Payless ShoeSource, a speciality family footwear retailer, and its franchisee Alshaya International Trading have announced the opening of the first Payless ShoeSource store in Saudi Arabia.

The new store, which is 240 sq m in area, is located in the Sahara Mall in Riyadh.

“We are thrilled to grand open our first-ever store in Saudi Arabia at the Sahara Mall and to bring shoppers in the Kingdom all that Payless has to offer -- great style, quality and brand names – all at a great price,” said Matthew Rubel, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Collective Brands, which owns Payless ShoeSource.

“Shoes are universal and women, in particular, enjoy expressing themselves through shoes and accessories. We are so pleased to be here in Riyadh and to have such a tremendous franchisee in Alshaya, and we look forward to bringing shoppers the newest fashion and latest ideas in footwear and accessories for seasons to come,” he added.

Mohammed Alshaya, executive chairman of M.H. Alshaya Company, said: “We are very excited to introduce Payless to the Saudi market, and we believe the Payless name and all it represents including great brands, a fun inspiring shopping experience, the latest affordable fashions and high quality will do well here -- just as it has in other regions of the world.”

The Payless store format offers a fun and inspiring shopping environment designed to showcase the latest trends to make it easy for shoppers to find products to match their personal style and needs.

In line with the Payless stores in the US, the Riyadh store features a wide assortment of shoes and accessories for the family including products for women, men and children covering a range of wearing occasions.

Also available at the new store are Payless designer collections New York fashion designers Lela Rose with Lela Rose for Payless; Stacey Bendet with the alice + olivia for Payless; and Laura Poretzky with the Abaeté for Payless designer label.

The collections feature original designs by each designer that are unveiled at New York Fashion Week and later brought to Payless stores at affordable prices, said a statement. – TradeArabia News Service