Luxury brand Monili Jewellers is opening its first store outside of Dubai in Brisbane this week.
The opening of the store, on Elizabeth Street in Brisbane’s CBD, will be followed by the opening of a store in Sydney next year and then another in Melbourne soon after as the company plans “to cover all major markets within Australia”.
Matthew Krill, the director of Monili, which was founded in 2005 and now has seven stores in Dubai, said Brisbane was chosen as the location of the jeweller’s first international store as the city had a budding luxury market and relatively low operating costs.
“Brisbane was chosen for a couple of reasons,” he explained.
“First we looked at the major metropolitan markets within Australia and assessed the capital that would be required to launch our operations in each of these locales.
“Brisbane has a budding luxury market, which has seen many high-end brands open their doors in recent years, while still having relatively low operating costs.
“This is important because we believe we can then pay more attention to tweaking the customer experience so that we can deliver world-class service offerings and stunningly crafted fine jewellery that are tailored to the exacting expectations of the Australian consumer.”
Krill said the new store is designed with a gallery-style, open-plan format, with French provincial cabinets and furniture placed around the space in a way that encourages customers to wander through and explore the jewellery as they wish.
“Our shop design is a lot different to that of a traditional jewellery store; creating an open space to encourage interaction, which is important for a product that is all about personal connections,” he said.
“Customers are encouraged to sit down and take their time browsing through the designs until they find a piece they fall in love with.
“Monili Jewellers want their customers to have a relaxing experience and shoppers who choose to take their time will be served refreshments to enjoy while they make their decision.
“Monili Jewellers believes this process encourages customers to ask as many questions as they wish, with their professional, friendly and welcoming staff on hand to answer any queries.
“We don’t believe in pressure to buy, because we recognise part of the joy of buying jewellery is in the moment of discovery where your heart tells you it is the piece for you.”