Dr. Martens expands into the UAE and Latin America

British footwear brand Dr. Martens is expanding its global presence with a new distribution partnership with Beside Group, marking its entry into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market for the first time. Additionally, the brand has secured a deal to further its expansion into Latin America through a partnership with Crosby.

In a statement, Dr. Martens said the partnerships mark “an important milestone in its next phase of growth,” and are part of its “strategic objective of curating market-right distribution and entering new growth markets with capital-light models”.

To enter the lucrative Middle East market, Dr. Martens has selected the Beside Group, which has become a key partner for international brands in the region. The partnership will see Beside launching Dr. Martens footwear and accessories initially through wholesale to grow the brand presence in the UAE, before adding mono-branded stores “in the future”.

For the British footwear brand’s expansion in Latin America, Crosby will serve as its official distributor, driving its reach in Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile with wholesale and mono-branded retail stores. Dr. Martens opened its first store in Palermo, Buenos Aires, in August, to a “great reception,” and followed up that launch with a second store in Santiago this week, marking the brand’s first store in Chile.

Ije Nwokorie, chief executive of Dr. Martens, said: “These exciting partnerships are consistent with our strategy of entering new growth markets to reach more consumers than ever before through a capital-light approach.

“We see enormous potential for Dr. Martens in the UAE and Latin America and are delighted to have two partners who really understand both the depth and breadth of our iconic brand.”