Footwear brand Dr Martens has signed a distribution partnership with Beside Group to expand into the United Arab Emirates for the first time. The initial phase of the tie-up will be through wholesale, with plans to open branded stores in the future.
The company also confirmed that its Latin American partner, Crosby, has launched a store in Santiago, Chile, marking Dr Martens’ first retail presence in the country. This follows the opening of a Buenos Aires store in August. The agreement between Dr Martens and Crosby also covers Paraguay and Mexico, incorporating both branded shops and wholesale.
Chief executive Ije Nwokorie said the new partnerships aligned with the company’s strategy of entering growth markets through a capital-light model. He added that the UAE and Latin America represented significant potential for the brand and expressed confidence in the expertise of its local partners to represent the full strength of Dr Martens’ identity.
In July, ahead of its AGM, Dr Martens reported that trading was in line with management expectations. The company reiterated that its FY ’26 guidance remained unchanged, with global order books for the upcoming Autumn/Winter season described as “healthy”.
