SIMDI Group has opened a Rip Curl store in Kaafu atoll Maafushi, taking the Australian surf brand into a local island for the first time.
The outlet stocks surf wear, swimwear, beachwear and casual lifestyle ranges for men, women and children. It was opened by SIMDI Group chairman Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, chief executive Dr. Mariyam Shakeela, and Edwin Stevens on behalf of Rip Curl, with guests and members of the local community attending.
Maafushi is the fifth Rip Curl location in the country. The brand already trades at Crossroads Maldives, Niyama Private Islands, Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi and Hulhumalé.
Why Maafushi?
Shakeela pointed to the island’s tourism industry and its relationship with the ocean, and said the company expects the store to become one of its strongest. She added that SIMDI is looking at further locations where it sees market potential.
Rip Curl’s four existing outlets sit either inside resorts or in Hulhumalé, which is to say they sell to guests who have already paid resort prices, or to residents of the urban area. Maafushi is neither of that, but an island that built the guesthouse sector, and its visitors are mid-market travelers who book independently, eat at local cafés and spend their own money ashore rather than signing it to a room.
The store is running a grand opening promotion of up to 40 percent off across the shop, from September 27 to October 11.