Canadian lingerie retailer perked up by Arab Spring
A Bahraini man walks past a lingerie shop at a mall in central Manama on March 22, 2011. Pro-democracy protests in Bahrain began on February 14 and Bahraini security forces carried out a bloody crackdown on the demonstrators.
Canadian lingerie (yes, there is such a thing, and no, it does not involve lumberjack plaid) is making a push into Middle East countries opened up by the "Arab Spring" revolts.
La Vie en Rose, a Montreal-based lingerie firm, "has discovered an unexpectedly strong demand for its frilly, sexy lingerie among Muslims," Agence France-Presse reported.
The 55 existing stores in the Middle East earn 10 percent of the company's annual $150 million in revenues, and now La Vie en Rose is planning a major expansion.
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The company is opening a store in Tunisia, and its seventh store in Egypt will open in early 2012, the company said in a statement.
There are already La Vie en Rose stores in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco, AFP said. There are 150 stores in Canada.
According to the company, La Vie en Rose "evokes natural beauty, confident sophistication, and sensual passion."
Saudi Arabia this year ended a law under which only men could sell lingerie to women.
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