Ishwar Chugani (left), Managing Director of Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director of Giordano International; and Dominic Irwin, Giordano International's CFO, receive the 2013 ‘RLI Emerging Market Retailer of the Year' award. Giordano, the fashion retailer for everyday essential wardrobe, clinched the “2013 RLI Emerging Market Retailer of the Year” award in the recently concluded Global RLI Awards held in the National History of Museum in London. The recognition adds to a long list of accolades received by Giordano from prestigious award-giving bodies internationally. The leading apparel retailer was nominated for representing the essential retail qualities of entrepreneurship, originality and flexibility. Giordano bested three other international nominees short-listed from many entries across the globe, as it has demonstrated a robust and growing retail format and essayed its role in the development of emerging economies where it operates. Receiving the award from Jayne Rafter, Publisher of RLI (Retail and Leisure International) were Dominic Irwin, Giordano International's CFO and Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director of Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director of Giordano International. Rafter said the awards celebrate and reward the success and creativity of the industry's most impressive developments, leading retailers, leisure operators and affiliated business partners, through concepts, initiatives and design excellence. “This award means a lot to Giordano International and Giordano Middle East FZE as it recognizes our efforts in delivering not just quality products but innovative and creative retail entrepreneurship. Our business has expanded exponentially since 1981. Around the world, Giordano now boasts of 2,800 stores in 40 countries with continued focus on expansion into emerging markets such as Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America,” said Chugani. He added that Giordano's passion is to continuously reinvent itself to offer customers essential and relevant collections as well as offer the best customer experience while shopping in each of its stores. Just in May 2013, Giordano was also ranked 19th in Forbes Middle East magazine's Top 100 Making an Impact in the Arab World, for companies which are leading an industry, contributing to societal development, or pouring finances into charity work or economic growth across the Arab world. — SG
