Latest news with #Chalhoub
Fashion United
16-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Chairman Patrick Chalhoub: "I am not at all worried about luxury industry"
The Chalhoub Group contributes to the success of luxury brands through joint ventures and distribution agreements. Although diverse luxury fashion houses recently saw their sales and profits decline, chairman and former chief executive officer Patrick Chalhoub sees no reason to worry about the luxury industry. Chalhoub was interviewed at the World Retail Congress in London about his time with the group. The conversation began with his victories, but quickly turned to the state of the luxury industry at the moment. 'I am not worried at all,' Chalhoub said confidently. 'Luxury is a necessity for a human being. It helps us to strive and it brings pleasure.' The chairman quickly provides the context that the luxury market and the fashion industry in general has always had ups and downs. 'Look at the pandemic, for example. Soon there was revenge buying.' Chalhoub is referring to the fact that after the initial caution of consumers when the pandemic started, there was indeed a catch-up when the shops reopened. 'A period in which one has to adapt, that can certainly happen.' However, he warns that one should not make crazy leaps like a cornered cat too quickly. 'Don't be tempted to betray your values because you are afraid.'
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Camila Cabello holds hands with billionaire boyfriend after going viral for roasting Katy Perry
Camila Cabello jetted to Monaco to take in the Formula 1 races during the 2025 Monaco E-Prix. The Havana singer, 28, was joined by her boyfriend, Lebanese businessman Henry Junior Chalhoub, 38. Camila – who recently started a feud with Katy Perry – looked chic in a black v-neck t-shirt, jeans and a black leather jacket and oval shaped black sunglasses. Her beau also wore a black t-shirt and jeans, but he added a brown jacket and skipped the sunglasses. Cabello and Chalhoub were first linked in November 2024 at an Elie Saab fashion show afterparty in Saudi Arabia. They sparked romance rumors when they were seen packing on the PDA as they frolicked in the ocean in St. Barts in January. The couple went to the pre-BAFTA Nominees party on February 15 in London. They also piled on the PDA while sitting in the front row of Chanel's 2025 Fall/Winter fashion show on March 11 in Paris. They were playfully holding hands before the fashion show started until Chalhoub saw someone filming them and hid his face behind Camila's shoulder. Chalhoub comes from a very wealthy family who owns Dubai-based luxury fashion distribution company Chalhoub Group. The company works with Versace, Jimmy Choo, Jacquemus and several LVMH-owned brands. The mission of the company is to be a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East,' per their official website. Chalhoub's grandfather Michel and family were worth $1.7 billion as of 2019. Camila has been open about wanting to keep her private life out of the public eye. Camila uses caution when she talks about her love life. 'I get why people are interested in my love life, but I don't want to give people that piece of me because it is the most important part,' she told Latina magazine. Cabello went on to outline her 'dream life': 'I want to make songs and have incredible experiences with people. 'I don't want to be locked up in a hotel room and just do press and red carpets. That's not the kind of life I want to live.' The Havana, Cuba, native is gearing up to hit the road for her second headlining concert tour in support of her latest and fourth studio album, C, XOXO . The Yours, C Tour, which marks her first tour in over seven years, is set to kick-off June 21 in in Marbella, Spain, with dates across Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. The tour is currently scheduled to end with a performance September 14 at The Town Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. To promote her recent album, Cabello has already performed at a series of music festivals and events, including Glastonbury and Mawazine and the iHeart Radio Music Festival, among others. Camilla shared a video on TikTok holding a poster with her tour dates on it as she stood against a red wall Camila recently started a feud with Katy Perry after the Fireworks singer went on the the all-women Blue Origin space flight on April 14. Camilla shared a video on TikTok holding a poster with her tour dates on it as she stood against a red wall. 'Didn't have the budget to fly to space to promote my tour dates so I made this TikTok instead,' the I Luv It singer wrote over the video while moving slowly as if she was in zero gravity. She captioned the post '@Katy Perry hehehe ily.' Camila was imitating Perry's 11-minute ride into space aboard a Blue Origin capsule on April 14. During her brief time in space, Perry, 40, shared a butterfly shaped piece of paper with the rumored set list for her Lifetimes tour.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Aussie drivers warned of 48-hour ‘speed fine trap' as school holidays end: 'Higher penalties'
