German-born Andreas Skorski, the 26-year-old founder of digital market place The List, pulls no punches in his assessment of the GCC’s luxury offer before he started his business.
"Most of the fashion and luxury goods here in the region had a 20 to 40 per cent price mark-up, which made no sense," he tells The National in Dubai.
“The value retailers provided in those beautiful malls was no greater than anywhere else – it was the same product as in Europe or elsewhere.”
He also laments the limited product variety he found in the region’s numerous luxury stores. “Particularly for expats, there was a very Middle Eastern-driven collection. If you wanted to find something plain, with no logos or embellishments, it wasn’t so easy. The product variety was not very good or selected.”
Mr Skorski was travelling frequently from Europe to the Middle East to visit his parents working as doctors in Dubai. The more he spoke to people in the region, the more he saw his frustrations were shared by many.
During his travels, he took the opportunity to meet with luxury brands and boutiques and discovered a large number of them wanted to enter the Middle East market but were reluctant to take the financial risk of setting up a physical store, and lacked the technological expertise to operate a successful online store. “So I had these two factors: supply on the one hand, and demand on the other,” he says.
“I thought, 'OK, you can connect the dots here and create a platform that is basically connecting those two parties – suppliers all around the world and demand among people in the region'.”
For Mr Skorski, it was a no-brainer. Today, The List is an e-commerce website that curates a selection of luxury products including fashion, accessories, furniture and art from global boutiques to sell in the Middle East, “enabling customers to shop straight from the streets of Paris, London, Milan, New York, Moscow or Tokyo”, the company says in its marketing material.
The selection includes pieces by Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Rolex and Cartier, as well as up-and-coming labels such as Vetements, Off-White, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Yeezy and Fear of God, and rare vintage pieces from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès and others. Prices range from $30 for a pair of socks to almost $500,000 for a handbag.
The company works with global courier DHL Express to oversee a door-to-door delivery service within 48 to 72 hours. Over the coming years, Mr Skorski aims to work with a growing number of last-mile delivery start-ups emerging in the region in response to delivery challenges such as a lack of postcodes, and complicated or vague addresses.
While Mr Skorski does not reveal detailed financial figures, he says the business has seen three-fold growth since it launched as an e-commerce platform in March 2017, as hundreds of new products are added to the website each week. Last month, the company raised $1.7 million in an initial seed funding round, from a mix of local and international venture capital firms it prefers not to name.
It aims to achieve more than $2m in gross merchandise volume (GMV) – the total value of transactions conducted via the site – by the end of 2018 and is “on good track for that”.
The founder is especially pleased with the average value of orders placed by customers, which is “more than double” the average $500 recorded by European counterparts. Customers are also typically ordering a larger number of items than European averages, he says.
In under two years, The List has come a long way from its ad-hoc beginnings. When Mr Skorski first moved to Dubai and saw the limitations of local retail, he began travelling around the world, bringing pieces back home and selling them on to his friends and other people for the same price he bought them for.
“They appreciated the better pricing and some uniqueness because these were selected, curated pieces from Paris or New York.” He looked for a mix of high fashion, expensive products from Italy, for example, with simple luxury “that does not need to be super-expensive but is extremely unique and perhaps can only be found in New York or London”.
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“I did a kind of curation job there and people trusted me,” he adds. “I was literally going into a boutique, saying, ‘I live in Dubai, you have a great selection of brands, I want to buy some pieces because we don’t have them there and everyone’s asking for it.’
“But in the end, after travelling back and forth, I almost never had space in my suitcase for myself – half my luggage was full of stuff for friends.”
In March 2016, Mr Skorski launched the subscription-based classifieds business that a year later would evolve to become The List. Based on his interactions with luxury retailers around the world, he set up a website enabling them to advertise pieces online and connect with prospective buyers.
The operation was run by Mr Skorski and a team of five others working from the lobby of Dubai’s Vida Downtown hotel on free wi-fi. “Our new office is only next door, so we still go in to the Vida for lunch and say hi to the nice hotel staff that helped us get The List off the ground,” he says.
At that stage, Mr Skorski was financing the project with his own money, paying a skeleton team of employees who also “believed in the mission”. He declines to reveal the size of his personal investment.
The team soon realised the classifieds site was missing a crucial component: the technological facility to conduct online transactions. Retailers were connecting directly with customers via the site, but it was up to them to manage payments off-page. There was also the question of logistics: who was responsible for the payment of delivery and import duties and ensuring a smooth customer experience.
This was a clear opportunity for Mr Skorski, and The List was born the following year to fill those service gaps. “As a customer, you need to be sure you are paying an authorised retailer and you can get your money back if there’s something wrong with the product. The retailer has pain-points, too, in estimating the duties and overseeing the delivery, so we took that off their hands,” he says.
The List fronts delivery and customs costs and arranges store pick-up the same day an order is made, or the morning after, Mr Skorski says. The return rate is less than 10 per cent. Retailers pay The List a commission of between 20 and 30 per cent per order and also contribute “a small percentage” of return and handling costs.
The focus now is on building up the technology platforms the business uses to help clients serve their customers, and make the customer journey as efficient as possible, the founder says. The money raised in the seed round will be used in particular to develop The List’s m-commerce capabilities. The Middle East has among the highest mobile penetration rates in the world, presenting huge opportunities for digital businesses. The List will also use the seed financing to open an office in Lisbon and hire 30 new staff, mainly digital engineers who can continuously develop underlying mobile technologies and analyse data to inform retail strategy.
The luxury segment is increasingly targeting digitally-enabled millennials with high disposable income – an expanding demographic in the Middle East and one retailers want to know more about. Even established international brands like Louis Vuitton are creating "funky" pieces and limited editions as they seek to broaden their appeal.
“The biggest opportunity lies in m-commerce, so we are trying to build a unique product for a mobile application,” Mr Skorski says. “We like to call it a ‘mobile ecosystem’ because we have various elements – the retailers that need to understand data better, customers that want to shop products in a different way, and we are building the technology required to connect those pieces. There’s a lot of new stuff we can do.”
He compares his business to “a tree, hosting various apples. We are trying to build a tree, and work with a lot of apples.”
The List has 22 staff at the moment – 17 in Dubai and the remainder in Berlin responsible for acquiring new client brands. The planned recruitment drive would bring the total headcount to around 50 or 60 by the end of 2018, Mr Skorski says.
There are also plans for geographic expansion. The List wants to position itself more strongly in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia a key area of focus, and promote regional brands. The site lists pieces by Bthaina, Hadid Eyewear and Hooked|HKD, and during Ramadan will launch several new brands, including Amal Al Raisi, SH Studios and Baruni.
In the longer term, the Chinese market presents an opportunity, according to Mr Skorski. “Chinese demand for European products is very high, which is why on their travels Chinese customers buy a lot of those products, and we could build that bridge digitally.”
Turning a profit is still a way off for The List, Mr Skorski says – the current focus is growth. “We want to develop the technology that makes our site feel like home for our customers; that understands their behaviour and knows how they shop,” he says.
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Company%20Profile
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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The view from The National
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz