Selected insights
Retail judgment, GCC experience and commercial decisions.
This is the curated starting point. The complete archive remains available for visitors who want to search the full body of work from 2023 onward.
Latest writing
The five most recent LinkedIn posts.
Each post is preserved here with its full text, original visual and direct LinkedIn source.
LuLu's new AWWAL identity brings together UAE Grown, UAE Produced and UAE Made products under one banner. The clarity is useful. A product on a shelf should not have to beg for recognition.
The important bit is the first reorder. Fresh herbs and locally grown tomatoes do not have the same supply problem as packaged food made in a factory. One may need fast delivery and tight control of shelf life. The other may need production runs, packaging lead times and a forecast that is more than wishful thinking. If we lump every supplier under "local", we miss the work each one actually needs.
Read on artemis-me.com ->A sales jump can still leave the retailer weaker!
US retail sales rose 0.8% in September. That figure will look nice in a slide deck.
Read on artemis-me.com ->Thirty eight openings at Ibn Battuta Mall. I like a mall that gives people a new reason to visit!
The tenant list is the easy part though. Keeping those stores trading is harder.
Read on artemis-me.com ->Value conscious shoppers are not automatically looking for the cheapest item!
Tesco raised its full year profit outlook after reporting first half sales growth of 2%. Online sales grew 8%, revenue from its premium Finest range rose 9%, and underlying profit increased 6.5%. These are results from one UK retailer. They do not establish a pattern for every market, but they challenge the assumption that pressure on household budgets removes appetite for premium products.
Read on artemis-me.com ->Affluent customers are not an unlimited safety net for luxury!
Reuters reported that US credit card spending on luxury brands fell 6% year over year in September, the third monthly decline. In China, new tax rules give wealthy Chinese individuals who used offshore trusts until October 22 to declare and pay years of back taxes. Reuters also reports that Chinese consumers account for roughly a fifth of global luxury purchases.
Read on artemis-me.com ->Selected archive
High-performing posts and long-form articles.
Expert library
Answers for GCC market entry, pricing and retail performance.
Permanent articles by Imad Saade, built from recurring commercial questions and practical retail experience.
How to prepare a brand for GCC market entry
A serious GCC market-entry discussion starts with commercial readiness, not with a request for introductions.
Read article ->Pricing and MarginsHow to review pricing and retail margins before entering the GCC
A product can be commercially attractive and still fail when the full route-to-market economics are not understood.
Read article ->Retail OperationsWhy retail performance depends on daily management, not targets alone
A monthly sales target is an outcome. It does not tell the team what to do differently on the floor today.
Read article ->Retail decisions should not be made by people who do not spend time on the floor!
This is one of the most damaging patterns in retail. The further decisions move away from the floor, the worse they usually become. At the head office level, things often sound logical. Reporting lines are changed, extra layers are added, and store issues are interpreted through...
110,546 verified impressionsAdidas v. Steve Madden: Who really owns stripes in fashion?
The lines are being drawn, quite literally, across the sneaker industry. This week, Steve Madden filed a federal lawsuit challenging Adidas’ long-held claim over its iconic three-stripe mark. The core question: can one brand truly own all stripes? Steve Madden is asking a U.S....
94,834 verified impressionsPersonalization vs. Privacy: Where Do We Draw the Line?
In luxury retail, personalization can elevate or alienate. The line between service and surveillance is thinner than ever. Luxury thrives on intimacy, knowing a client’s preferences, size, favorite designer, or how they take their espresso. But what happens when personalization...
89,952 verified impressionsThe store manager should not be your VM department!
I have seen this pattern too often. Headquarters sends a VM guideline. It looks perfect on slides. Then the store receives it with limited tools, limited hours, and a team already stretched thin. The manager does their best, then gets blamed when it does not look like the...
80,295 verified impressionsLuxury retail does not have a talent problem. It has a leadership problem!
For years, I have watched brands panic when sales slow down. The first reaction is almost always the same: replace staff, push harder targets, increase pressure, run another incentive. As if the issue starts at the bottom. It rarely does. Most underperforming stores are not...
79,135 verified impressionsCustomers rarely remember the campaign that brought them into the store, but they often remember the person who made them want to return!
Luxury brands invest heavily in campaigns, store design, events, technology, and visual presentation. All of this creates interest and brings customers through the door, but it does not automatically create loyalty. Loyalty is usually built during the human interaction that...
57,361 verified impressionsWhen Beauty Meets Travel
In today's competitive beauty market, standing out requires more than just exceptional products. It demands innovation and a deep understanding of consumer aspirations. Nadine Njeim Beauty has taken this challenge head-on with...
Read the full article ->What to Expect in 2025: Key Developments and Their Impact on Retail in the GCC
As we enter 2025, the GCC region's retail sector stands at an intersection of transformative global and regional changes. From economic diversification efforts to digital advancements and shifting consumer expectations,...
Read the full article ->What to Expect in the Golden quarter 2024: How AI Will Continue to Disrupt Luxury Retail
As we approach the all-important Golden Quarter-a period when luxury brands see the highest spike in sales, driven by holiday shopping and year-end collections-AI is playing a larger role than ever in reshaping the retail...
Read the full article ->Two ways to continue