which was named best London nightclub in 2010 at the Quintessentially Awards, opened a second outlet in Hong Kong this month.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Hermer said he is keen to continue the expansion of the brand, which opened in Kensington ten years ago, and is looking to open a third outlet in Singapore or Shanghai and a fourth in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai within a year-and-a-half.
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The Hong Kong outlet has capped its membership at 1,000 people and a yearly membership costs HK$7,500 (US$968), the report added.
Ignite Group, Boujis’ parent company in London was not immediately available for comment.
The UAE’s status as a less conservative holiday hotspot in the Gulf coupled with its booming hospitality industry is attracting a slew of western nightclub brands to the country, all looking to capitalise on the growing nightlife scene.
London-based nightclubs Mahiki, Cirque du Soir and Movida have all opened branches of their famous clubs in Dubai.
“Dubai has gone from a sandy holiday resort to a major international destination in the last few years. You can definitely see an upward trend in terms of the tourists coming here; they don’t just want to enjoy the sun, they want to enjoy Dubai, its restaurants, its clubs and bars,” Mark Merran, founder of Movida, told Arabian Business.
Movida Dubai’s owner, Evgeny Kuzin, has spent approximately US$10m fitting-out Movida’s first nightclub outside London but expected to recoup his investment within a year of opening.
The French Polynesian themed nightclub Mahiki, a reported favourite of Prince Harry’s, opened its doors in November 2011.
“We looked at lots of cities all over the world… the reason Dubai worked so well is because it seemed to be in a very similar position to where London was six years ago when we opened the original Mahiki,” said Matt Jolley, general manager at Mahiki Dubai.
“The economic situation in the world did play a part [in our decision to open in Dubai]. Dubai and the UAE in particular seemed to be much more stable than the rest of the world. And because you that have high-end tourists, the spenders [it works],” he added.
Cirque Du Soir, a circus-themed night club that features contortionists, sword swallowers, magicians and fire eaters, opened in November. The club’s owners, the Pragma Group – which also own Cavalli Club – said it is “not uncommon to see guests spending hundreds of thousands of dirhams in one evening”.
The Dubai-based group, which saw revenues at its Cavalli club increase 40 percent last year, said the emirate continues to attract a high spending clientele from Russia and the GCC.
“Dubai... has successfully positioned itself as an international hub and gateway for the world’s travelling community, as well as a tourist destination in its own right. Visitors to Dubai, especially those familiar with its exclusive leisure and hospitality offerings, are willing to spend to get the ultimate experience,” said Joe Tabet, chairman of Pragma Group.
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