Drivers in one Aussie state are being warned to remain vigilant around school zones and follow the 40km/h speed limit, despite most students not returning to school until Wednesday. Monday April 28 and Tuesday April 29 are designated 'school development days' in New South Wales, designed as professional learning and planning days for teachers and staff. Students do not attend. Even though children will not be at school on those days, the lower speed limits will be enforced and could result in a hefty penalty for those who aren't aware of the rules. According to the NRMA, "pupil-free days continue to be a major speed trap for motorists". Transport for NSW Executive Director Transport Safety Chadi Chalhoub said drivers need to be mindful of school zones regardless of the development days, as there are some students who will be returning to school from Monday. 'We want children to go to school and return home safely, so please follow the speed limit in school zones and watch out for children when they are crossing, waiting to cross or as they get on or off buses," Mr Chalhoub said. 'Drivers who disobey road rules and gamble with the lives of children will face higher penalties and risk losing their licence.' Figures from 2024 show that an incredible 2,184 speeding fines were issued over the two days leading up to term one, almost doubling the daily average for February. At the time, NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said too many drivers were being caught out by the 'confusing' return of the speed cameras. 'It is extremely frustrating when drivers who normally abide by the 40 km/h speed limit in school zones are fined on pupil-free days because they were oblivious to the fact that the speed limits applied despite their children not being at school,' he said. 'The overwhelming majority of drivers go to great lengths to do the right thing around school zones and school zone speed limits have overwhelming public support – we just don't want people inadvertently breaking the law and getting fined. 'Confusion and complacency can set in when your children are still at home yet the school zones apply. Please be extra alert tomorrow as you drive through school zones as speed limits will apply.' The number of pupil-free days in NSW has increased from six days in 2024 to eight days in 2025. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Nahar Net
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Quraye's Good Friday tradition: An Easter reenactment in a Lebanese village
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 April 2025, 12:26 It's become a Good Friday tradition in Quraye: residents and visitors converging on the southern Lebanese village to witness a portrayal by some Christians there of Jesus' suffering and crucifixion. On Friday, Charbel Joseph Antoun, 37, played the role of Jesus. Wearing a crown that was thorny on the outside, he lugged a wooden cross while getting flogged. At one point, Antoun's arms were tied with ropes to the cross, which was then hoisted up. Spectators walked behind the procession; others peered down from balconies. At times, many looked touched by the scenes. "What's more beautiful than representing the final period of Jesus' life on earth ... and of feeling, even a little bit, of the pain he's felt?" Antoun told The Associated Press on the eve of the reenactment of the Way of the Cross. "What's more beautiful than all of us gathering together?" This year, Christians in Lebanon are observing Holy Week and celebrating Easter after a November ceasefire halted more than a year of the latest Israel-Hezbollah fighting, providing the country with some respite though not a complete end to hostilities. Since the ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that have killed scores of civilians and members of the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group. Israel has said that its strikes in Lebanon are in response to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah and to prevent the group from rearming. Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Palestinian militants' attack on southern Israel. Even before the fighting, Lebanon was embroiled in a series of economic and other crises. "People vent during these celebrations," said the Rev. Tony Chalhoub of the Maronite church of St. George in Quraye. "They're trying to live as much as possible." Many Lebanese, he said, have had to grow accustomed to coping with wars. "When Israel strikes, the people get scared in the moment and then carry on with their business," he said. This year, Chalhoub said, he's seeing "a look of hope" and more smiles from people, before adding: "I don't know if they will be disappointed later." On Thursday, in a ritual symbolizing humility, Chalhoub washed the feet of a dozen boys at the church. The ritual recalls the foot-washing Jesus performed on his 12 apostles at their Last Supper together before he would be taken away to be crucified. Chalhoub said he doesn't participate in the Friday reenactment, which he said has become entrenched in Quraye. On social media, he added, it often draws mixed reactions, with some criticizing aspects of it as "backward." Antoun said scenes like the hoisting of the cross and the flogging are done in a calculated and "professional" manner. "We do this out of a good heart," he said. Michel Badr, who came from another village to attend the reenactment, said he supports the performance "so that people would know, even if in a small way, how much Jesus had suffered ... to give us a new era and a beautiful life after him." Chalhoub said his concern is to avoid an overemphasis on mourning. "It's better to turn the pain into glory and to triumph over pain with God's power, not just to go and cry," he said. "There's redemption. There's salvation," Chalhoub said. "Of course, there's sadness, but there's huge hope for triumphing over all that is painful."
