Retail Tavola
Masters of hospitality Middle Eastern culture revolves around family, friends and the sharing of delicious food. Tavola in Dubai – gia Global Honorees 2020 encapsulates these core elements of life in an excitingly modern yet ultimately homely, caring way as Michelle Hespe learns
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ore than 20 years ago, a family dedicated to sharing its passion for cooking opened a retail store that has steadily grown to be one of the most reputable kitchenware stores in the Middle East’s Gulf region. The family always had a dream of expanding into other countries in The Gulf as they knew their fellow countrymen and women shared the same language, culture, habits and taste in cuisine. They sure were right – today Tavola operates 25 stores in six countries and the new flagship store is a sign of what’s to come. Stepping back in time, the first Tavola store was a 185 m2 (2000 ft2) warmly lit store in the middle of a close-knit community where everyone knew one another, shared recipes and shopped at the same places for food. “When we opened that first store, there
wasn’t a specialty store anything like it,” says Tavola’s deputy general manager, Wakami Saab. “We offered a collection of highquality well-designed kitchenware, bakeware and tableware brands, and we had a wonderful sales team who loved cooking and baking and were passionate about what we were doing,” she says. “We were also blessed with wonderful customers who gave us ideas and supported us right from the start.” The customer comes first Many of those original customers are so loyal to the company’s roots that they still shop at the first Tavola store rather than go to one of the newer larger ones – it is still one of the company’s best performing stores, Wakami explains. And it’s obvious that the company has never stopped listening to its customers. “Listening to our customers is very important to all of us
Did you know? Tavola worked on a marketing campaign with over 20 influencers across six countries, reaching more than three million people. 20 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL
at Tavola,” says Wakami. “In the earlier days it was a delight to see customers walking through the door holding brochures and leaflets recommending brands and products that they thought we should carry. And we’ve added many of those products, so our customers know that they’ve contributed to our growth.” Wakami and her team are planning the next step – inviting customers to sit with the staff in groups that will evaluate novelties and trends. “This is long overdue and we will soon make it happen,” she says. Taking care of customers is something Tavola staff take very seriously, and they treat customers as they would beloved family members. “Once a customer wanted a replacement for a dinner plate she broke, that was part of a collection no longer produced by the supplier,” says Wakami. “At that time, one of our colleagues was travelling in the US and they found the dinner plate on the website www.replacements.com. They brought back the plate for the customer so that she could complete her dinner set. Of course, she was overjoyed!” This kind of customer service is something ingrained in the staff, and training is taken very seriously.
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the number of stores Tavola operates in six countries So seriously, in fact, that Tavola has a well-known training academy. “We train, and train and train,” says Wakami. “Alongside bringing the best-in-class products to our customers, we aim to offer the best possible service. Our staff are happy to see themselves involved in this level of training and that pursuit of service perfection.” Perfect merchandising Tavola’s latest store in Mirdif City Center Dubai is a modern, clean, shining oasis of style – crisp white walls showcasing meticulously organised products by brand and categories. The physical store is as easy to navigate as the well-executed website, and the dedicated demonstration stations throughout Tavola stores ensure that customers can experience products before they