Victoria's Secret
Lingerie lovers get ready for Victoria's Secret on Mashtots Street, next to Giordano and across from Hugo Boss. That Yum Yum Donuts is starting to look out of place now.
posted by Der Hova at 1:23 AM
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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17 Comments:
ahhhh thanks for confirming that...i thought i was hallucinating when i saw the victoria secret sign, as my marshutni was zooming by on mashdotz.....and to think we don't even have a store in montreal....
I saw this too, though I wonder if it's the real thing?
Sounds a bit unlikely. More likely someone is infringing copyright again but should be easy to check. Nothing on the Internet so far and it doesn't even look as though there's one on Moscow (which makes me think that the U.S. chain would not even contemplate opening something in Yerevan, Baku or Tbilisi). Instead, Russia has an OUTLET for merchandise from Victoria's Secret, Diva.
See:
http://archive.sptimes.ru/archive/times/790/news/b_7015.htm
Wonder who owns it, though? A foreign entrepeneur or more likely an official with money (from somwehere) to burn. Still, the merchandise will probably be genuine but more expensive than shopping over the Internet? Like Avant Garde in 1999 selling Levi 501s for $120 saying they were directly imported from Paris. Pardon, Paris?
Could be the real thing, considering they have hundreds of stores worldwide. Not 100% reliable proof, but the logo on the store looks exactly the same as the real logo, font and all.
I've heard people question Hugo Boss and Betty Barclay as well, but they actually are official stores, and don't even exist in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
well these are all franchises. so, i don't see why they couldn't be the real thing. although, then again, there is gapland just a block away
Hugo Boss is at 34 U Gajibekov St in Baku (http://www.queenswaytravel.com/City%20Information/Baku.htm).
BTW: I wonder if all the Hugo Boss stuff in Yerevan and Baku is coming from their factory in Izmir, Turkey?
http://www.byegm.gov.tr/YAYINLARIMIZ/CHR/ING99/10/99X10X01.HTM
I'm guessing it is.
Betty Barclay don't appear to have a shop in Baku but have an outlet at the VIP store at the BEM center:
http://www.bem.az:8101/en/shops.shtml
Bizarre. Victoria's Secret in Tehran, Iran:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58281-2004Dec11.html
The logo does seem right, and you never do know, maybe it's real... but it would be good to know for sure...
Onnik, I'm pretty sure the Baku Hugo Boss and Betty Barclay stores you mentioned are not official stores considering they are not even mentioned on the official Hugo Boss and Betty Barclay websites, though the Armenia stores are. Turkey doesn't have a Betty Barclay store either. (Anyone wanna head over to Baku to check if the Boss store is the real thing?)
By the way, I saw a Swatch store in Tbilisi but it is not mentioned on the official website, so I'm guessing that's a fake as well, but Armenia is mentioned.
www.hugoboss.com
www.bettybarclay.com
www.swatch.com
I think Gapland is funny with almost all their clothing stamped with a "SAMPLE".
I can't wait to see what the Abrahamyans are going to be bringing into the big shopping mall they are building on Abovyan Street. Hopefully a few casual mens clothing stores.
I would imagine that Baku would make our eyes pop out given the amount of money in circulation among the elite there and the fact that there are 20,000 long term expats working and living in the city.
On the other hand, I think that these are the wrong indicators to look at. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are all pretty much the same when it comes to fraud, money laundering and god knows what else. Sure, the levels are different but the trends are the same.
So, Baku has two or more McDonalds, possibly a Hugo Boss store but definitely 1.7 million cell phones while Georgia is the third country in the entire former Soviet Union to introduce third generation mobile phone services etc.
All of this caters for a tiny elite (perhaps with the exception of mobile phone use which is pretty much high in the entire former Soviet Union EXCEPT for Armenia).
I'm more interested in infant mortality rates, poverty levels, the quality of education and health, democracy, rule of law etc, the things that matter for a country rather than shops catering for those who have built their fortunes on corruption.
Reminds me of a story a journalist friend told me here. While talking to an Azeri counterpart in Moscow, they spoke about money in circulation and the fact that it remains in the hands of a (connected) minority. The Azeri journalist agreed. Thing is, he said, while Armenia talks in millions, Azerbaijan talks in billions.
My take. Build a more equal Armenian society with democracy and the rule of law as its basis and the coutnry has a future. A "Victoria's Secret" shop which may or may not be legit is insignificant in the scheme of things. Just as the Benetton shop was in Yerevan in 1998 but which is now closed.
And nor do I give a damn whether Azerbaijan and Georgia has McDonalds instead or that Apple used to (or still does) have a Mac dealership in Tbilisi or, or, or...
The point is that a lot of this is built on corruption and nothing else. Let's get back to other more real indicators that have more relevance for the future of the country. Happily, Armenia shows some positive signs in this regard but we should not be so complacent. This region is changing and perhaps in ways that does not benefit Armenia.
Or that Tbilisi had two Marriots and a Sheraton before Yerevan even had one. Or that Baku has 5-star luxury hotels since god knows when.
We're looking at the wrong indicators, unless you're going to tell me that more than 0.05 percent of the population (that generaly made its money illegally) even walks into those types of stores. That's all.
Well, real or not real.. I think it's pretty cool. Even though it might be true that a lot of these stores bring their merchandise from Turkey... (we have to watch out for that in the U.S.).
It just follows my thing of "Hayasdan AMEN INCH GAH!!!!!" :)
"Amen Inch ga?"
Except for democracy and the rule of law, civil society involvement in process of nation building, less corruption, an adequate health and education system and all the rest of the things that we should be more concerned with, of course.
Onnik OK WE GET IT!
Well the girl did say "amen inch gah" and I suppose that also applies to corruption. lol
When I heard today about the Victoria's Secret store in Yerevan I was a little bit surprised but you know, I think its the real one. Remember there are good businessmen up there hassling business for ARmenia. PLus Yerevan is developing so fast.
hi everyone I am from Baku,I can assure u that expensive cloth shops like Hugo Boss r real. Where do u think US or UK make the most of there cloth. Most of them r made in Turkey and Chine. By the way We Have the Triump underwear shop.Hope Victoria's Secret will come to us soon
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