Eyewear retailer Lenskart has opened a store in Dubai Mall, marking its sixth in the UAE and the Middle East.
The opening is part of the retailer’s regional expansion plans, into which it invested AED185 million last year.
The store houses a 3D trial machine powered by artificial intelligence and virtual face mapping, giving customers personalised suggestions from over 7,000 frame designs.
Shoppers can also test the effectiveness of sunglasses in the store’s sunroom, which replicate outdoor lighting.
“The new Dubai Mall store is a historic launch for the brand,” said Sudhir Syal, chief business officer of Lenskart’s Middle East operations.
“We are a fashion-forward and lifestyle-oriented brand. With each store launch, we grow our purpose of transforming customers’ lives through innovation and personalized attention.”
“By establishing our presence in the world’s largest mall, it enables us to appeal to new audiences and continue establishing ourselves as a true market leader within the region.”
In efforts to secure 25 per cent of the Middle East’s ocular market, which is valued at $3.5 billion, the eyewear retailer will open four more stores this year, said Mr Syal.
By December, Lenskart projects it will rake in $10 million in sales and achieve profitability.
“Looking ahead, as our rampant growth and expansion continue, we will focus on the launch of our merchandise collections created specifically to cater to the local Emirati population,” Mr Syal added.
Lenskart aims to operate 20 stores across the UAE by March of next year and operate 200 in the region in the next two years.
The eyewear retailer first entered the Middle East in December with a store in Dubai Festival City Mall, and has since opened stores in Dubai’s BurJuman Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall, Abu Dhabi’s Dalma Mall and Al Ain’s Bawadi Mall.
In a series investment round last year, Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Edge Capital, Singapore’s Temasek Holding and Texas Pacific Group raised $220 million for Lenskart, bringing the retailer’s value to $5 billion.
