Villa Moda to open in London

The Kuwaiti luxury retailer Villa Moda is set to open its first store a The Power Station in London in spring 2009, reports WWD. The Power Station is a £1.1 billion retail, hospitality and residential project in the former Battersea power station. The new store will encompass three stories in the new development.

"It's always been my dream to bring my knowledge and vision of luxury retail to Europe," Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, founder of the luxury fashion and accessories stores, told WWD on Monday in a telephone interview from Dubai, where he was attending the International Herald Tribune's third annual fashion conference. "Europe, frankly, is a little tired these days when it comes to retail. It's the East and Middle East where things are happening right now."

Villa Moda is said to be the first business to open at The Power Station. Al-Sabah, who opened the Villa Moda store in Kuwait City three years ago, said that the London store would be influenced by retail destinations from different locations, from the bazaars of the Middle East to Portobello Road. He added that designers and brands that decided to participate would be asked to design one-off products for the store.

He did not yet reveal which brands will feature in the store.