The GCC Changes Face of UK Fashion Buyers

Tuesday 23rd of September 2008 03:56:09 PM

It’s a global economy, and anyone who doubts it should consider the fact that some of the biggest purchases of clothing in the UK were visitors from the GCC region. GCC is short for “Gulf Co-Operation Council” and represents the mid-eastern countries which are oil rich. The shoppers from these countries visit the UK ready to spend and spent Dh 5.4 billion in 2007 per the statistics reported by the Global Refund Index Report. “

Carol Maddison is the marketing manager at Visit Britain GCC. She said, “Shopping is an essential element of the UK's tourism offering, and we have found that Gulf travellers in particular appreciate and enjoy the high caliber of shopping options offered in the UK, injecting a significant amount of capital into our tourism economy.”

The United Kingdom is known to clothing shoppers as offering a wide range of both high-end stores and clothing which is practical in nature. The UK clothing industry has spent a lot of money and effort to promote visitor spending in the country and the sales of clothing online. When you visit UK retailers online you can find a full range of clothing from high couture to high quality practical pieces such as uniforms or printed t-shirts.

The growth in the number of Middle Eastern shoppers is expected to continue. In 2007, the UK recorded a record number of 514,000 GCC visitors and many spent money in the fashion district. The GCC region has not experienced the consequences of a global financial downturn which means the have plenty of money to spend on both luxury clothing and interesting fashions such as printed t-shirts .

Maddison went on to say, “"We have also found that GCC visitors are very loyal, often repeating their visits to the UK annually, therefore the region will continue to play an important role in the UK's overall tourism growth strategy in 2009 and beyond.” The biggest spenders are from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate.

(c ) Eugenia Grinblo, www.sxc.hu