Arab News
05-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Chalhoub Group expands Saudi operations with new fulfillment hub and store
RIYADH: Chalhoub Group is strengthening its presence in Saudi Arabia by launching a regional fulfillment hub in Riyadh and inaugurating a new luxury store in Solitaire Mall. The company's latest investments underscore its commitment to the Kingdom's evolving retail landscape, in line with its long-term expansion strategy. The new fulfillment center, located in the Riyadh free zone near King Khalid International Airport, is designed to boost the company's e-commerce and distribution operations, serving Saudi Arabia and the broader region. In an interview with Arab News during the Retail Leaders Circle Global Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Patrick Chalhoub, executive chairman at Chalhoub Group, highlighted the facility's strategic role. 'It's a fulfillment center, which is aiming to really service both our digital and e-commerce drive, our distribution in Saudi Arabia but also beyond Saudi Arabia from Riyadh, gradually, to be really a hub of distribution,' he said. The hub is expected to process up to 100 million luxury products at full capacity, leveraging advanced technology to optimize logistics and improve delivery speed. 'The aim, like in e-commerce, is to be able to fulfill in Riyadh within two hours, in Saudi Arabia within 24 hours, outside Saudi Arabia in less than three days,' Chalhoub stated. 'This will be and is the heart of the market, so it's better to be based in the heart of the market and not be based outside and servicing the market,' he remarked, referring to the Kingdom as the center of luxury retail. Chalhoub Group has been present in the Saudi market since 1959 and has witnessed significant policy and economic shifts over the decades, the executive chairman highlighted. The company now employs approximately 5,000 people in the Kingdom, with 78 percent of its workforce being Saudi nationals and 74 percent women. As part of its retail expansion, Chalhoub Group is also set to open a new store in Solitaire Mall in Riyadh on Feb. 12. The store is designed to deliver an enhanced shopping experience, reflecting the company's focus on innovation in retail. Chalhoub highlighted that consumer behavior in the Middle East differs significantly from other regions, driven by cultural and social dynamics. Unlike Western markets, where individual preferences often dictate shopping trends, the Middle East places a strong emphasis on family-oriented experiences. Human connection is central in shaping commerce, with relationships and social interactions deeply influencing purchasing decisions. He underlined that while some of these characteristics can also be found in regions like Latin America and parts of Asia, they are far less prevalent in Western markets. Additionally, the retail landscape within Saudi Arabia itself is highly diverse, varying by region. Consumer preferences in the western, central, and eastern parts of the Kingdom are distinct, reflecting localized tastes and traditions. Chalhoub pointed out that Saudi Arabia's rapidly growing young population is another key driver of change. With high birth rates and large families, the country's demographics present significant opportunities for brands. Increasing education levels and digital connectivity are also shaping a new generation of more knowledgeable, globally aware, and tech-savvy consumers. He emphasized that this evolving demographic is one of the most valuable assets for the Kingdom and the broader Gulf region. Chalhoub provided insights into the global luxury market, emphasizing the Middle East's growing but relatively small share. The worldwide luxury market — including beauty, fashion, jewelry, watches, and gift items — is valued at approximately $380 billion, with the Middle East accounting for $12.5 billion, or around 3 percent to 4 percent of the total. However, for successful brands, the region can represent between 5 percent and 7 percent of their global sales, highlighting its potential for further growth. Saudi Arabia's luxury market is currently valued at nearly $3.5 billion, making up less than 1 percent of the global luxury sector. In comparison, the UAE, driven by tourism and local demand, boasts a luxury market exceeding $7 billion to $8 billion. Chalhoub also noted that despite their smaller populations, countries like Qatar and Kuwait have well-established luxury fashion markets, in some cases surpassing the Kingdom's in terms of spending per capita. Given Saudi Arabia's population of over 33 million, compared to Qatar's 2 million and Kuwait's 5 million, he suggested there is room for significant market expansion in the Kingdom.
