B8ta will be opening its first international store in downtown Dubai by the end of the year. The retail outlet, which will be located in Dubai Mall, is launching in partnership with Chalhoub Group, a Dubai-based luxury goods retailer and distributor.
The concept retailer currently operates 16 flagship locations in the U.S., but b8ta also has brought its “retail as a service” technology to dozens of stores at traditional retailers such as Lowe’s and Macy’s, in addition to partnering with Tru Kids Brands in an effort to resurrect Toys ‘R’ Us ahead of the holiday season.
While b8ta has plans to expand its presence across the Middle East in the future, no specific sites have been named for potential expansion, the company said in a statement.
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B8ta has been experimenting with new ways to connect retailers and brands with technology products as a way to bolster the in-store experience, provide better ways to use in-store space and enable them to collect more customer data. In October, b8ta revealed it was entering the fashion and lifestyle categories with the opening of its Forum store in Los Angeles. The store will feature a rotating selection of products from more than 25 local or sustainable brands such as Alala, Poplinen, Silked, Remu Apparel and Just Human.
Additionally, b8ta has scaled its “built by b8ta” technology into a platform other retailers can now use on their own. The company’s Ark Marketplace is a platform designed to enable retailers and retail landlords to operate their own retail-as-a-service concept.
The overall retail footprint at b8ta stores has seen more than 50 million product engagements and launched more than 1,000 brands on its platform, according to b8ta. The retail-as-a-service company says it has more than doubled its store traffic in 2019, with more than three million visitors across its flagships.
