UK retail and luxury brands keep opening stores in the Middle East, and when they do, they often want someone who already knows the brand standard to run them. For a store manager or head office specialist, that can be a big step up in responsibility and package. It's also a move that's easy to get wrong if you only look at the salary.
A large part of our work is outside the UK, most of it for brands headquartered or trading here. Recent placements include a head of marketing for a luxury beauty brand in Doha. These are the questions we encourage every candidate to work through before saying yes.
Why brands recruit from the UK
When a UK brand opens in Dubai or Doha, it's usually through a franchise partner or its own new subsidiary. Either way, the first stores need someone who knows how the brand should look and sell. A manager who has run the brand, or a close competitor, in London can set that standard from day one.
That's why these roles often ask for luxury or premium experience specifically. Brands want managers who already know how to build a client book and look after high-value customers.
The package: look at the whole of it
Salary is only one part. Before you compare an offer with your UK pay, find out what else is included. Gulf employment packages often cover some of these:
- housing, or a housing allowance
- flights home, and how often
- medical insurance, and whether it covers your family
- school fees, if you have children
- end-of-service payments
Ask for every element in writing. Two offers with the same headline salary can be very different once housing and family costs are counted.
Tax
The UAE doesn't levy income tax on individuals, according to the UAE government's own guidance. That's a large part of why packages there look attractive. But your UK tax position depends on whether you're still treated as UK resident, which turns on how much time you spend here and your ties to the UK. HMRC explains the residence rules. Take proper tax advice before you go, especially if you're keeping a home in the UK.
Visas and contracts
In the UAE, your employer sponsors your residence visa for work (UAE government guidance). In practice that means your right to live there is tied to the job, so read the contract carefully. Check your notice period and what happens if the role ends early.
The job itself
The title may match your UK role, but the job often doesn't. Things to ask:
- Is this a new market entry or an established store? Opening the first store is a very different job from running the fifth.
- Who do you report to, and where are they based? Some managers report to a franchise partner locally and to brand head office in the UK.
- How big is the team, and how much of it are you hiring?
- What does success look like at twelve months, and how is the bonus measured?
Is it right for you?
The people who do well abroad are usually the ones who went for the role and the experience, with the package as a bonus. Spend time in the city before you commit if you can. Talk to people already working there. Think about your family and how long you want to stay.
A good international role can move your career on faster than a UK promotion would. Make the decision on the whole picture, with the tax-free number as one part of it.
Talk to us
We recruit store and head office roles for UK and international brands in the Middle East and across Europe. See some of our international placements, look at our live vacancies, or register with us and one of the directors will call you.